B~STEM Project is pleased to launch We Hack Too powered by Microsoft - For Girls, a 48 hour virtual hackathon that will allow young girls and women to engage, learn and grow around coding and business. The hackathon will begin on Friday, June 24th at 12:00 a.m. PST through Saturday, June 25th at 11:59 p.m. PST.
Participants are both high school and college level girls who will compete in teams consisting of three members. It’s okay if you don’t already know how to program or code! We will be evaluating teams for “skill diversity.” It is preferable for each team to have one member who is familiar with coding however other team members should have interest in other disciplines i.e. visual design, business, project management or industry specific interest.
The 48 hour virtual hackathon includes a 1-day invitation only multi-city event. Everyone must register and complete the entire 48 hour by submitting both their prototype and a pitch deck presentation (10 pages max) that shares the viability of your product i.e. customers, marketability, competition, unique value proposition. Your team's project should adhere to We Hack Too's theme of creating solutions that empower and build local and/or global communities. There will be two winning teams nationally, one at the high school level and another at the college level.
The invitation only, 1-day multi-city event is inside select Microsoft stores (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Chicago, Detroit, and NYC).
Westfield Century City 10250 Santa Monica Blvd #1045, Los Angeles, CA 90067
Westfield Topanga Canyon 6600 Topanga Canyon Blvd, Canoga Park, CA 91303
Fashion Valley Mall 7007 Friars Rd #324, San Diego, CA 92108
Westfield San Francisco Centre Space 257, 845 Market St, San Francisco, CA 94103
The Somerset Collection Space U213, 2800 W Big Beaver Rd, Troy, MI 48084
Oakbrook Center 49 Oakbrook Center, Oak Brook, IL 60523
Fifth Avenue 677 5th Ave, New York, NY 10022
The event is a Product Development & Design Incubator geared towards guiding students in building a presentation deck that lays out the team’s business model and go-to- market strategy. It’s also an opportunity to work alongside mentors and team members in creating their prototype. At the close of the day each team will pitch their ideas to industry leaders who will rate the viability of the idea and offer insight. Athough there will be winners at the local level, participants in this event must still complete their prototype to be submitted at the close of the 48 hours for national consideration.
All entries to the 48 hour hackathon must be submitted by June 25 at 11:59 p.m. PST, prototypes and pitch presentation decks will be judged at the end of the submission period based on criteria listed below.
The judging panel will consist of business and tech leaders.
Please go to www.bstemproject.org for more details!
Eligibility
This hackathon is open to: high school level or college level girls around the world.
You must form and participate as a team of three with girls of your academic level in order to compete. You will only be competing against teams of your academic level and there will be winning teams in both categories. Team forming guidelines are listed below under “How to Enter”
Again, you are not required to know how to program or code! We will be evaluating teams for “skill diversity.” It is preferable for each team to have one member who is familiar with coding however other team members should have interest in other disciplines i.e. visual design, business, project management or industry specific interest.
Registration for the virtual hackathon will close on Tuesday, June 23rd.
~ONE DAY EVENT~
On Friday, June 24th at select Microsoft locations (Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Detroit, Chicago, & New York) we will be inviting 5 high school level teams of three & 5 college level teams of three to participate in our Product Development & Design Incubator geared towards guiding participants in building a presentation deck that lays out the team’s business model and go-to- market strategy. This free event will span from 8:30 am to 7:30 pm, with light breakfast, lunch and dinner provided. Mentors will be helping teams develop their ideas and pitch decks, which will be judged at the end of the day. Prizes will be offered to one high school team and one college team at each location. (*Note that this local judging and scoring is separate from the scoring at the end of the national 48 hour hackathon)
If you live in one of these areas and are interested in this multi-city one day event, after you form your team please register it at We Hack Too - Team Sign Up. We will be inviting teams to this one day event on a first come, first serve basis.
You will be notified no later than Friday, June 17th if you have been selected. Participation is by invitation only and you will be contacted via email or phone if your team has been selected. We will invite 5 high school and 5 college level teams. We will also have a waiting list in the event an invited team is unable to participate.
Requirements
All projects must be built from scratch during the time of the hackathon challenge.
To be considered for judging, each team must submit a project prototype by 11:59 p.m. PST Saturday, June 25th.
As a part of each submission, contestants must submit items below:
- Name of the submission with link to prototype (not required for prototype to be advanced but must convey the problem in local and/or global community you're looking to solve)
- A Powerpoint pitch deck describing the product, its features, and its go to market strategy (maximum 10 slides)
- Each team members' name, school, and academic level
For tips on how to submit you project, please view the video at this link: submission tutorial
Here are some tips for elements to include in a pitch deck: Pitch Deck Tips
If you need any idea starters for projects, see our discussion board. If you have some, feel free to add!
Prizes
$1,840 in prizes
Microsoft Surface
(2)
National Grand Prize for our 48-hour hackathon goes to the 2 winning teams
Vera Bradley Technology Backpack
(2)
National Grand Prize for our 48-hour hackathon goes to the 2 winning teams
Technically speaking, this bag is perfect! It offers a separate padded laptop compartment that’s easy to access, plus a front pocket that’s a perfect fit for a tablet. The roomy interior features plenty of room and extra organization, including multifunctional pockets and pen holders.
Motorola Sol Republic Deck
(2)
Portable speaker
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
How to enter
Step 1: Register for the challenge here on our Devpost page by Tuesday, June 23rd.
(When you register for Devpost be sure to list your skill sets [for example, "coding" "marketing" "project manager" as well as your academic level)
Step 2: If you have a potential project idea, add it under projects on your Devpost profile OR
Step 2: If you don’t have a potential project idea, be sure to come back to our Devpost page and check out the Participants tab frequently. Look through the other participants' projects. If you find one you would like to be a part of then send a message to the participant.
Step 3: If you don't know any coders or those with business, marketing, design, etc. skills, then look through the participants and see if there is anyone of interest. Contact them and inquire about forming a team. Don't be shy and be sure to come back and look daily. Also post on our Discussion Board what you're looking for so that someone can connect with you.
Step 4: If you live in near San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, Detroit, Chicago, or NYC and our interested in attending our one day event, please follow our instructions under "Eligibility"
Step 5: Register your team on our Team Sign Up tab
Step 6: Stay up to date with reminders and resources during the challenge
Important Dates:
Indicate interest in the invitation only, 1-day event at select Microsoft stores as soon as possible because it is first come, first serve
- Friday, June 17th: Invitations to 1-day Event Closed
- Tuesday, June 23rd: Registration Ends
- Friday, June 24th: Virtual Hackathon Begins
- Friday, June 24th: 1-Day Event in Select Cities (8:30 am ~ 7:30 pm)
- Saturday, June 25th: All submissions must be Submitted by 11:59 pm PST
- Friday, July 1st: We Hack Too hackathon winners will be announced
Judges

