Over the duration of 24 hours, women and non-binary people are immersed in tech culture and encouraged to exercise their imagination to create interesting and innovative hacks.

This year’s theme is “Go Beyond”. At Technica, we want to see women and non-binary folks thrive and go beyond society’s expectations for them. We encourage all attendees to take your tech journey beyond Technica. Don’t stop at our hackathon, attend others and keep creating. Technica is meant to catapult you further in your career, and help you to continue achieving. As you advance in your career, go beyond your duties at work, become a mentor and help to advance the next generation of women in tech. Whatever your goals and aspirations, remember you can always #GoBeyond.

For more information on our sponsors, weekend-of schedule, or general updates please visit gotechnica.org.

Prizes

$49,494 in prizes

Best Security Hack - Cisco

Our security theme can touch any of the following areas: protection of device & application, information sharing, threat analysis, setting security alerts, network & computer defense: for anything from transactions, social media, micropayments, etc. The possibilities are endless.

JUDGING FACTORS:
➳ Project completion: involves the delivery of a security-related hack
➳ Innovation: Is the application new? Where are we expecting industry moving toward?
➳ Impact: Is there a “Real World” application for this hack?

♚ Raspberry Pi 4 4GB Starter MAX Kit per person, up to 4 purchased for a team

Best Hack for Social Good - JP Morgan Chase

Impact, Innovation & Creativity, Completeness of Solution, Sustainability, Design

Visit our booth to learn more about what it means to "Code for Good"

JUDGING FACTORS:
➳ Impact
➳ Innovation & Creativity
➳ Completeness of Solution
➳ Sustainability
➳ Design

♚ Oculus Go VR Headsets for each member of one winning team

Best Use of Public Financial Data - T. Rowe Price (2)

Entries must use a publicly available financial dataset - doesn't need to be US stock market data, just be creative!.

♚ Oculus Go VR headset for each team member of winning team

Best use of Algorand's APIs - Algorand (2)

Using any of our dev tools qualifies your team for prizes. However, the judging team will give preference to teams that demonstrate creative competence by:
➳ Using one of the SDK’s writing to and read from the notefield in a transaction
➳ Using multiple dev tools
An example solution would be to: Build a solution for easy account management using one our SDK’s, the solution should be able to: Create and sign txns, do the same with multisig accounts, recover accounts from mnemonic
Bonus: Build a UI for the solution (command line, web based or other) in any language. There is a webapp example is in the JavaScript SDK.

♚ first place - raspberry pi + matrix creator + thule backpack
♚ second place - ledger nano

Best Hack for Event Attendees - Cvent

Enhance attendee experience through Machine Learning. Some sample ideas may include a chat both between planners and attendees, a survey sentiment analysis, or an image quality checker.

♚ All participants will get a Cvent Technology Backpack. Each member of the team will also win a Drone and a Yeti.

Best Data Visualization Tool - Qualtrics

♚ Amazon gift card for each member of one winning team

Best Use of Open Data - Coding it Forward

Coding it Forward is a nonprofit by and for young people creating new opportunities and pathways into social impact and civic technology. The Best Use of Open Data prize will be awarded to the team whose hack best uses open data sets to build a hack that allows users to better utilize or understand the data they are interacting with. Some examples of potential sources include data.gov, New York City open data, or the World Health Organization open data repository. Open data sets used need not be “social impact” oriented, but the hack must work towards providing a greater social good. We’re looking for hacks that leverage open data as a central solution.

