Hackathon
Fri, Oct 29, 2021 to Sat, Oct 30, 2021

OpenHub is proud to announce HVTechFest 2021 Hackathon

October 29 to 30, 2021: distributed / virtual Hackathon locations.

Sign Up to participate at the Hackathon! REGISTER HERE

Guests / Donors Sign Up    If you want to support or contribute to HVTechFestHackathon.

THEME: Digital Collaboration

While the umbrella theme for the HVTechFest 2021 is “Digital Collaboration”, we want to explore “Using Open Data for Social Good.”

What does Open Data mean? What is available in the Hudson Valley? How can we map it and connect our communities?

The Hudson Valley economy is growing. As always, growth brings change, and change creates challenges. Our region boasts a pioneering vision. We find innovative solutions that meet the economic challenges faced by all the valley’s communities. The need to connect people to the goods and services they want has never been greater and the desire to understand community problems motivates our community! 

The Challenge

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed the way people conduct their affairs. It’s an evolving, technology-driven, and profound pivot to a "new normal." We want to improve the regions’ resilience and empower users and makers.

We want to find how to:

  • Connect and engage people seeking to locate information, find local goods and services, and align with the businesses and organizations offering them. 
  • Support an open data information initiative that utilizes existing county-by-county data and datasets provided by OpenData NY.
  • Collaborate by sharing relevant data with consumers and producers to support the local economy.

 

Pitching at the Hudson Valley Tech Fest HackathonRecruiting at the HVTechFest HackathonHackathon at the Hudson Valley Technology Festival - Pitching

SCHEDULE (ALL REMOTE)

Friday, October 29

Pre-Hack Workshops:

2:00pm - Design Thinking Workshop

3:00pm - Open Data Workshop

4:00pm - Hackathon Kick-off:

4:20pm: Introducing Data for Social Good Challenge (the big reveal!!)
5:00pm: Idea Pitching, Teams forming 
6:15pm: Rapid Ideation around their ideas
6:45pm: Create your game plan and start hacking
8:00pm: Transition to remote collaboration
 

Saturday, October 30

9:00am:   Digital doors open at Discord, support team is available
11:00am: Mentors Sign In: run your pitch by mentor and improve it using feedback received
1:45pm: Hacking Ends, Projects Submitted for Judging
2:00pm: Intro and Welcome Judges
2:15pm: Demos and Presentations
2:45 pm: Judge Deliberation
2:45 pm: How Do You Leverage Your Hackathon Experience / Career Ideation
3:30 pm: Award Ceremony

 

    Teams forming and voting

    Who Can Join?

    Anyone can sign up for the Hackathon. We welcome all ages and all levels of expertise. We will be creating teams consisting of a diverse range of talents and skills.

    We are looking forward to see professional developers, high school and college students. Non-developers are welcomed too.

    We'll encourage you to form mixed teams of professionals and non-professionals, high-tech and low-tech functions and roles. 

    You can join as a team, form professional teams or pair with the youth to help them building their next big thing! 

     

    Participant InformationMentor InformationJudges Information

     

    Hackathon - Technology Dojo - PitchingHVTechFest Hackathon - PitchingTechnology Festival - Hackathon - Pitching

     

    Do You Have an Idea?

    To enhance HVTechFest 2021 Hackathon, we want to hear your thoughts and proposals. What challenge triggers YOU?

    We’re looking for ideas for collaborative team challenges that will inspire our community to use technology, data, and design for the public good. Submit Your Idea, Find Your Team

    Educators, students, designers, developers, social workers, business specialists, and anyone else interested in developing a solution is encouraged to co-create this fantastic event!

     

    Hudson Valley Tech Fest - Hackathon - Design ThinkingDesign Thinking - Hudson Valley Technology Festival and HackathonTech Fest Hackathon- Pollution and Contamination Team

    Communication platform

    We will be using Zoom for the main stage and Discord voice communication and screen sharing for breakout rooms:

    • Hacker rooms
    • Sponsor rooms
    • Mentor rooms
    • Help desk

    Join us at Discord, find your team!

     

    Still have questions? Check FAQ here

     

    About previous Hackathons

    The inaugural HVTechFest Youth Hackathon 2019 was the first ever regional problem solving festival. Seven hours long it was a full day of collaboration, brainstorming and idea-development competition to solve critical regional issues. 

    HVTechFest Youth Hackathon 2020 was able to transition fully remote with international attendance. ~150 people attended. The following challenges were addressed:

    • Social Distancing and Education
    • Employability 
    • Environment
    • Public Transportation

    Our Hackathons revealed how the youth are driven to solve Hudson Valley employability and professional sustainability challenges. We were excited to see that we are all aligned in our dream of making the Hudson Valley a better place to live and work, and leveraging technology as a practical tool for this rising tide! We applied the following approach:

    • Integrated hi-tech and low-tech functions to solve public problems.
    • Successfully teamed professionals together with youth to deliver digital solutions.
    • Created an entrepreneurial spirit through a high-energy vibe.
    • Gave young people the chance to experience a collaborative way of problem solving.

    Sign Up for the Hackathon!

    REGISTER HERE

     

    Session Schedule