How can a hackathon be motivational?

We can refer to the motivational dynamics model of Rolland Viau, which has a great reputation in the French academic world. According to this model, motivation is "a dynamic state that has its origins in a pupil's perceptions of himself and his environment and that encourages him to choose an activity, to engage in it and to persevere in its accomplishment in order to achieve a goal".

The motivation of each pupil depends on his/her perception of :
- the value of the activity ;
- his or her competence to carry out the activity; and
- his or her controllability or responsibility for the learning process (causal attribution theory).

I think that a well-structured and well-run hackathon that develop these perceptions can support the motivation of pupils.