Why I Entered a Global AI Hackathon (And What I Got Myself Into)

Building SiteSidekick: My Meta AI Hackathon Journey — Part 1

I have always enjoyed figuring out how things work.

Whether I’m designing a website, troubleshooting a technical issue, learning a new platform, or helping a client solve a problem, I like being able to take something complicated and make it work.

Sometimes that means learning something completely new along the way.

That’s exactly what happened when I decided to apply for the 2026 Meta Global AI Developer Hackathon.

An Opportunity to Try Something Different

The Meta Global AI Developer Hackathon brought together selected participants from around the world to build applications using Meta’s AI technology.

The challenge was to take an idea and turn it into something functional within a limited timeframe.

When I saw the opportunity, I was interested for a few reasons.

First, I wanted to challenge myself.

I’ve spent years working in web design, graphic design, digital marketing, website development, and technical troubleshooting. I’m comfortable learning new tools and figuring out how different technologies fit together.

But building an AI-powered application from the ground up was a different kind of challenge.

Second, I wanted to understand AI development beyond simply using AI tools to help with everyday tasks.

There’s a big difference between asking AI to help write something and building an application that uses an AI model as part of its functionality.

I wanted to explore that difference firsthand.

And third, I thought it would be fun.

Not every project has to begin with a client request, a deadline from someone else, or a business requirement. Sometimes I want to build something simply because I’m curious whether I can.

Getting Selected

After applying, I was selected to participate.

That meant I had the opportunity to work on a project during the October 26 through November 4, 2026 hackathon.

I was excited, but I also knew I was stepping into unfamiliar territory.

I had experience building websites, working with front-end code, designing user interfaces, and troubleshooting technical problems.

What I didn’t have was extensive experience developing and deploying applications that communicate with large AI models through an API.

That was part of the appeal.

I wasn’t entering because I already knew everything I needed to know. I entered because I wanted to learn.

Choosing to Build Independently

I decided to approach the project independently, using AI as a development assistant while remaining responsible for the idea, design decisions, testing, and final application.

I wanted the experience of taking a project through the entire process myself.

That included deciding what to build, planning how it should work, designing the interface, implementing the functionality, testing it, and getting it online.

I knew there would be challenges.

There were.

But I also knew that working through those challenges would teach me things I wouldn’t learn by simply watching tutorials.

Bringing My Existing Experience Into Something New

One thing I’ve learned throughout my career is that technical skills don’t exist in isolation.

Good web design isn’t just about how a page looks.

It involves understanding the audience, organizing information, anticipating problems, and making the experience easy to use.

My background in design, development, accessibility, and digital marketing gave me a useful foundation for this project.

I wasn’t starting from nothing. I was applying what I already knew in a different way.

That distinction became important as the project developed.

What I Wanted to Get Out of the Experience

Of course, participating in a global hackathon is exciting.

But my personal goal was never just about the competition.

I wanted to finish with something tangible.

Something I could demonstrate.

Something that solved a recognizable problem.

And something that pushed me to learn skills I could carry into future projects.

By the end of the first day, I had started working toward an idea that would eventually become SiteSidekick.

I didn’t know exactly how the finished application would look or how many technical problems I’d have to solve.

But I had a direction.

And sometimes that’s enough to get started.

What I Learned

The first lesson was simple: you don’t have to wait until you’re an expert in something to begin learning it.

You do need to be willing to research, test, make mistakes, and keep working when the first solution doesn’t work.

That mindset has helped me throughout my career, and it became especially valuable during this project.

Next in the series: How I turned everyday website support problems into the idea for SiteSidekick.