JUDGING FACTORS:
➳ Thoughtfulness
➳ Well-Researched
➳ Distinguished from other solutions in the problem space

♚ Winning team will receive a $500 cash prize

Best Education Hack - Bloomberg

Bloomberg Philanthropies supports bold solutions to improve education in America. Hack a project that will spread success, improve student outcomes, and strengthen American education.
Learn more here: https://www.bloomberg.org/program/education/#intro

♚ Each winner will receive an indoor & outdoor portable projector for a home theater (supported compatible with smartphone, TV Stick, Games, HDMI, AV).
More information here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07MWSKNKZ/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Venture Winner - Dingman Center

JUDGING FACTORS:
➳ Business viability
➳ Creativity
➳ Solving an important problem
➳ Having a vision & thinking big

♚ Kate spade wallet for each member of one winning team

Best Use of Google's API - Google

♚ Google Home Minis

Best Community Building Hack - Facebook

Build a hack that gives people the power to build community and bring the world closer together

♚ Up to 4 Oculus Go Headsets

Best Web Page - Visionist

This challenge is geared towards young people who haven't had much experience with tech before. We've created a boilerplate application to help you get started on creating a web page using React JS. Your web page can focus on whatever content matter you're interested in. At Visionist, a well-designed user interface and user experience are of high value. We're looking for what new tech you were able to use to create a visually appealing and easy to use page. You are not limited to our starter app. You can build from scratch or use any technology you prefer.

♚ $50 Amazon Gift card to each member of the winning team

Best Combination of Data Sets - Visionist

This challenge is for folks with a bit more experience in tech. We've prepared groups of data sets that we think might combine into interesting results. We want to see what you can come up with by combining two or more different data sets. You can use the data from our groups or any data sets you find. You can showcase data analytics, data visualization, a web app, a game, or anything tech-related that you can come up with. Don't just display the data given; show us something new and interesting. Turn text documents into some kind of visual model or newfound, easy to understand conclusions or correlations.

♚ $50 Amazon Gift card to each member of the winning team

Best Financial Hack - Capital One

How will you reimagine banking?

♚ $300 Amazon Gift card to each member of the winning team

Social Media Challenge - FiscalNote (2)

FiscalNote recently has started an initiative to start building a hacking and engineering community, called Hack University. Right now we just want to get the word out as we build out this community.

We will make a post on our Instagram about Technica and the prize will revolve around engagement with the post.

Challenge 1: Win AirPods Pro by Random Draw:

Follow @hackuniversity on Instagram.
2. LIKE our latest post about hackathons.
3. Comment and tag 3 friends.
-
We’ll randomly select a winner at the
end of Technica!

Challenge 2: Win AirPods Pro by Contest:

Do steps 1-3 for AirPods Pro by
random draw.
2. Stop by the FiscalNote sponsor’s booth
and post a picture on your Instagram
holding our Hack University sign and tag
@hackuniversity.
3. Get your friends to like your post!
-
The winner will be the person with the
most likes on their post by the end
of Technica!

♚ 1 Airpods Pro for Random draw winner and 1 Airpods Pro for the Contest winner.

Best for Small Businesses - VistaPrint (3)

We’d want a hack that would give a small business owner access to expertise on an aspect of business with which they themselves may not be familiar. For example, a lot of small business owners may not be CPAs themselves, so someone could build an app that gives the user information on how to take advantage of tax laws in their area based on the type of business they have. Another example might be a SEO bot that tells you what words to use on different platforms based on details about your business.

♚ 1st place: Mini Bluetooth Speaker
♚ 2nd place: Yoga Mat
♚ 3rd place: Portable Charger

Best #GoBeyond Hack - Technica

This is the best “futuristic” hack. How wild, out-of-this-world is your idea or concept? This year’s theme is “Go Beyond”. At Technica, we want to see women and non-binary folks thrive and go beyond society’s expectations for them. We encourage all attendees to take your tech journey beyond Technica. Don’t stop at our hackathon, attend others and keep creating. Technica is meant to catapult you further in your career, and help you to continue achieving. As you advance in your career, go beyond your duties at work, become a mentor and help to advance the next generation of women in tech. Whatever your goals and aspirations, remember you can always #GoBeyond.

♚ Telescopes for each team member on winning team

Best Beginner Hack (General) - Technica

Is this your first time attending a hackathon or creating a hack? We want to encourage all first-time hackers to submit their creations!

