Join UNESCO’s CodeTheCurve Hackathon: Apply by April 15
The learning and working processes have both changed irrevocably as more schools and workplaces move to digital platforms. The quick switch to online learning means that there is a need for new, innovative ways to ensure that people across the world can learn digitally.
UNESCO, in its continuing mission to foster digital skills and professional development competencies for youth, has announced a CodeTheCurve virtual, global hackathon for students, educators, teachers and research communities to help solve digital problems.
The competition is open to teams of no more than six participants, who all must be over 16, but at least one must be under 25. The team also must be gender-inclusive, with at least one male and one female participant. Teams should have at least one developer or someone with basic data science skills, but the hackathon is open to team members with other strengths including industry experts, project managers and creative designers.
Forty teams will be selected to participate in the hackathon taking place at the end of April, and each team will focus on a digital problem that falls within one of three themes. The first theme is access to learning, which includes distance learning. The second theme is information and data management, which includes addressing misinformation, fact checking, business services, and data monitoring. The third theme is social and health issues, both present and the future.
The selected hackers will gain experience pitching their solutions to relevant organizations supporting CodeTheCurve, and will also benefit from webinars and activity kits offered by the partner organizations of IBM, SAP, UN EQUALS, FOSSASIA, Internet Society, Angel Hack, iHackOnline, among others.
The call for submissions closes on April 15, and 40 selected teams will be announced on April 20. The winners will be announced on April 30. To enter, each team must submit a two-minute video focusing on a CodeTheCurve theme and a statement of the problem the team’s work will address.
The prizes for winning teams include free access to IBM LinuxONE Community Cloud for a year, free training courses from OpenSAP, free access to enterprise grade IBM Z & ML suite and a year of mentorship.
Full Instructions and Other Resources
- CodeTheCurve – Share Your Vision & Make a Difference
- UNESCO Launches CodeTheCurve Hackathon to develop digital solutions in response to COVID-19
- How can the world counter COVID-19 online? UN issues hackers’ challenge to CodeTheCurve