**Session Date/Time:** 14 Nov 2026 18:30

# [HACKATHON](../wg/hackathon.html)

## Summary

The IETF 121 Hackathon opened with a kickoff meeting outlining the schedule, objectives, intellectual property policies, presentation rules, and logistics for the weekend. The event focuses on bringing together standards contributors, software developers, and academic participants to advance IETF drafts through sample code, proof-of-concept implementations, and open discussion.

## Key Discussion Points

* **Welcome and Scope**:
  * A significant number of participants indicated this was their first IETF Hackathon or first IETF meeting overall.
  * The focus of the hackathon is advancing IETF drafts, producing running code, validating specifications, and engaging software developers and students.

* **Policies and IPR Guidelines**:
  * **Note Well**: The IETF Note Well applies to the hackathon. Participants were reminded to remain friendly and respectful and to disclose intellectual property in accordance with RFC 7154 and RFC 8179. Presentations are recorded.
  * **Code Contributions**: Software code written during the event is not an IETF contribution and remains under the developer's choice of license (open-source licensing is encouraged). However, discussions, feedback, and presentations are considered IETF contributions.

* **Project Management and Wiki**:
  * Over 40 projects are registered on the IETF Hackathon wiki.
  * A "Lost and Found" section on the wiki allows teams seeking participants and individuals seeking projects to match skills and interests.

* **Schedule and Presentations**:
  * **Saturday**: Lunch served at 12:30, dinner at 18:30, and room closes at 20:30. Attendees must sign up for meals to prevent food waste.
  * **Sunday**: Room opens at 09:30, lunch at 12:30, slide upload deadline at 13:30, and project presentations run from 14:00 to 16:00.
  * **Presentation Constraints**: Project summaries presented on Sunday must be kept under two minutes and focus on high-level impact. Project teams are encouraged to request brief slots during their respective working group sessions as an alternative to the main presentation block.

* **Tooling and Data Tracker Integration**:
  * **Slide Submissions**: Slides must be uploaded as PDF files to the 14:00–16:00 Sunday session slot in Data Tracker before 14:00. Revisions to slides must retain the exact original presentation title to avoid duplicate entries.
  * **GitHub & Repositories**: Presentation templates are available on the IETF Hackathon GitHub organization. Teams can request project repositories hosted under the IETF Hackathon organization.
  * **Implementation References**: Authors of individual drafts or working group documents can link their hackathon GitHub repositories and implementations directly in Data Tracker under additional resources.

* **Logistics and Sponsorship**:
  * **Hackdemo Happy Hour**: Takes place Monday at 18:30 in the East Lounge. Teams must register by 13:00 on Monday.
  * **Code Lounge**: Available in room Continental 2 throughout the week for ongoing development.
  * **Sponsor**: ICANN was acknowledged as the official sponsor of the IETF 121 Hackathon.

## Decisions and Action Items

* **Action Item**: Presenters must upload their presentation slides (in PDF format using a consistent title for revisions) to Data Tracker by 13:30 on Sunday.
* **Action Item**: Teams wanting to demonstrate their work at the Hackdemo Happy Hour must register by 13:00 on Monday.

## Next Steps

* Teams work on hackathon projects through Saturday evening and Sunday morning.
* Sunday presentation session runs from 14:00 to 16:00 for registered project demos.