The tech and startup community in Norway has launched an online 48-hour hackathon, to be held this coming weekend, March 27-29, to meet the challenges our society is facing as a result of the coronavirus outbreak (COVID-19).
The hackathon is open to people from all over the world. It was initiated by the City of Oslo and Oslo Business Region in collaboration with Code11 and Emergence School of Leadership, and now involves several committed companies, organizations and individuals.
“I am really impressed to see how entrepreneurs and the business community in Oslo and the Nordics are responding to Hack the Crisis Norway. Right now, hundreds of people are getting involved! From all over the world. Many of the individuals and companies contributing are in the middle of their own crisis, and still they are devoting time and resources to help others.” said CEO of Oslo Business Region, Gaute Hagerup.
There are different ways to contribute. You can suggest an idea that supports the healthcare system, or new ways of staying connected, or how we can ensure businesses and jobs survive the crisis.
Another way to participate is by solving a challenge. Anyone can help to solve a problem and no previous experience is required. You can join as an individual and find a team through the Hack the Crisis Norway Slack channel, or you can sign up as a team.
The winner in each category gets around €8.6K to develop their idea, and the runners up take €4.3K each.
“The situation we are in is unprecedented, and we have to act fast. It’s amazing to see how many people from all over the world are joining forces and a total of 75 teams registered. We are working with public and private partners to make sure the solutions presented on Sunday will be picked up and helped into the real market. Additionally, we also want to support the creation of sustainable solutions that can be used and developed to make lives better in general”, affirmed Hack the Crisis Norway project Manager, Hege Tollerud.
The deadline for registration is tonight, midnight (23:59) CET, Thursday 26 March, via hackthecrisisnorway.com. The hackathon will start on Friday 27 March at 16:00 CET and it ends on Sunday 28 March at 20:00 CET.
