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almost 3 years ago

#BuildforCOVID19 Results & Next Steps

Hey all,

Thanks so much for contributing in such innovative and meaningful ways through the projects you submitted in the #BuildforCOVID19 Global Online Hackathon. 

It’s been awe-inspiring watching this community of over 18,000 developers come together to help solve some of the many challenges related to coronavirus (COVID-19). Before we get to the ‘Highlighted projects’ selected by our judges, let’s take a look at what you’ve all achieved.

Your impact in numbers

  • Participation
    • 18,926 hackathon participants from over 175 countries
  • Collaboration 
    • 6400 participated in ourSlack community, with buzzing channels for networking, ideation, resources and more
    • 4,148 ‘team up’ requests
  • Innovation
    • 1,560 projects submitted from 102 countries
    • Of the 89 ‘Highlighted projects’ selected, 34 unique countries submitted a project that was included.
  • Diversity
    • ⅓ of our registrants were students - an incredible turn-out, which really shines a light on just how seriously younger generations are treating issues concerning COVID-19 

Judging

  • We’re so grateful to our amazing set of close to 400 very qualified judged across health, engineering and non-profit backgrounds for evaluating each of the 1561 projects submitted.
  • Themes 
    • Across the focus areas, there were a range of similar projects, making the judges’ decisions extremely difficult.
    • Among others, some of the most prevalent types of solutions included:
      • Coordinating the inventory and distribution of medical supplies
      • Educating people about COVID-19
      • Supporting data collection for hospitals and individuals
      • Providing social networks and gaming experiences to encourage safe social distancing

Next steps: Let’s amplify this impact

  • Here they are! Take a look at the ‘Highlighted projects’ here: 
    • https://covidglobalhackathon.com/
    • We encourage you to share the above link using the hashtag #BuildforCOVID19 and encouraging your networks to reach out to any of these inspiring, ambitious projects that they might be able to support. Alongside our supporters and partners, we’re hoping that this new community can support each other in bringing as many of these solutions to life around the world as possible
  • Continue the conversation
    • Please continue to use the themed channels in our Slack group to consolidate your ideas with fellow innovators and continue building and working on your ideas
    • Feel free to reach out directly to the builders of all of the submitted projects to see how you can merge your skill-sets and ideas, and continue to contribute.

Thank you and congratulations again to everyone who participated in the hackathon. It’s really been an honor to be a part of this amazing innovation and we look forward to a continued conversation about how we can all leverage technology to support social impact around the COVID-19 response.

Sam

(@lessin)