How Better Auth Ran Their First Hackathon with HackHQ

The Event

On February 7, Better Auth organized Better Hack, a hackathon that challenged developers to reimagine the tools they use every day and prototype the next generation of better ones. With Y Combinator hosting at their San Francisco headquarters, sponsors like Anthropic, Vercel, Sentry, and Neon backing the event, and over $17,500 in cash prizes including a guaranteed YC interview for first place, the stakes were high.

Around 113 developers showed up to build for a full day. The theme resonated - teams submitted projects to create better research papers, better production monitoring, and better technical interviews. By code freeze, 37 projects had been submitted - nearly 50% more than the expected 25 submissions.

The Challenge

This was Better Auth's first hackathon. With 37 submissions, 11 judges, and a 45-minute window before the top 6 pitched, they needed a way to evaluate every project fairly and fast. Each submission included a project title, description, 1-minute video presentation, demo link, and GitHub repo. Scoring each project on multiple criteria wasn't going to work; there simply wasn't enough time.

On top of that, the judging format was complex:

• Two groups, each reviewing half the submissions (~18 projects per group) and picking their top 3 - then coming together to watch the top 6 and choose the final winners from their combined picks
• A separate Founder's Choice award, where 4 founders independently voted from their own devices - with results tracked on a dedicated interface
• Both workflows running simultaneously, with results needed immediately for the awards ceremony

With YC, Anthropic, Vercel, Sentry, and Neon in the room, there was no margin for error.

The Solution

HackHQ handled submissions, judging, and results for Better Hack. Here's how each piece worked:

Submissions

Participants submitted their projects through a single link - no accounts needed, just a project title, description, 1-minute video presentation, demo link, and GitHub repo. All 37 submissions came in right at code freeze, and everything was ready for judges immediately.

"The ability to have links that don't require people to create accounts is so powerful. It just takes so much friction out of the event."

- Ravindra Mistri, Founding Operator at Better Auth

Judging: Top Picks

Instead of scoring every project on a sliding scale, judges used the Top Picks mode.

Each judge group was able to easily visualize the projects on the same page, and simply picked and ranked their top 3 projects from their assigned submissions. This made the tight judging window work:

• Both groups reviewed their ~18 assigned submissions and picked their top 3 - each done in under 45 minutes
• The top 6 pitched
• The two groups then came together with clear shortlists to collectively decide 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place

Founder's Choice: Audience Voting

For the Founder's Choice award, 4 founders each accessed all submissions through an audience voting link on their own devices. Each founder independently picked and ranked their top 3 favorites; no need for group discussion or a shared device.

The results were clear: the winning project appeared in 3 out of 4 founder ballots, earning the Founder's Choice award decisively.

Live Results

When judging closed, the results were ready instantly. The organizers pulled up the results page, filtered between judge scores and audience votes, and had clear rankings for both the main prizes and the Founder's Choice award. All ready for the awards ceremony.

The Results

• 37 projects submitted right at code freeze - HackHQ handled the rush without a hiccup.
• Judges found HackHQ "super easy" - no training, no onboarding. They opened the link and started picking their top 3.
• 11 judges reviewed 37 projects in under 45 minutes - two groups, each evaluating ~18 submissions with embedded videos and project details in a single interface.
• Two judging workflows ran simultaneously - 2 judge groups and 4 independent founder voters, all producing results without confusion.
• Better Auth focused on the event, not the logistics. Instead of managing spreadsheets and tallying scores under pressure, the organizers were free to focus on the community, the energy, and the experience.

"Great energy, judges found the platform super easy. No issue with participants submitting their projects. The whole day went really well, and HackHQ played a part in that."

- Ravindra Mistri, Founding Operator at Better Auth

From First Call to Event Day in 4 Days

The Better Auth team and the HackHQ team first connected on a Tuesday - just four days before the event. With HackHQ set up in just a few minutes, the organizers were able to spend the rest of the week focused on the event itself and supporting participants, rather than worrying about judging logistics.

With 113 participants, 37 submissions, a complex judging format, and some of the biggest names in tech watching, everything ran smoothly. For a first-time hackathon organizer juggling catering, logistics, AV, and sponsors, having submissions and judging simply work made the difference.

About Better Auth

Better Auth is the most comprehensive authentication framework for TypeScript. Founded by Bereket Engida and backed by Y Combinator with a $5M seed round led by Peak XV Partners, Better Auth has 26,000+ GitHub stars and 4M+ monthly downloads, and is recommended by Next.js, Nuxt, and Astro.