Australia: 24-Hour ShipIt Innovation Blitz Hackathon

Hackathons, Australia

Context: Mateship & Innovation Down Under

Australia’s workplace culture, particularly in urban tech firms, often highlights egalitarianism and mateship (a term for loyal, egalitarian camaraderie; pronounced “mayt‑ship”) – a down‑to‑earth style where people bond as equals and collaborate freely *. In some workplaces, colleagues call each other “mates” even in meetings, reflecting trust built over shared challenges. Many Australians refer to the idea of a “fair go” (equal opportunity), and in many urban tech workplaces this is expressed as giving people a chance to solve problems. In this spirit of collaboration and playful competition, one Australian tech icon formalized a ritual to unleash creativity across teams: Atlassian’s internal hackathon, known as ShipIt (often called ShipIt Day), which other organizations should credit as inspiration and adapt to daylight‑only or hybrid formats.

Meet Atlassian

Sydney‑founded Atlassian (2002) reflects an Australian tech startup ethos often associated with innovation and informal teamwork. Co-founders Mike Cannon-Brookes and Scott Farquhar built a flat culture (“no bullshit,” first-name basis) where engineers and non-engineers mix easily. In 2005 Atlassian’s Melbourne/Sydney developers piloted a novel experiment: set aside 24 hours for anyone to drop their day job and tackle “something out of the ordinary” – a side-project, bug fix, or pet feature. They dubbed it a FedEx Day (a reference to overnight delivery; FedEx is a registered trademark of Federal Express Corporation). This hackathon-style contest was intended to tap into smart people’s creativity. Atlassian’s own blog recalls: “ShipIt began in 2005 as a standard hackathon: a dedicated 24-hour period where staff could put down their day jobs and tackle a fun side-project of their choosing” *. What started with 14 devs in a cramped office quickly scaled. Atlassian reports that ShipIt is a quarterly, global program with participation across multiple cities and countries *. During each ShipIt, cross-functional squads form, sprint on passion projects, then demo results. Prizes (the “Founders Prize,” People’s Choice, even a quirky gold “Stache” trophy) add to the buzz. Atlassian reports that many employees view ShipIt as a highlight of work and mention it among the reasons they joined the company *.

ShipIt Hackathon — Step-by-Step

Time	Activity	Purpose
Day 1 AM: Kickoff (0:00)	All-hands launch – senior leader frames ShipIt goals; employees pitch raw ideas; teams self-form.	Ignite energy; mix skill-sets; flatten hierarchy so juniors can join projects.
Day 1 (1–12h): Building	Sprint mode – squads iterate on prototypes, coding, or crafting solutions. Mentors drop in; snacks/coffee fuel the push.	Unleash creativity; encourage learning by doing; foster new bonds across roles.
Day 2 (24h mark): Polish & Presentations	Final sprint – wrap up features and rehearse demos. Demo time – each team gives a 3–5-minute pitch to peers/judges. Winners crowned, applause and photos.	Focus efforts; sharpen storytelling; publicly celebrate risk-taking and teamwork.

(Atlassian often spices ShipIt with social perks such as food trucks and 3D‑printed swag, and celebrations during working hours should be alcohol‑free with equally valued non‑alcoholic options, with any after‑hours events following the company’s alcohol policy.)

Why It Works — The Science of a Sprint

Open pitching, cross‑functional self‑forming teams, a time‑boxed sprint, and public demos support autonomy, competence, and relatedness (self‑determination), which can increase engagement, trust, and cross‑team ties; track these with short safety/belonging surveys and cross‑team pull requests or prototype‑to‑backlog conversion. Allowing developers to work on their own spark creates ownership and pride – as Atlassian’s rule says, “Find what inspires you. Develop that dream feature. Smash your nemesis bug” *. Breaking routine can increase engagement through novelty and task variety. The cross-team format breaks silos: a marketing specialist might pair with a coder, leveling hierarchy and accelerating mutual respect. Research on teams suggests that shared goals and synchronized effort can foster cohesion and trust without relying on physiological claims. Atlassian confirms that ShipIt aligns with their values: it’s a place where “Be the change you seek” and “Play as a team” come alive *. Importantly, participation is strictly voluntary with an equivalent alternative for those who opt out, and the event is safe to fail—no one is penalized for choosing not to participate or for exploring a wild idea. That sense of psychological safety enables teams to explore creative ideas without fear of negative consequences. In short, a timed hackathon gamifies work, turning collaboration into a fun, shared challenge. Employees clock in as teammates, not job titles, which can flatten egos and enhance camaraderie, and this approach works best in low power‑distance, knowledge‑work contexts and may need adaptation in shift‑based, safety‑critical, or peak operations settings *.

