Our Goal: Addressing The Gap In STEM

In North America, women are underrepresented in technology. In fact, in an average tech company only 30 per cent of workforces are female. In low-income countries, especially in rural areas, women are underrepresented across an even broader spectrum of education, rights and overall equal opportunities during the course of their lives.

BreakInequality together with our charity partner Plan International Canada in support of Because I Am A Girl seeks to close this gap in underrepresentation. This event will bring female (and male!) developers in Canada together with Bangladeshi women to work on solutions for the most disadvantaged women in rural communities, using web and SMS tools in innovative ways to connect, empower and provide accessibility to the next potential billion users.

<Br/eak>Inequality with us.

This November, create something with tangible social impact and help empower women through technology.

Hack with us on November 26-27, 2016 @ Google HQ Kitchener-Waterloo

We have a limited number of spots available! This is an inclusive event; both men and women are encouraged to participate! Whether you are new to the technology space or an experienced programmer, we want you to be involved.

If you have a question that we didn't answer above, please feel free to contact us and a member of our team will get back to you within 24 hours.

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Schedule

Here is a small taste of what you can expect at the event.

schedule

Eligibility

ELIGIBILITY AND REGISTRATION

This Hackathon is open to all Canadian Citizens who are at least eighteen (16) years of age. To join, participants must register on or before November 21, 2016. Each participant must enter the required information on the registration form. Late submissions and submissions containing incomplete, false, erroneous, fraudulent, transferred, forged or tampered registration forms will not be considered.

Eligibility for the Hackathon shall be exclusively determined by DWB in its sole discretion.

By registering in the competition, participants shall be deemed to accept these Terms and Conditions (“Terms”). DWB may, at any time, in its sole discretion, disqualify any hacker who fails to comply with the Terms.

Full Rules, Terms and Conditions: BreakInequality Hackathon Terms & Conditions

Requirements

Submission requirements will be updated closer to the date of the hackathon.

Can I start working on the hack before the event?

No, and we do not allow participants to work on pre-existing projects. You can however familiarize yourself with all the tools and technologies you intend to use beforehand as well as conduct some contextual research! Case studies and fact sheets will be made available to confirmed attendees closer to the event.

What are we hacking?

You will be hacking to create solutions for social impact projects in low-income countries using technology, with equal-parts innovatiion and creative thinking. Participants will be given a set of case-studies that will help guide their solutions. These case studies have been created by our charity partner, Plan International Canada and focus around on-the-ground needs in Bangladesh. Given that solutions need to have an accessible component to those in rural and impoverished areas, we encourage all solutions and applications to integrate some form of SMS text message component. After all, even with the poorest 20% of people in the world, 55% of their households have a SMS powered phone!

By registering, participating in and submitting an entry to this hackathon you agree fully to the following BreakInequality Hackathon Terms & Conditions.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$5,000 in prizes

GRAND PRIZE

IMPLEMENTATION IN BANGLADESH by Plan International Canada in support of Because I Am A Girl + $1,000 CASH PRIZE from Google + ONE SPOT in the Fierce Founders Bootcamp presented by COMMUNITECH.

Twilio API Challenge

Awarded to the team with the most creative use of Twilio's API.

Impact Prize

Awarded to the team with a most impact solution that has the capacity to create change beyond the scope of the hackathon. PRESENTED BY WEALTHSIMPLE.

Best User Experience

Awarded to the team with the best, most thoughtful user experience.

PRESENTED BY ZEBU.

Most Innovative

Awarded to the team with the most innovative solution to the given problem. PRESENTED BY THALMIC LABS.

Best Pitch

Awarded to the team who presents the best pitch in explaining the value proposition of their solution. PRESENTED BY WATTPAD.

How to enter

You MUST pre-register on Eventrbite to attend. Registering for this hackathon on Devpost DOES NOT provide entry to the hackathon.

BreakInequality Hackathon Terms & Conditions

1. Register on Devpost

2. Create your team and include ALL team members

3. Upload your code to GITHUB

4. Create your submission in Devpost and include a link to your GITHUB code base

Judges

Micah Berman
Google.org

Neha Khera
500 Startups

S. Keshav
University of Waterloo, School of Computer Science

Viola Olayinka
Twilio.org

Komal Singh
Google Waterloo

Dhaarna Tangri
Plan International Canada

Julia Myer
Plan International Canada

Judging Criteria

Connection to Theme
(1) Relevance - a solution that solves a real problem/need (as defined); (2) Mindful of appropriate social context; (3) Use of information, criteria and outside research
Usefulness
(1) Practicality; (2) Readiness; (3) Simplicity
Innovative Thinking
(1) Originality; (2) Creativity; (3) Potential for Social Impact
Application (demo)
(1) Functionality; (2) Quality; (3) Level of completion + Viability
Pitch
(1) Clear & Defined Value Proposition; (2) Time: On or Under 60 seconds; (3) Energy & Enthusiasm
Design
(1) Simplicity; (2) User Interface Design; (3) User Experience + Usability