FAQs
We need you to register a team of 2-5 persons, select one or more UN sustainability goal to tackle with your project, and describe your Team and Project implementation. After the registration deadline the teams will be shortlisted and those who make the cut will be invited to the workshops and the Hackathon! Participating at the Hackathon does not require you to be an expert in AI or app creation, and first-timers are encouraged to get engaged, have fun, learn, collaborate, and develop! You may participate in the Hackathon by filling out the following registration form: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSehgoKp0LB12H5dSDAMlPKtSErelEhfSFa_P6_QYVJsY8PaVA/viewform
The United Nations (UN) Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) are 17 global goals designed to achieve a better and more sustainable future by addressing issues such as poverty, inequality, climate change, environmental degradation, peace, and justice by 2030. For this Hackathon, we invite all participating teams to select one or more of these sustainability goals and develop an app or implementation that takes advantage of GenAI. So you are innovating and creating something with real value to humanity! You can find more details here: https://sdgs.un.org/goals
2-5 people
To encourage collaboration and diverse ideas, we require a minimum of 2 persons per team. If you’re currently a solo participant, we warmly invite you to join our Discord server (link) where you can connect with other participants and find a teammate. This is a great opportunity to collaborate and combine your strengths with others. We’re excited to see the innovative ideas that emerge from your teamwork!
Teams are allowed to register until 20th (was 14th) of October 2024. Until then, you can edit your registration details by modifying teams, project description etc. After the deadline, the teams will be shortlisted and those who make the cut will be invited to the workshops and the Hackathon by November 1st 2024.
Totally! Even more, shortlisted teams get free access to Oπe\n Conf’s second day on Saturday 23rd of November 2024 to celebrate the winning team on the main stage!
Don’t worry. Try-Fail-Retry is the circle of any Hackathon, so don’t get intimidated, we got your back with mentors to support you all the way! You may read more about the mentorship plan here: https://hackathon.open-conf.gr/mentoring/
You will have the opportunity to pitch your idea to the mentors at the beginning of the Hackathon, book a mentor for a mentoring slot (1:1) with your team, and also have ad-hoc mentoring by the mentors that will be walking around the area! You may read more about the mentorship plan here: https://hackathon.open-conf.gr/mentoring/
Oπe\n Conf’s Hackathon requires using Google AI Studio and Google Vertex AI. Using Google’s AI stack is mandatory for all Hackathon teams. Your team will be asked to present the way or ways that Google AI was used. Your team can get acquainted to this environment by using it well before the official Hackathon starts: free Google AI studio to get you started. Read more about the provided infrastructure here: https://hackathon.open-conf.gr/infrastructure/
GenAI can be used to help you develop your application, or GenAI can be integrated into the application itself for a specific function, or both.
Prior experience may prove helpful, but the Oπe\n Conf Hackathon team will provide you with workshops, resources, and mentors to help you out. Additionally, we encourage you to check the provided links towards Google AI studio (https://ai.google.dev/aistudio) and learn more, while also experiment developing in the free environment of Google AI studio.
Of course. The Hackathon offers two leagues to participate in: the Experienced League and the Novice League. Both leagues will have same judging criteria and scope, but each one will only compete against the teams in the same league. We invite teams with minor or no experience in app development or GenAI to select the “Novice” league. Teams experienced in app development and GenAI should register for the “Experienced” league. Note that the prize of “Experienced” league is worth 1000€ and for the “Novice” league is worth 500€!
Before the Hackathon, teams will be split in two leagues, depending on their selection during registration: “Novice” and “Experienced”. The prize of “Experienced” league is worth 1000€ and for the “Novice” league is worth 500€! Additionally, teams that caught the eye during the Hackathon but didn’t win will be given special recognition. Read more about the prizes here: https://hackathon.open-conf.gr/prizes/
No. In-person participation is mandatory during the Hackathon period (21-22 November 2024).
Not yet! Teams will be shortlisted and those who make the cut will be invited to the workshops and the Hackathon! Check the timeline here: https://hackathon.open-conf.gr/timeline/
Day 1 starts at 09:00 and finishes at 23:00. Day 2 starts at 09:00 and finishes at 16:00, when the final presentations begin. Of course once you get announced as the shortlisted team, you can get started! Make sure you give yourselves enough time to get acquainted with Google’s AI Studio (https://ai.google.dev/aistudio) beforehand so you get familiar with the platform! Access to Vertex AI will be granted to you one day before the contest begins! Check the timeline here: https://hackathon.open-conf.gr/timeline/
You may tackle as many goals as you feel like!
The judging criteria are based on Implementation and Design, Idea, and Presentation. You may read our judging guide here: https://hackathon.open-conf.gr/judging/
We will provide you with a desk, Wi-Fi and power source! Feel free to bring your gear and any additional hardware you feel most comfortable with (mouse, keyboard etc)!
Yes! All registration forms are open for editing by 14th of October 2024, so you may edit anything you initially submitted!
Each team will be given access to a dedicated pre-created GitHub repository to use for their development and final submissions. The same repository will be used to commit code and upload the final presentation that will be presented to judges! Make sure you have pushed your last commit before pitching!
Yes, you are welcome to use open-source libraries and third-party APIs in your project. Make sure to give proper attribution for any libraries or APIs you incorporate and verify that their use aligns with the objectives of the hackathon. Please note that the infrastructure provided by the organizers will be VertexAI (which you must demostrate how you utilized). Any additional tools or resources you wish to use will need to be handled by you.
The access rights belong exclusively to team as referred in our terms and conditions: https://hackathon.open-conf.gr/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/OpenHackathon2024_Team_Participation_Terms_and_Conditions.pdf (chapter 6. Ownership and Intellectual Property)
No. Each team may submit and present a single project. Feel free to tackle as many UN goals as you wish!
At the end of the Hackathon you are expected to present your idea in 5-7 minutes. This should include a presentation and a demo of you idea. Make sure your gear supports HDMI output! Also, make sure to use your great Business mentors that can consult you on having a great pitch that will be a difference-maker! Make sure you rehearse and time your pitch as well!
Yes you can! This is an additional benefit we offer to all Hackathon shortlisted teams for free: access to the full day of Oπe\n Conf for Saturday 23rd of November. You may access Speeches, Panel, Open space, workshops, events, etc. Enjoy!
You need to have all your focus on the Hackathon, so you will not be able to attend Friday sessions at Oπen\n Conf.
You may start preparing your idea from the time we announce the theme on September 1st. If your team is selected, you can begin working on your implementation starting November 1st. You will receive training on the infrastructure and gain access to GenAI to help develop your idea. Feel free to use Google’s AI studio as soon as you get shortlisted so you’re familiar with the platform by the time of the Hackathon! Access to Vertex AI will be granted to you one day before the event starts. During the event, you will have the opportunity to work more on your execution and receive mentoring to address any gaps. However, please note that existing, completed implementations or products are not accepted! We are looking for new developments that utilize VertexAI!