Entrepreneurs, clear your schedules for late September. Hartford will be joining cities around the world — including Austin, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, and New York — in hosting a Startup Weekend: 54 hours focused on building web and/or mobile applications.

From September 23-25th, the Hartford Public Library will host speakers and mentors; participants will make pitches and the ideas that get voted up will be worked on by teams. At the end of the weekend, the teams will make presentations, which will in turn be judged; the winner(s) will receive prizes.

Think of it as a sexier, more interactive version of grantwriting.

The Startup Weekend began in Boulder, Colorado in 2007. So far, roughly 30,000 people have participated. Of the startups created during these retreats, 36% remain in action three months later.

The Hartford Startup Weekend is being organized by ten individuals, three of whom are from the MetroHartford Alliance and HYPE. For price of admission, you get seven meals, lots of coffee, resources, a book, and the chance to compete for prizes, including a 50% rent reduction for a startup’s first year in CBIN — the Connecticut Business Incubator Network.

Most startups from SW are in tech, and while this is not a requirement, the focus tends to be on creating web and mobile applications.

There is a fee to participate and you can register online.