The TC Disrupt Hackathon 2013 Is Officially Underway

The TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon not only marks the beginning of Disrupt SF 2013, but it also marks the beginning of potentially hundreds of new products, services, and gadgets.

1,200 hackers have filled the San Francisco Design Center to build whatever their heart desires. They’ll have a handful of incredible APIs at their disposal and a slew of prizes worth $40k hanging in the balance.

They’ll eat pizza, they’ll get in the zone, and they’ll probably participate in some late night tom-foolery (the last two hackathons involved impromptu dodgeball games and nerf wars). Eventually, they’ll run into obstacles and get frustrated, and subsequently overcome those hurdles.

Finally, a day later, with dirty hair and crusty eyes, they’ll get on stage and have 60 seconds to present their work to some all-star judges like Twitter’s April Underwood and Pinterest’s Kent Brewster.

One will be crowned Hackathon winner, and many others will walk away with prizes, but all of them will be forever changed by the awesomeness of the experience.

We’ve seen amazing things come out of the Hackathons of the past, like a smart lock, a knife-wielding robot, and even GroupMe, which was sold for millions.

What will this year’s batch of young coders yield? Only time — 24 hours, to be exact — can tell. For now, sit back, relax, and take a look at the entrepreneurial hopefuls as they get crackin’.

If you’re interested in attending Disrupt SF 2013, tickets are still available and can be purchased here.