HacknFair

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  Home page for unauthenticated users

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  When you sign in

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Inspiration

The inspiration for HacknFair came from my personal experience of missing out on a physical science fair. I wanted to create a platform that could bring the excitement of science fairs online, making it accessible to everyone, regardless of location. Initially focused on science fairs, the idea expanded when I received feedback suggesting it could also serve as a hackathon platform. This sparked the concept of "HacknFair," a hybrid platform for both science fairs and hackathons.

What It Does

HacknFair allows users to create and participate in online science fairs and hackathons. Users can host events, submit proposals, and engage with the community through voting and commenting. Judges have the ability to select winners based on the submissions, while the platform ensures secure interactions by allowing only authorized users to edit or delete their own content.

How We Built It

HacknFair was built using the Convex platform for backend infrastructure. The core features include event creation, proposal submissions, voting, and commenting systems. I integrated rich text formatting using BlockNote to enhance user submissions and implemented security measures to ensure that only the content creators can modify or delete their posts. A loader component was added to improve the user experience during data fetching, and the landing page was designed to welcome unauthenticated users.

Challenges We Ran Into

One of the biggest challenges was managing both frontend and backend development as a solo developer. Balancing security with functionality, especially in the commenting and voting systems, required careful planning. Another challenge was integrating rich text formatting and ensuring the user interface was both user-friendly and visually appealing.

Accomplishments That We're Proud Of

I’m particularly proud of the secure commenting system and the voting mechanism, which add a layer of interactivity to the platform. The ability for judges to select winners is another key feature that makes HacknFair stand out. Completing the landing page for unauthenticated users was also a significant milestone, making the platform accessible and inviting from the first interaction.

What We Learned

This project was a deep dive into full-stack development, pushing me to expand my backend knowledge and refine my frontend skills. I learned the importance of security in user interactions and how to create a seamless user experience. The process of integrating various features taught me to balance between functionality and aesthetics.

What's Next for HacknFair

Next, I plan to focus on refining the overall user interface and experience. I’m also considering further developing the platform to cater to both science fairs and hackathons under the "HacknFair" banner. This will involve creating a dashboard for judges to manage and select winners more efficiently. I’m excited to continue building and evolving HacknFair into a comprehensive platform for innovation and competition.

Built With

• blocknote
• convex
• github
• nextjs
• react
• tailwindcss
• typescript
• vercel