Outcomes & Impact

Results reported by Atlassian and participants include positive experiences, but outcomes can vary by context. Internally, Atlassian notes that ShipIt “nails it” at expanding skills and creativity *. Numerous ShipIt projects have reportedly graduated into product features; for example, Atlassian reports that a team’s prototype contributed to what became Jira Service Management (formerly Jira Service Desk) *. Other builds were just for fun or insight, such as converting a room into a themed lounge space. Crucially, the hackathon feeds morale and retention: developers relish the autonomy and bragging rights, contributing to Atlassian’s reputation as a top workplace. At Atlassian, ShipIt has been used as a talent magnet and marketing point. Stories of rapid demos and peer recognition are often shared in internal and external communications. Atlassian reports occasional external interest in ShipIt demos. Beyond Atlassian, the concept has spawned imitators. Other companies report the same spirit: as one startup put it, “It’s a great way to clear those ‘It’d be nice…’ projects that never get time, and to build a deeper understanding of other parts of the business while having a bit of fun.” * In sum, a once‑small Australian hackathon ritual at Atlassian has generated ideas that the company reports can produce long‑term value and a culture where people bond as problem‑solvers * *.

Lessons for Global Team Leaders

Principle	Why It Matters	How to Translate
Trust & Autonomy	Empowering choice breeds ownership	Let teams pick challenges aligned to the top three strategic priorities; avoid micro‑managing goals.
Cross-functional squads	Diverse skills spark creativity	Mix roles intentionally; pair coders with designers, ops, etc.
Time-boxed bursts	Deadlines focus effort and energy	Set a firm 6–8h limit or two half‑day blocks within paid hours; time constraints can focus effort without overnight work.
Celebrate & Share	Recognition reinforces values	End with a demo session, recognition, and storytelling that does not center alcohol and that follows your code of conduct and alcohol policy. Publish pitches on the intranet with opt‑in consent and a stated retention period.
Safe-to-fail environment	Psychological safety unleashes bold ideas	Encourage experiments and reward learning, not just success, and make non‑participation explicitly acceptable with no performance penalty.

Implementation Playbook

Pick a cadence. For a 90‑day pilot, select 2–4 teams (excluding customer‑critical shifts), avoid peak cycles, and decide whether to run a quarterly “Innovation Day” or a biannual sprint. Block company calendars for the event window while making participation strictly voluntary, offering a clear opt‑out with an equivalent alternative task, and training managers to avoid any explicit or subtle pressure.
Frame the mission. Announce the event as a voluntary, open‑ended challenge held within local working hours or with equivalent comp time, where any project that benefits the team or product is fair game. Publish a one‑page communication that includes scope, judging criteria, code of conduct, accessibility and alcohol policies, IP/ownership and time‑credit rules, consent for media use with photographer/source and license details, privacy/retention for feedback, and clear credit to Atlassian’s ShipIt as inspiration.
Assemble resources. Provide accessible space (office or virtual), tools, and tiebreaker support, including quiet rooms, assistive technologies, and remote/hybrid access. Offer inclusive food and beverage options (including non‑caffeinated, dietary, and non‑alcoholic choices) and modest swag. Ensure managers keep conflict‑free schedules so teams can focus and name accountable owners for the event, facilitation, communications, and data/privacy.
Encourage cross-pollination. Boost diverse teaming: invite designers, marketers or sales into developer teams (and vice versa). Emphasize collaboration over competition and accommodate caregivers and distributed teams with flexible windows across time zones.
Showcase & iterate. Host a culminating demo event with awards and transparent criteria, and define success thresholds and stop rules for the pilot. Capture only the ideas and demos needed, anonymize feedback, set a 90‑day retention window for pilot data, and have Legal/HR review storage locations. Afterward, route viable projects to owners with clear resourcing and IP attribution. Use a short, anonymous pre/post survey to track psychological safety, belonging, and engagement, and compare behavioral metrics such as cross‑team pull requests and prototype‑to‑backlog conversion.

Common Pitfalls

Making it a chore: If execs dictate trivial tasks or make it mandatory, enthusiasm will tank. Keep the spirit voluntary and creative by offering a neutral opt‑out with an equivalent alternative and training managers to avoid implicit pressure.
Ignoring outcomes: A hackathon without follow-up wastes potential. Commit from the start to prototype evaluation and possible integration.
Burnout risk: Overnight sprints can be fun, but respect limits. Provide breaks, quiet spaces, and escalation contacts, and be clear that health and psychological safety come first.

Reflection & Call to Action

In many Australian workplaces, especially in the tech sector, egalitarian norms and the idea of a “fair go” show that breakthrough ideas often come from giving everyone a voice. At Atlassian, ShipIt demonstrates that when you let teams step away from the daily grind and sprint on their own visions, you can build both innovation and community. Try piloting a one‑day, daylight‑only hackathon: give your team the freedom to “make something awesome” in a time‑boxed blitz. Protect it with trust, inclusion, and compliance suited to your local work culture and legal context. The payoff may include a viable feature, a tighter‑knit team, and a story new hires will retell for years.

“Work hard, play hard”: in this case, code hard and celebrate harder.