Questions & answers
- What is a hackathon?
A hackathon is a problem-solving event where people with different skills collaborate in teams to develop a working prototype to a specific problem during a defined time frame (e.g. 48h). It is considered to be a playful and effective method to spark creativity and new ideas.
- How much does it cost to join the Hackathon?
Sustainability Hackathon is a free event for its participants - breakfast, lunch and dinner included
- Do I need programming skills to participate?
Absolutely not. Different skills are required inside a team, and coding is just one of them. People with marketing, business development, design and other knowledge are needed and very welcome to join.
- Can I participate even if I am not based in Uppsala?
Of course! The entire event will be ONLINE so you can participate from anywhere you want.
- Can I sign up as an individual?
Yes! You start by signing up as an individual but you will need to form or integrate into a team to participate in the hackathon as only teams will be admitted. We can help you with that.
- Can I sign up with my team?
Pre-formed teams are welcome, but everyone has to sign up individually for the event. Pre-existing teams are also free to incorporate new people in case they want to bring new participants on board.
- How big should the teams be?
A team is a minimum of 2 people.
- Where is the Hackathon taking place ?
It will be a hybrid event but the actual event will take place at Green Innovation Park in Uppsala (look the intro page for more information) . We use Slack as our hackathon communications tool.
- I do not have an idea, can I still participate?
There will be time to brainstorm ideas with your team during the event. We also encourage the teams to start discussing their solutions before the start of the actual event.
- Can i participate as an observer?
You can absolutely participate as an observer but you have to refer it when registering to the event. You can refer it at the question of: My main interests are in.... Have in mind though that due to limited space , the hacking teams and partners will be prioritised and therefore some of the observers will be contacted to participate digitally.
- Who will be in the Jury?
The Jury will be composed of subject-matter experts from our case challenge providing organizations as well as representatives from our sponsor & partner organizations
- Will there be any mentors that will help us during the hackathon?
Yes! A variety of mentors from different fields will be helping teams throughout the event48 hours is not enough time, will it be possible to work afterwards? Winners will be awarded with the possibility of further developing the solution along with the case provider that created the challenge. The further development will depend on the team and the fit of the solution presented with the agenda of the organization. All code developed will be uploaded to our GitHub so that the community can continue developing them!
- Based on what criteria does the jury make its decisions?
- Sustainability: How does the solution contribute to one or more of the sustainability goals?
- Innovation profile: Is the solution innovative?
- Feasibility and clarity: Is it likely that the solution can be implemented?
- Potential for idea realisation: How big is the impact and scalability?
- Societal benefit: How will the solution create benefits for the residents and people of the city?
- Solution presentation and team: How was your pitch to the jury? Does the team have the right competence to develop the idea further?
- Will there be any mentors that will help us during the hackathon?
Yes! A variety of mentors from different fields will be helping teams throughout the event.
- 48 hours is not enough time, will it be possible to work afterwards?
Winners will be awarded the possibility of further developing the solution along with the case provider that created the challenge. The further development will depend on the team and the fit of the solution presented with the agenda of the organization. All code developed will be uploaded to our GitHub so that the community can continue developing them!
- Who owns the Intellectual Property Rights of Hackathon Projects?
All ideas, codes and Hackathon material will be open source and can be used by everyone prioritising idea and product owners.
