Google technology thrives off of hacking. No, not that kind of hacking. The kind of hacking that unlocks the full capabilities of the device and explores new ways it can be used. The Google TV has seen a number of unofficial hacks, but Google is finally hosting an official hackathon event.

The Google TV blog announced a partnership with two Android developer groups – Silicon Valley Android Developers Group and the London Android Group. These two groups will host hackathons during a weekend in April that will encourage “hacking, playing with, and creating new experiences on Google TV.”

The first hackathon will be with Silicon Valley Android Group as they’re meeting up at Google TV’s headquarters in Mountain View, California. The judges for the event will be Blake Krikorian, co-founder and former CEO of Sling Media; Mark Mangiola, Venture Partner at Canaan Partners; and Drew Olanoff, West Coast Editor of The Next Web.

The event will start on Friday, April 20, where teams will present their ideas. The next day will see the actual work being done while the teams hold demo sessions, Q&As and a hangout with Google TV developers. The last day, Sunday, will see teams presenting their ideas to the judges for a chance to win Google I/O tickets and other prizes.

If you want to take part in this particular hackathon, you’ll have to pay $20 for a ticket. You can register for the California hackathon here.

If $20 is a bit too rich for your blood and you happen to live in the UK, you can attend the other Google TV hackathon at Google’s newly completed Campus London. It will run during the same time as the other hackathon with the only difference being that the London event starts on Saturday morning, instead of Friday night.

For the low price of free, you can register for the London hackathon here.