Hack The Culture 2020 plans to explore the intersection of social change, justice, and technology by bringing together developers, designers, and other people in tech with activists, community organizers, and policy makers.
With these people coming together from diverse backgrounds, interesting projects and solutions to complex challenges are expected to arise at the inaugural event. Even if someone interested in joining in might not come from one of these backgrounds or might not have prior coding experience, Impact Ventures invites everyone to participate.
Plus, participants will be put on a team of mentors, subject matter experts, and team members that offer complementary skills. Although COVID-19 is preventing this year’s hackathon participants from working together in person to solve challenges, teams will still collaborate from the comfort of their own homes.
Impact Ventures, the host of Hack The Culture, is a Dallas-based nonprofit that wants to create diverse and inclusive tech ecosystems. Last year, it launched what it calls “North Texas’ first minority-focused startup accelerator program.”
The hackathon challenges plan to tackle topics related to social justice, health, and economic issues. Criminal justice reform, gender equality, voter engagement, tracking the spread of COVID-19, and local business connectivity are among the challenge areas.
Hack The Culture 2020 has three phases: Explore, Create, and Celebrate. During the Explore phase, hackathon participants, as well as the general public, can join in on different sessions including technical topics, social issues, and ideation from Sept. 22-24.
Create will be when the hacking phase of the event takes place from Sept. 25-27. Teams will be coming up with and implementing their technical ideas with rewards on the line. There will also be miniature events, contests, and engaging activities happening throughout the weekend.
On the final day of the hackathon called Celebrate, the teams will present their ideas to a panel of subject matter experts, practitioners, and community leaders. The finalists will then prepare and present their 3-5 minute pitches to celebrity guest judges, who will pick the winners, while viewers can select the Fan Favorite.
There’s a $1,000 prize on the line for the winning team, with $500 and $250 given to the runner-up and Fan Favorite teams respectively.
Find more information on Hack The Culture 2020 here.
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