Over the last year, as a part of the team, I’ve won two hackathons: the National Defence Hackathon and the TIDE NATO Hackathon in Warsaw. In this article, I want to share our experience and shed light on why hackathons are useful for developers not only in terms of skills development and search for new tech solutions but also why it is important to use all opportunities to help develop the brand of Ukraine on the international level and strengthen national security using technologies.