The Social Innovation Hackathon will bring together community members, developers, designers, social entrepreneurs, and humanitarians to build creative technology solutions that will help improve the lives of refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.  

WHAT IS A HACKATHON?
A hackathon is an event where participants contribute their expertise and collaborate intensively to co-create technology-oriented solutions. The goal of the Social Innovation Hackathon is to learn more about the needs of refugees and internally displaced persons and jump-start a project or help an ongoing project take a giant leap forward.

Three main challenges will be presented to participants at the beginning of the event. Participants will form teams to work together and develop solutions. At the end of the hackathon, teams will have an opportunity to present their ideas, prototypes and business plans to a panel of judges. During the hackathon, subject-matter experts will share knowledge, give feedback and help teams to overcome obstacles.

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?
Developers, designers, refugees, humanitarians, social entrepreneurs, and business minds – we’re looking for you! All you need to bring is your enthusiasm to solve tough challenges for refugees and IDPs (and a laptop if you have one).

PRIZES!
We hope the Social Innovation Hackathon will build collective goodwill, relationships and ideas that will carry on long after the hackathon. A jury of leading figures in the technology and humanitarian communities will decide on the winners. Prizes at the end of the hackathon will help support the most viable projects to move forward.