PYGHACK is our third annual hackathon, offered as a component of the broader cultural event, PYGMALION.

We're proud to announce this year's PYGHACK, our hackathon which evolves in 2019 to incorporate an exhibition-style showcase of participants at Krannert Center for the Performing Arts, presented by Research Park at the University of Illinois and Siebel Center for Design.

In close collaboration with Research Park, Siebel Center for Design, and Krannert Center, we’re challenging participants to integrate a wider, more interdisciplinary array of skills and talents in their project teams. To expand on this focus, we’re hoping to attract a diverse array of interests and skill sets by introducing the theme of HOME @ PYGHACK.

The concept derives from Geoff Sobelle’s HOME: an evocative performance depicting the various meanings we humans attribute to our homes, showing how a house (a physical structure) can be transformed into a home (a sense of belonging and ownership of a space).

Registration is now open, so head over and RSVP for this FREE hack. Stay tuned and visit PYGHACK.com for more details!

CHECK OUT INSPIRATION + DATA PROJECTS HERE!

Eligibility

Here are some basic rules about participating in PYGHACK:

Hackers must present their ID to gain entry to PYGHACK, which will be crosschecked against the ticketing manifest provided by Pygmalion organizers.
This event is open to registered members only. Please register your team AHEAD of time or else you will not be granted entry to the event.
If you are registering for the hack, please let us know if you have any food allergies that we should be aware of.
There are a variety of prizes available depending on the scope of what your team builds — check out the prizes section to learn more about what to shoot for!
Throughout the hack, teams will be provided with data sets and possible access to key leaders and nonprofit organizations working in the space to help craft their solutions.
Maximum five (5) members per team.
All members of the team should be present to pitch to our judges and receive their prize at the awards ceremony.

For more information about the HACK, please visit the FAQ section of the website.

Requirements

What is the goal of PYGHACK?

PYGHACK will aim towards helping the greater Champaign-Urbana area and community through social good combined with innovation and technology, within the structure of the HOMEHACK concept.

Teams will have the opportunity to choose from a set of challenges related to the topic, with a few challenge categories:

Benefits the common good in the community at-large, whether that be a local non-profit, organization that benefits the underprivileged, etc.
Benefit the community in terms of retention of student talent for growth of Champaign-Urbana's professional job sector.
Benefit visitors to Champaign-Urbana community to encourage return visits to the community.
Binding together groups of existing organizations to encourage collaboration to benefit the greater Champaign-Urbana community.

Remember: HOMEHACK is based on Geoff Sobelle's HOME: an evocative performance depicting the various meanings we humans attribute to our homes, showing how a house (a physical structure) can be transformed into a home (a sense of belonging and ownership of a space).

Throughout the hack, teams will be provided with access to key leaders and nonprofit organizations working in the space to help craft their solutions.

What are the deadlines I should pay attention to?

You must register to participate in the hackathon by 5 pm CST on Friday, September 27th.

You are allowed to continue updating that submission until 5 pm CST on Saturday, September 28th.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$3,125 in prizes

GRAND PRIZE

$1500 CASH

+ 1 month of coworking memberships at Lodgic Everyday Community for the winning team ($85 value each)
+ Q+A and lunch with the Pixo team

SECOND PRIZE

$750 CASH

THIRD PRIZE

$250 CASH

LODGIC PRIZE

1 month of coworking memberships for the winning team, plus a $25 food gift certificate for each team member. In addition, you'll get an introduction to their coworking space, a cocktail (or mocktail) on them, and warm welcome to Lodgic.

Judges

SNEHA SUBRAMANIAN
DESIGN FOR AMERICA

AARON AMMONS
CHAMPAIGN COUNTY CLERK

RACHAEL DIETKUS
SIEBEL CENTER FOR DESIGN

MANU EDAKARA
IVENTURE ACCELERATOR

MISHA SHAH
AGCO

Judging Criteria

COMMUNITY BENEFIT
Does your hack provide a benefit to the greater Champaign-Urbana community (a non-profit organization, under-served population, etc.)?
COLLABORATION
Does your team incorporate members from different communities, skillsets, and/or specialities? i.e. professionals + students + designers + coders; or teams with developers + musicians + designers + dancers + videographers, etc.
DESIGN
Is your concept eye-catching? Does it represent in a clear way what your team is looking to solve?
FUNCTIONING PROTOTYPE
Does your project have a functioning prototype that can be seen by judges? An app, website, device, etc that (at least) mostly works? Or rather, have a pitch that makes sense and is well thought out?
INNOVATION
Does your hack provide something new and exciting that doesn't already exist in some capacity? The more unique and creative, the better.