My Experience at Shipwrecked: The First Hackathon on an Island
What is Shipwrecked?
Shipwrecked is the first hackathon ever held on an island, organized by Hack Club. Hack Club is a nonprofit that helps kids and teens learn about technology. It has a huge community of over 50,000 members from all over the world.
Part One: The Bay
Before I could go to Shipwrecked, I had to finish 60 hours of coding and working on projects. This was called “The Bay.” It wasn’t just a rule — it was a way to show I was committed. Over several weeks, I worked on different coding challenges, built small projects, and joined Hack Club events. Some days were really fun, like when I finally fixed a bug or learned something new. Other days were a bit hard, especially when I got stuck, but thinking about Shipwrecked kept me going. The Bay taught me a lot about sticking with things and learning from problems. When I reached my 60th hour, I felt really proud and excited for the next step.
Part Two: The Island
Once I finished The Bay, I got my invitation to Shipwrecked. My family and I drove to Boston, and as we got closer, my excitement kept building. We arrived the day before the event, and that night I could barely sleep because I was so eager for the next day. On the morning of Shipwrecked, I was nervous heading to the park where everyone was meeting, but seeing 129 other teenagers who loved coding made me feel right at home. Together, we boarded the ferry and set off for the island.
When we arrived, I found out I was the youngest participant, but everyone was welcoming. We settled into our rooms, the dorms were comfortable, with up to four beds and usually three people per room. The opening ceremony kicked off with a story about an octopus attacking the island and villagers who couldn’t speak English or write text.
Each day brought a new theme and challenge. The first themewas make an app without text, so my group built MusiArt, an app that lets people draw and transforms their drawings into music. The second theme, “connection by connection,” was all about multiplayer apps. Using special PCBs with E-Ink screens and radio modules, we created Badge Tag, a game where players tracked each other using signals and tagged hiders based on radio module distance.
After finishing Badge Tag, the organizers revealed that our hard work had helped us understand what the villagers were trying to say. The final challenge was to use colours to scare away the monster, so we made a webpage that flashed random colours to defeat the octopus!
The best part of Shipwrecked for me was working together with my group, especially coding late into the night and sharing the thrill when things finally worked. There were a few stressful moments, like staying up so late I felt like I was floating, but those made the experience even more memorable. The food was surprisingly great for a hackathon, instead of the usual pizza, we got to enjoy lasagna, shawarma, and other delicious meals. Each team could have up to three members, and I loved collaborating in my group. The weather was perfect for being outdoors, and the island setting made everything feel like an adventure.
After three days of teamwork, creativity, and fun, it was time to go home. Shipwrecked was the best hackathon I’ve ever attended, I made new friends, learned a ton, and had an amazing time. If I get the chance, I’d absolutely go back and do it all over again.