FAQ

I'm a complete beginner. Can I still join?

Absolutely! We have beginner-friendly guided projects and a community where you can ask for help anytime.

Who can participate?

You must be a teenager between the ages of 13 and 18, and under 19 before August 2026.

Is this really free?

Yes! The program is 100% free. We'll fund your projects and cover the trip.

What kind of projects can I build?

Anything you want! Personal websites, games, apps, hardware projects. As long as you're learning and building, it counts.

What is Hack Club?

Hack Club is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 81-2908499) that helps high school students learn to code and build projects. We're the largest teen-led coding community, with over 50,000 students building with friends each year.

I have more questions!

Ask us in #macondo on the Hack Club Slack, or email us at macondo@hackclub.com!

Can I make a hardware or CAD project and ship it without printing?

You gotta print it! Whether it’s a 3D model, keychain, or organizer, you need to physically print it and share a photo to ship it.

Do I need to journal for software projects?

Nope, journals are optional for software but they help reviewers understand your work faster. You can use Hackatime or Lapse to track hours, and journal if you want to back hours you couldn't with Hackatime or Lapse.

Can I use hours from a project I started before Macondo?

Yep! If your project shows up in Hackatime and you haven’t submitted it elsewhere, all your past hours count. Just make sure it’s updated and you journal progress.

Can I submit a project I started before Macondo began?

Yes! If your project is tracked on Hackatime and hasn’t been submitted elsewhere, you can add it here. Just make sure to keep working on it and journal your progress.

Can I ship the same project twice?

Yes! You can ship updates as long as they’re significant and marked as updates. The system auto-detects them, so just keep building and improving!

Do I get grants instead of shipped items?

Grants are only for places where shipping isn’t possible. If shipping works, we send your item! But if customs are a hassle, we’ll convert it to a grant automatically.

How do I maintain my streak?

A streak day needs at least 1 hour of work on a project that day, counting your Hackatime time and the hours you log on journals combined. For a software project you can clear the hour with Hackatime alone. For a hardware project, or coding outside Hackatime, the hours you log on a journal count toward it (you record how long you worked when you post the journal). You can also mix them, for example 30 minutes of Hackatime plus a journal logging 30 minutes. A journal with very few logged hours, like 0.1, will not hold the streak on its own when you have under an hour of Hackatime that day. If you do miss a day, a streak freeze from the shop auto-spends to cover it, and you can stash up to 5.

Why does my total time show more than what I logged in Hackatime?

Your journal-logged hours are added to your Hackatime hours for that day, which is why the total can be higher. To avoid double counting, set a journal's hours to 0 for code time you already tracked in Hackatime, and log hours only for work Hackatime did not capture, like hardware or design time. Because the two are summed, a journal with 0 hours adds nothing to the day's total, so it cannot keep a streak on its own. A streak day needs 1 hour total (Hackatime plus journal-logged hours).

Can I ship a project I started on another program like Flavortown?

Yes! Just make sure to note in your project that it’s an update from another program, and don’t log hours you already used there. Reviewers will adjust accordingly.

What should I put for a demo link on a hardware project?

Upload a video of your hardware working to GitHub and paste the link. No need for a playable game, just show your project in action, like a robot moving or a circuit lighting up.

Do I need to journal for software projects to keep my streak?

You don’t need to journal for software projects to ship them, but you do need to log at least 1 hour of Hackatime each day to keep your streak alive. Journaling helps reviewers understand your work better!

Do I get fruits if I use a hardware grant?

Yes! You get a grant card for parts, and any extra hours you spend designing get turned into pending fruits. You’ll unlock them after you finish building your project.

Can I journal time I spent learning, like watching videos or reading docs?

Yes, you can journal time you spent learning, even if you did not write code. Write what you learned and add screenshots. Set the hours to 0 if it is passive learning you are not counting as project work. Keep in mind that a journal with 0 logged hours does not keep your streak alive on its own: a streak day needs 1 hour total that day from your Hackatime time plus your journal-logged hours. So a 0-hour learning journal helps reviewers see your progress, but it does not protect the streak by itself.

When is the Macondo event ending?

Macondo ends in late August, so you've got plenty of time to finish your project. Start now and take it slow, you got this!

Can I make a project based on an open-source design?

You can use open-source designs as inspiration, but your project must be unique. Add your own twist, change parts, add features, or improve the design.

Can I use my own hardware parts I already own for a project?

Yes! You can use parts you already have. Just make sure they’re common and easy to find. Your grant covers what you still need to buy.

Can I reship my project after it’s approved?

Yes! You can reship your project as many times as you want. Just mark it as an update and mention what you changed. Only the new hours will count!

How do I get funding for my hardware project?

Create a BOM (bill of materials) with the parts you need, add screenshots of your cart, and submit your project. If approved, you’ll get a grant card to buy them, no need to pay upfront!

Why are some items like the Flipper Zero not available in my region?

Some items can’t be shipped to certain regions due to local laws or customs rules. We try to find local sellers, but sometimes it’s just not possible. Suggest alternatives, we review them weekly!

Can I use AI in my project? Are there limits?

You can use AI, but you’re expected to build most of it yourself, AI helps with ideas or editing, not doing the whole project. Projects that are fully vibe coded or generated by AI will be rejected.