Interested in solving problems for social impact? Looking to learn hands-on skills, gain mentors, make friends, and improve your technical and career skills in an innovative setting? Get excited, I/O LABS presents I/O Hack to Empower, a virtual hackathon for female and non-binary high school students!

Running from March 25th to March 27th, I/O Hack to Empower consists of building skills, engaging with inspiring female role models, and most importantly your creative minds. During the 56-hour time window, teams of two to five members will collaborate to design an innovative project to be assessed by a judging panel for a chance to win $950 in prizes ($500 in cash prizes + $450 in merch prizes) + more surprises to come (hint: Yeti)! With access to free workshops, guest speakers, and mentoring, we’ve got it all!

Female students from any high school in grades 9-12 are welcome, even if you have never written a single line of code!

* I/O Hack to Empower is open to any high school student in Canada or the United States that identifies as female or non-binary. Prize winners' high school eligibility and residency will be verified. US and Canadian residents are both eligible for cash prizes. At this time, merchandise prizes are available to Canadian residents only.

Please register for the hackathon at our Eventbrite: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/io-hack-to-empower-tickets-166544016637 This is required for communication and to be added to the Discord.

FAQs

What is a hackathon?

A hackathon is a problem solving, entrepreneurial, and coding event, where students collaborate in teams to build and code original projects. To succeed, teams demonstrate how they would solve a challenge with software.

What do I need?

All you need is a computer and an internet connection. We'll set you up from there!

What is the cost?

Thanks to our generous sponsorship from Rising Youth, TakingITGlobal, Canada Service Corps and the Calgary Youth Foundation, I/O Hack to Empower is completely free.

Who can attend?

Hack to Empower is open to all students in grades nine through twelve, regardless of programming experience.

What if I can't code?

Whether you're an experienced hacker or you've never written a line of code before, you are welcome. Attending hackathons is a fantastic way for beginners to learn how to code. We will kick off the hackathon with an introductory workshop to get you started. There are also opportunities for those with interdisciplinary interests to enhance their skills as they work on their concept and presentation, which are equally important to their team's success.

Which technology is used for the hackathon?

Teams are free to chose any language or development platform for their project. Discord and Zoom will be used for communications.

How do I form a team?

Teams of up to five students can register together. If you don't have a team before the event, don't worry. When you register, you will have the option to register as an individual or as a team member. If you sign up individually, we will place you on a team.

If you register as a team member, you will have the option of creating or joining a team. If you create a team, you will be able to add others later. Make sure you give the team name and password to your team members, to allow them to join your team.

PLEASE NOTE: We will keep small pre-formed teams in tact if possible, but depending on the number of registrations, we may add members in order to accommodate all registrants.

How do I become a mentor?

Contact us at our email below if you are interested in becoming a mentor.

iolabsyouth@gmail.com

• Functionality and Complexity
  Does the prototype work? How many issues need to be addressed? Is there a plan for addressing issues or adding features? Is the prototype addressing a challenge in a complex manner?
• Design
  Is the submitted prototype polished, pleasing, and user-friendly to its users? This is your chance to utilize your design skills and create an aesthetically-pleasing and user-mindful interface for your project!
• Originality and Creativity
  Does this project address and solve a real issue in the world in an interesting and unique way? This is your chance to exercise your creative thinking and come up with an original solution that assists women and other minorities in their day-to-day lives.
• Value
  How beneficial is this idea to its target users? Does it achieve its goal?
• Practicality
  Is this idea beneficial to a large amount of users? Is it economically and socially realistic?
• Pitch
  Has effort been put into submitting a polished pitch of your project? We want your entrepreneurial skills to come through in this category!