Hackathon for good: Here’s why you should be part of Call for Code

Countries across the world are upping their game to make this world a better place to live in. A few months back at Viva Technology Paris, a rendezvous for global startups and leaders, IBM Chairman, President, and CEO Ginni Rometty announced a new global initiative to innovate providing relief surrounding natural disasters and emergencies.

Dubbed as ‘Call for Code,’ this initiative was introduced in partnership with United Nations Human Rights, The American Red Cross, David Clark Cause – a global leader in creating cause brands, and The Linux Foundation.

What is ‘Call for Code’?

Call for Code is a competitive challenge where startup, academic and enterprise developers from around the globe will try to tackle challenges with a worldwide impact. In 2018, they will help solve one of the most pressing societal issues of our time: preventing, responding to and recovering from natural disasters.

This is a first of its kind challenge, encouraging developers to help out for a cause that alleviates human suffering, and taps into cloud, AI, IoT, and blockchain technologies. If you want to commit to the cause and push for a change through Call for Code, here at Silicon Canals today, we will tell you why you should participate in this contest.

#1 Grand prize of $200,000

Several software engineers from across the globe have already registered for this contest and 30 semi-finalists will be selected in early October 2018. A prominent jury, led by Linus Torvalds the creator of Linux and Git, will choose the winning solution from five finalists.

The winners will be announced on October 29, when the ‘Call for Code’ benefit concert will be globally broadcast from the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco. The winner of the ‘Call for Code’ award will receive a grand prize of $200,000 USD; whereas, the first and second runner-up will receive a big sum of $25,000 cash prize. Also, there will be a $10,000 cash award for the teams finishing fourth and fifth.

#2 Huge exposure

Unlike other hackathons, the winning solution will not only get a cash prize but also long-term support to help move their idea from prototype to real-world application. This includes ongoing developer support through IBM’s partnership with the Linux Foundation. The first place winner will have the opportunity to deploy their technology via IBM’s Corporate Service Corps, and pitch their solution to New Enterprises Associates (NEA) for evaluation and feedback.

“Winning submissions need a strong ecosystem to ensure that they will flourish and continue to be deployed across the globe long after the competition ends. That’s where The Linux Foundation is proud to step in and help equip open-source projects with the tools they need to accelerate adoption,” said Jim Zemlin, executive director of The Linux Foundation.

#3 Chance to be a part of the Open Source community

Another reason why ‘Call for Code’ stands out is that the winning solutions will be part of a community called “Open Source,” which effectively opens up the possibilities for other software engineers to improve upon or use life-saving applications themselves.

How to participate in Call for Code

Submissions close on Friday, September 28, 2018. Developers can register today on the official website, and projects can be submitted by individuals or teams of up to five people.

Additional details, a full schedule of in-person and virtual events, and training and enablement for Call for Code are available here.

Don’t wait! Join the conversation online by using @CallForCode or #CallforCode.  

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