18 free resources on this topic. Everything here is free and hand-picked. You can also search within this topic.
Remote job board with no registration and no charge to search. It has a dedicated Part-Time Jobs page and categories including IT and software development.
Why I recommend it: Free and simple. As with any board, apply only on the employer's own site and never pay to apply.
8-hour online jeopardy CTF, teams of 1-4, explicitly described as 'free and open to participants across India and internationally.' Marked 'casual' by organizers. Runs Nov 14, 15:30-23:30 UTC.
Details: This is the one CTF this week that explicitly states it's free on its own page, which is a nice confirmation versus the usual implied-free pattern. Times are UTC.
Free, 24-hour, in-person hackathon at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY, with free food and swag. Open to college/university students from any school, plus high schoolers (minors need an adult present and can't stay overnight).
Details: Confirmed free to attend directly on the official site (food and swag included). Not limited to RPI students; recent grads up to 3 years out are also welcome. In-person only, so really only practical for people near Troy, NY.
A free global hackathon on November 14–15, 2026 using NASA and partner open data to address space and Earth challenges. Participation is available at in-person or virtual local events and through a virtual Universal Event. An account and registration are required; minors have guardian requirements.
Details: Official participant FAQ confirms no participation cost. Account, email verification and event registration are required. Participants under 18 must be registered and accompanied by a parent or legal guardian; local events may have additional requirements.
Annual Halloween capture-the-flag competition organized by NJIT's Cyber Security Network. Beginner-friendly with harder challenges mixed in; categories include binary exploitation, cryptography, forensics, OSINT and web. Hybrid: in person at NJIT and online, November 6-7, 2026. AI assistance is allowed but discouraged; automated AI solving agents are banned.
A free global hackathon on November 14–15, 2026 using NASA and partner open data to address space and Earth challenges. Participation is available at in-person or virtual local events and through a virtual Universal Event. An account and registration are required; minors have guardian requirements.
Details: Official participant FAQ confirms no participation cost. Account, email verification and event registration are required. Participants under 18 must be registered and accompanied by a parent or legal guardian; local events may have additional requirements.
Free, beginner-friendly, in-person 24-hour hackathon hosted by RIT's Golisano College of Computing & Information Sciences, part of the MLH collegiate hackathon league.
Details: In-person only, in Rochester, NY. A specific fee wasn't stated on the event page, but MLH-league hackathons are traditionally free for participants (often including meals).
Free jeopardy-style capture-the-flag qualifying round from Hong Kong's CERT, with an Open division alongside student categories; top teams advance to an in-person Hong Kong final.
Details: The event page doesn't state a fee explicitly, but HKCERT's CTF has historically been a free, HKPC-backed community competition. Confirm the Open division's eligibility for non-Hong-Kong participants before committing.
Free virtual hackathon open to students worldwide, run through Devpost with a submission deadline in mid-October.
Details: Open to current students (high school, undergrad, or grad) worldwide, ages 13+. No entry fee is stated on the page, consistent with Devpost's standard no-cost entry model, but it isn't spelled out explicitly. Submission deadline is Oct 10, 12:00pm EST.
Free online hackathon focused on building technology that addresses real-world community and global challenges, organized by the GIS Engineering Club.
Details: Students only (must be above the legal age of majority in their country). No entry fee is listed on the Devpost page, consistent with Devpost's standard no-cost model, but it isn't spelled out explicitly.
Free interactive SQL lessons that run in the browser — short explanations paired with hands-on exercises, from simple SELECT queries through joins and table creation. Good for anyone adding data skills to a resume.
Why I recommend it: Work through the first ten lessons before an analytics interview — it is the fastest way to sound fluent in SQL.
Canada's largest beginner-only hackathon, run by nwPlus on November 7-8, 2026, built for first-time hackers with hands-on workshops and no coding experience required.
Details: Beginner-only means nobody there expects you to know anything yet. This is the one to start with.
A friendly introduction to HTML and CSS aimed at artists and creative professionals.
Why I recommend it: Good starting point for creatives who want to build their own web presence.
A beginner-inclusive hackathon open to developers designers and innovators of all experience levels worldwide including those with no prior hackathon experience.
Details: No explicit fee statement found on the official page; appears free based on standard hackathon format -- worth a quick double-check before publishing. Winners announced Oct 21.
An 11th-edition online jeopardy-style capture-the-flag competition from the University of Central Florida's Hack@UCF club open to all skill levels.
Details: Free status inferred from this event's long free-community history; not explicitly restated on the 2026 page.
A cybersecurity capture-the-flag competition explicitly welcoming every skill level from complete beginners to professionals.
Details: Access code: chctf2026. Qualifiers are virtual; finals are in-person in Grand Forks ND on Oct 26.
A community-run jeopardy-style capture-the-flag competition held in support of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month open to all.
Details: Cash prizes offered with no entry fee mentioned; free status inferred rather than explicitly re-confirmed for 2026.
An entry-level capture-the-flag competition explicitly designed for undergraduate students trying to break into cybersecurity.
Details: Free status inferred from this long-running academic CTF's history; not explicitly restated on CSAW's 2026 page at time of research.
