Online registrations are open for the #code4YOUth Hackathon by HCL Tech. Participate in the Code4YOUth and be a game-changer to win a piece of the $25,000 prize pool!
About HCL #code4YOUth Hackathon
The code4YOUth hackathon aims to raise awareness of the digital divide and encourage young people to find viable digital solutions to drive innovative and inclusive change.
This virtual hackathon is an exciting opportunity for talented and purpose-driven young people to narrow the gap by creating digital solutions across four key challenges: digital inclusivity, skills, mental health and accessibility. Winners can win monetary rewards and share their ideas on a global platform for further incubation.
How does #code4YOUth work?
- Participants from across the globe can form a team of up to 5 people or register as individual contributors.
- All participants need to identify a relevant theme and create a prototype for their concept under the mentorship of experts who will guide them through training and workshops.
- The top entries will qualify for the finale, where an elite jury will pick the winners.
- The Code4YOUth Hackathon aims to spark creativity and confidence amongst youth, in a digital-first culture.
- Young people need a safe and favourable space to brainstorm and try out new ideas. We will provide the environment to do just that.
- Our focus will be on areas that are relevant to you such as upgrading skills, employability, self-care, and accessibility.
- We invite you to come and co-create solutions for innovation and inclusive change.
How to Apply?
Step 1: Signup Today!
- Register now and start working and engaging with mentors as soon as you sign up.
- Choose from one of the 4 tracks.
- Remember, you can only submit one project to one of the 4 challenge tracks below.
Step 2: Virtual Hackathon
Hacking begins March 21st and ends April 25th. Starting on Feb. 7th, participants can begin forming teams, working on their project pages, and connecting with mentors to publish their solutions by the deadline.
Step 3: Virtual Finale
- The virtual finale will be held on May 30th, 2023.
- The final teams selected by the judges will be able to present their solutions one last time before the winners are announced live!
- The finale date is subject to change.
Submission Requirements
After your team registers and creates a project page, be sure to include:
- A complete and published project page.
- Required sections are clearly marked on the project page so that you don’t miss them before publishing.
- A 3-4 minute video that provides an overview of how your solution works.
- Supporting materials that explain how your solution works and the steps your team took to create it.
- This can be in the form of slide decks, screenshots, and any other written material that explains your solution.
Deadline
The last date for submission is April 25, 2023.
The Challenge Track
Challenge #1: Digital Inclusivity
- Everyone needs to be able to access the internet for e-learning, skills development, and general networking to continue to advance in their careers and personal lives.
- How can we continue to develop a digitally inclusive world and progress in the subject of e-learning?
- Solutions that we are looking for include mobile and web applications, AI algorithms and bots, IoT devices, games and or community platforms.
Challenge #2: Skilling for Success
- What skills do we need in the post-pandemic world?
- Today, digital learning is crucial for students and employees to learn the necessary skills for the job market.
- However, some communities do not have access to the necessary digital learning needed/required.
- The Skilling for Success track will focus on how we can narrow this gap to make digital learning available for anyone while focusing on specific topics for digital learning that will be crucial.
- Below are example solutions that you can base your projects on, but please be open-minded and feel free to utilize your own ideas.
Challenge #3: Mental Health
- The importance of mental health, especially among youth, is being discussed openly and widely across the globe.
- Digital tools can have both positive and negative effects on mental health.
- For the Mental Health challenge track, we want participants to focus on solutions that improve the user’s mental health and provide them with clear next steps.
- Below are a few example solutions, but feel free to come up with your own ideas and talk to one of the hackathon mentors for validation.
Challenge #4: Accessibility
- Accessibility is the design of products, services, vehicles, and buildings (environments) that can be used by persons with disabilities (PWDs).
- For this challenging track, solutions should be focused on improving accessibility for PWDs for everyday tasks that we take for granted.
- Travelling to a school, interacting with a website, using digital tools, etc.
- The resources section of the hackathon platform will have a list of disabilities to keep in mind so that your solution is inclusive and usable by a wide array of people with different disabilities.
How to Apply?
Interested coders can apply through this link.
Prizes
Total Prize Pool amount: Rs. 20.5 Lakhs / $25,000
- First Place/Best Project Rs. 8.2 Lakhs / $10,000 USD
- First Runner Up Rs. 4.92 Lakhs / $6,000 USD
- Second Runner Up Rs. 3.28 Lakhs / $4,000 USD
- 4 Challenge Track Winners Rs. 82,000 / $1,000 USD X 4