This should be the first hackathon for at least one member of the team. Ideally, this must be the first hackathon for all or almost all team members. All members are at least 18 years old. Participants should have limited to no prior coding knowledge. We're excited to hear about what you learned and what you came up with for your first hack!

♚ Roku Sticks for each team member on winning team

Best Beginner Hack (Middle or High School) - Technica

Is this your first time attending a hackathon or creating a hack? We want to encourage all first-time hackers to submit their creations!r creations!

At least one member of the team has to be a first-time hacker. Team members submitting for this category must be in middle or high school. We're excited to hear about what you learned and what you came up with for your first hack!

♚ Bluetooth speakers for each team member on winning team

Best Domain Name from Domain.com - MLH

♚ Domain.com branded backpacks for each team member.

Best use of Open Source - Goldman Sachs

♚ Echo Shows for each member of winning team

Best Automation Hack with UiPath - MLH

Build an automation hack using UiPath!

♚ Each winning team member will receive a UiPath/MLH Branded Backpack and DROCON Drone!

Best Data Analysis - Fannie Mae (2)

Analyze and visualize the differences in “risk factors” over a 15-year period in the housing market..
Work with a subset of data from 2003 to 2016 to discover how risk factors related to early pay-off or mortgage default changed over time.
Did things like # of borrowers, amount of down payment, or initial credit score have an impact on the loan's ultimate status?
For bonus points – can you build a model to predict how different loans would have fared in each time period?

JUDGING CRITERIA:
➳ Completeness of solution
➳ Create a report or visualization that clearly shows how different factors over time changed the risk profile
➳ Usability of the solution
➳ How easy is it to run your model and view the differences?
➳ Originality of solution
➳ Be creative!

♚ 1st place: $150 Amazon gift card to each member of winning team
♚ 2nd place: $50 Amazon gift card to each member of winning team

FinLiteracy Gaming Challege: Best Use of Financial Literacy, Best Web or Mobile App - Fannie Mae (2)

Fannie Mae's FinLiteracy Gaming Challenge asks you to create a “gamified” web app or mobile game on financial literacy for high school and college students. The financial literacy game should focus on credit and debt financial concepts. Consider creating a card game that represents income and different types of debt, a version of Monopoly or a Pokémon Go-Style game. Each team member must take a financial literacy survey before starting the challenge and again at the conclusion of the challenge. Implement the financial literacy concepts included in the FAQ.

JUDGING CRITERIA:
➳ Completeness of solution
➳ Creating a mobile app with a user interface and the ability for users to make choices and play the game to conclusion would score the highest.
➳ Usability of the solution
➳ The mobile app is easy to use and navigate and the options are intuitive.
➳ Originality of solution. Be creative!

♚ 1st place: $150 Amazon gift card to each member of winning team
♚ 2nd place: $50 Amazon gift card to each member of winning team

Best Design for Financial Education - FINRA (4)

Creativity, technical skill, user-friendly/intuitive experience

♚ $3,000 in Amazon Gift Cards (total prize money to be split)

Least Vulnerable Solution - Tenable

All entries must have downloaded the free Nessus Essentials and utilized the program to scan their solution/system. Entries must document (via screenshot) initial scan results and final scan results. Entries must meet an initial vulnerability score of 15 points cumulatively based on first scan. Winning entry will be the one with the most significant improvement in vulnerability score from initial scan to final scan.

All vulnerabilities are assigned a point value:
➳ Critical – 5 points
➳ High – 4 points
➳ Medium – 3 points
➳ Low – 2 point
➳ Info – 1 points

♚ new Apple Airpod Pros for each team member in winning team

Best Improvement to Travel Industry - TripAdvisor (2)

How might we impact travelers, ease the travel process or provide innovative improvements to the travel industry?

