Playground Hackathon

Mark your calendars! The Playground Hackathon is a high-intensity, 48-hour event designed to maximize creativity and output.

Note: The hacking space will be open 24 hours a day from the Kick-Off until the Judging Ceremony. Food and drinks will be provided throughout the weekend.

The Playground Hackathon is open to innovators, students, developers, designers, engineers, and creators of all skill levels who are passionate about building better community spaces.

• Age: Participants must be 18 years of age or older by the date of the hackathon's start. (Special exceptions for high school student groups may be granted upon request with adult supervision.)

• Team Size: Teams must consist of a minimum of 1 and a maximum of 5 members. We highly encourage diverse teams with a mix of technical and non-technical skills.

• Affiliation: While we welcome participation from all institutions and companies, projects must be developed independently and are not permitted to be pre-existing work developed under employment contracts.

• Conduct: All participants must agree to adhere to the Hackathon Code of Conduct, promoting an environment of respect, safety, and collaboration.

To ensure a fair and consistent judging process, all projects must adhere to the following requirements:

• Originality: All code, design, and concepts must be developed entirely during the 48-hour hacking period. Using existing open-source libraries, APIs, and frameworks is permitted and encouraged, but the core innovation must be new.

• Theme Focus: The project must clearly relate to the hackathon's core theme: innovating community playgrounds and public spaces.

• Submission Completeness: Your team must submit all three required components:

  1. A link to your working prototype/code repository.

  2. The 60-second Project Video (uploaded to the submission platform).

  3. The Project Documentation (answering all required questions in the online form).

• Presentation: Teams must be ready to present their project live to the judging panel during the designated ceremony time. This includes a brief pitch and a working demo.

Failure to meet any of the submission requirements will result in disqualification from the judging process.

The Playground Hackathon is about more than just a weekend of building; it's a launchpad for ideas that can truly improve community life. In addition to serious bragging rights, our winning teams will walk away with a prize package designed to support the next step in their development journey.

• $3,000 Cash Prize to fuel further development and prototyping.

• Guaranteed Mentorship session with a leading urban planner and a VC pitch coach.

• Direct Feature on the city's official innovation blog and press release.

• A custom-designed "Golden Slide" Trophy for your team's workspace.

• $1,500 Cash Prize for team recognition and resources.

• Premium access to relevant Software Licenses or online Hardware Development Courses for all team members.

• Most Creative Sandbox Idea: Awarded for the most imaginative and novel concept, pushing the boundaries of what a public space can be. (Prize: A high-end 3D Printer for your team.)

• Best Social Impact & Inclusion: Awarded to the project that most effectively addresses equity, accessibility, or social connection within the community. (Prize: $500 donation made in your team's name to a local non-profit focused on youth development.)

• Best Execution & Polish: Awarded to the project that delivers the most functional, visually appealing, and robust minimum viable product (MVP) in the 48 hours. (Prize: Professional-grade noise-cancelling headphones for each team member.)

A diverse panel of judges—comprising tech leaders, urban design specialists, community organizers, and educators—will evaluate all projects. Projects will be scored across the following four criteria, with each criterion weighted equally:

Winner Selection Process:

1. Initial Review: Judges review all submitted documentation, videos, and code/prototype links.

2. Live Demos: Finalist teams present a live, 3-minute pitch and demo to the judging panel, followed by a 2-minute Q&A session.

3. Final Scoring: Scores are aggregated across all criteria. The project with the highest total score will be awarded the Grand Prize, with the next highest receiving the Runner-Up prize. Specialty categories are selected based on the highest scores in those specific attributes.