Florence D. Hudson
SVP, Chief Innovation Officer, Internet2

Linda Stuit
Vice President, Global Solutions High Tech Vertical, KellyOCG

Scott L. Stewart
Founder, Project Tech Teens

James V. Lee
Partner, Schaffer & Combs

Elena Verna
VP, Product Growth & Analytics, Survey Monkey

Per Werngren
Chairman, IAMCP, International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners

Norma Jean Evans
Director Office of Sustainability & Business Services Cranbrook Educational Community

Julia Lipton
Head of Growth, Rise

Jillian Blackwell
Partner Sales Executive, Michigan Corporate Accounts

Shiv Kumar
EVP & CTO ZSL, Inc

Kevin Wei
Populus Group
Judging Criteria
-
Technical Complexity
Does the prototype work correctly and is the hack technically interesting or difficult? -
Ease of Use & Visual Design
How intuitive is the experience? Would the intended end user find the application easy to use and understand? Is the design clear and simple and also aesthetically pleasing? -
Market Viability
How well is the market understood, competition and need? -
Customer Aquisition
How clear and realistic is the strategy to gain and keep customers? -
Revenue & Growth
How will money be made and is the product scalable? -
Ingenuity
Is this a new idea? Does technology like this already exist? How innovative is this concept for building and empowering local or global communities? -
Impact on local or global communities
What would users gain from their experience using this project? Does it fulfill a real need people might have? -
Presentation
How well was the product presented? Does your pitch deck clearly articulate what your prototype accomplishes? -
Team Skill Diversity
Are there a variety of skill sets and disciplines represented in the team dynamic?
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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