♚ $250 American Express gift card to each team member

Game of Drones - ASRC Federal

Using drones, this prize will be given to the best unmanned airborne machine learning/feature recognition. ASRC will provide drones. Up to four teams will compete for:

➳ Best use of Machine Learning tools (OpenCV, Tensorflow) for near real-time feature recognition
➳ Best speed performance and successful feature identification
➳ Additional recognition for fully automated flight and usage of ML accelerators

♚ Each winning team member will receive one of the flying drones, a one-year membership to Women in Aviation International with the opportunity to apply to a $5,000 Drone Scholarship offered by the Wings for Val Foundation (www.wingsforval.org)

Best Hack for a Better Society - Nextdoor (2)

Addresses a need within a community, brings people together to effect positive social impact

♚ 1st place: $50 Amazon Gift Card + swag
♚ 2nd Place: $30 Amazon Gift Card + swag

Rock The Doc! - Adobe

At Adobe, we are striving to imagine and reinvent the future of documents. Documents, such as books (printed/e-book/audio book), paper, receipts, notes, blogs, web pages and videos, are all around us. Hack the best new experiences around creating, capturing, reading, organizing, navigating or sharing documents to Rock the Doc!” Factors for determining the winner:

➳ Is the idea creative and forward-looking?
➳ Is the proof of concept well-designed with a clear goal? How much is it done? Any is interesting technology used?
➳ How well does the team collaborate? How is the presentation/demo delivered?

♚ $400 Amazon gift card for each team member in winning team

Most Creative Data Hack - Splunk

Splunk is on a mission to bring data-to-everything. Our goal is to enable our users to make sense of complex data by thinking outside the box. Please join us on our journey by showcasing creative ways you leverage large datasets to gain insights into the world around us. Bonus points will be awarded to teams that make use of Splunk or Splunk Investigate.

JUDGING CRITERIA:
➳ Creativity
➳ Teamwork
➳ Comprehensiveness
➳ Visual Impact
➳ Use of Splunk

♚ Splunk Beats Pill Speaker for each team member (up to 4)

Best use of API and/or storage data - Altamira

♚ CanaKit Raspberry Pi 4 4G Starter Kit and ELEGOO UNO Project Super Starter Kit, shirt, notebook, and trinkets

Best Embedded Wearable Hack - Qualcomm

Must utilize embedded programming + have a wearable component:

♚ Northface Backpacks

Most Innovative Way to Educate People on the Time Value of Money - M&T Bank

We are looking for students to create an application that teaches the value of fiscal responsibility and how financial choices (paying down a loan and investing in equity vs. savings account) will affect their long-term financial health.

A successful solution will contain new and fun tools that help women understand the time value of money and how decisions made today have a ripple effect into future goals/stability. It can demystify or simplify financial decision and provide insight into investment opportunities.:

JUDGING CRITERIA:
➳ Be creative and use your imagination!
➳ We are not looking to create just another financial calculator
➳ Interactive Game
➳ Interactive storybook

You have the freedom to explore solutions that utilize some of the latest technologies and platforms:

➳ Virtual Reality
➳ AI/chatbots
➳ Internet of Things (IOT)

As a person who is not well versed in financial decisioning: I would like to educate myself and others on how financial decisions today will impact my financial independence in an engaging, fun way. ** Hint: Machine learning algorithms and Datasets ** I would like see the impact of my spending habits/expenses on my financial future. ** Hint: Machine learning algorithms and Datasets

♚ $350 Amazon Gift Card First Prize to a Team of up to 4

Best use of Machine Learning to Increase Savings - M&T Bank

You have the freedom to explore solutions that utilize some of the latest technologies and platforms:

➳ Virtual Reality
➳ AI/chatbots
➳ Internet of Things (IOT)

♚ $350 Amazon Gift Card First Prize to a Team of up to 4

Best use of Twilio - MLH (4)

Create a hack using Twilio's powerful communications API. Do things like send SMS messages, phone calls, email, and much more in your project. The team that has the best use of Twilio will win a $50 Amazon gift card per team member.