Run hackathon teams
Set the team size, place and move people, and lock teams when building starts.
With Teams on, attendees form their own teams and you manage every team from one screen. This guide covers running teams for a hackathon. For workshop breakout groups, see Workshop groups with Teams.
If Teams is not on yet, see Turn on Teams for an event.
Open the Teams manager
Any of these opens it:
- On your event page, click Manage teams on the organizer card in the Teams section
- Click Manage event, then Attendee teams
- In your guest list, click a person's team
The organizer card also shows at a glance how many teams there are, how many people are on a team, looking for one, or not on one.
The manager is its own page. On the left are Not on a team and every team, with its members and how many spots are open. Click one to see it on the right. Use the search box to find a team or a member, and Has space or Full to narrow the list. The link at the top takes you back to your event.
The Teams manager also works in the Eventship app for iOS and Android.
Set the team size
Next to Team size: up to, choose 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8 or 10. Teams hold 4 by default.
If you lower the size below a team's current size, nobody is removed. The team shows as over, for example "5 of 4", and new people cannot join it until it has room.
Place, move and remove people
- Fill a team: click the team, then click Add next to a person below it. People looking for a team are listed first, with what they wrote about themselves. Choose Everyone not on a team to see the rest
- Place a person: click Not on a team, click Add to team next to them, and choose a team. Only teams with space are listed
- Move a person: click their team, open the options next to their name and choose Move to another team
- Remove a person: open the options next to their name and choose Remove from team. They go back to having no team
- Make someone captain: open the options next to their name and choose Make captain
You can place anyone with a confirmed registration, even if they have never signed in. The team's captain gets an email when someone joins.
Create, rename and delete teams
- Click New team to create an empty team you can fill yourself
- Click a team, then Rename, New code (the old code stops working) or Delete team. On the web, Delete team is in the options menu next to the other two. Deleting a team sends its members back to having no team
Lock teams when building starts
The switch at the top of the manager reads Teams are unlocked while attendees can still create, join and leave teams. Switch it to lock them: it then reads Teams are locked, and only organizers can change teams. Attendees see that teams are locked. Switch it back to unlock.
Nothing locks automatically, so lock teams yourself when you are ready.
Who can be on a team
- Only people with a confirmed registration count. If someone cancels, they drop off their team and free up the spot. If they register again, they return to the same team
- Each person is on one team per event
- Organizers are not on teams unless they register as attendees
Export teams
When Teams is on, the guest list CSV export has a Team column with each person's team. See Export attendees.
What Teams does not do yet
Teams covers forming and managing teams. Judging is coming in fall 2026. Eventship does not collect project submissions today, so keep using your current tool for those.
Tips
- Tell attendees in your event description when teams lock, so solo hackers know when to find a team
- Before locking, click Not on a team, choose Looking, and place everyone listed
- Use a broadcast to remind attendees to form teams (see Broadcasts)
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