New Futures Hackathon for Water Security

The I2N fuels the success of innovators and entrepreneurs to build great businesses by connecting them with community, coaching, customers, and capital.

University of Newcastle's Integrated Innovation Network (I2N)

Meet new people, be exposed to fresh ideas, learn new skills and build creative, original work.

New Futures Hackathon for Water Security will bring together multidisciplinary minds to explore the barriers around water use, pollution and disaster and generate solutions to build a sustainable world. Meet new people, be exposed to fresh ideas, learn new skills and build creative, original work.<h3>WHY WATER SECURITY?</h3>Water security is the capacity of a population to safeguard sustainable access to adequate quantities of acceptable quality water for sustaining livelihoods, human well-being, and socio-economic development, for ensuring protection against water-borne pollution and water-related disasters, and for preserving ecosystems in a climate of peace and political stability.Only 3 percent of the world’s water is drinkable and water scarcity affects more than 40 percent of people, an alarming figure that is projected to rise as temperatures do. More and more countries are experiencing water stress, and increasing drought and desertification is already worsening these trends. By 2050, it is projected that at least one in four people will suffer recurring water shortages.Australia is the world’s driest inhabited continent and it is especially important that we conserve our water systems. Looking locally, Newcastle and the Hunter Region are experiencing the lowest water levels in our dams in over two decades and are currently in Level 1 water restrictions. Our population is expected to grow by nearly 120,000 over the next 20 years. At this rate of growth, and with current water usage patterns, total demand is expected to surpass reliable supply by 2036.Each person has a role to play in protecting our water systems locally and throughout the world.<h3>PRIZES</h3>Best Tech Solution $3,000 cash and a 3-month residency at I2N Hub Honeysuckle with specialist mentorship, valued at up to $4,620Runner-Up Tech Solution $2,000 cashRising Star Award $500 cash<h3>ORDER OF PROCEEDINGS:</h3>FRIDAY 15 OCTOBER: 5:30pm - Registration: Check in and get comfortable in the Zoom space6:00pm - Water Security Panel: Learn from local domain experts as they talk about the challenges within the sector.6:45pm - Event Info: We’ll go over the event schedule, logistics, datasets and rules. Mentors and domain experts will be introduced.7:15pm - Dinner break8pm - Team pitches and formation: Registered without a team? First time to a hackathon? Never fear! This is the opportunity for people with ideas to pitch (2mins) to secure teammates that fill skill gaps.9pm - WTF is DevPost and Slack? Workshop11pm - Registration closes: Hackathon teams must register their team name and individual team members via DevPost. SATURDAY 16 OCTOBER:7am Virtual Venue reopens: Idea development and execution commences8am Breakfast break1pm Lunch break4pm Hack closes: All final projects must be submitted. Then it’s time to prepare your pitch.5pm Pitches: Teams have 5 minutes to pitch their solution to the judging panel.6pm Dinner: Time to relax after a long day of hacking.7pm Winners announced: Prizes for the top three teams are announced.8pm Event close: Get some well-deserved rest knowing you’ve expanded your network and skillset. <h3>JUDGING CRITERIA:</h3>Innovation: Full improvement to full breakthrough.Solution fit: Is there a real problem? Is your solution really going to solve it?Feasibility How likely is the project to work and be accepted by the market/community?Prototype: What progress has the team achieved during the hack and how functional is the project?Pitch: In the end, everything comes down to how well you can sell your ideas.<h3>EVENT PARTNERS</h3>The University is proud to be able to deliver this event alongside <a href="https://www.newcastle.nsw.gov.au/Home" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">City of Newcastle</a> and <a href="https://www.hunterwater.com.au/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Hunter Water</a>.This event is part of <a href="https://sparkfestival.co/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Spark Festival</a>, the tech and innovation festival for Australians. With online and offline events running in locations across Australia from October 13-28 2021, see the <a href="https://sparkfestival.co/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">full Spark Festival program here</a>.What is I2N?The University of Newcastle's <a href="https://www.newcastle.edu.au/research-and-innovation/innovation/integrated-innovation-network" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Integrated Innovation Network (I2N)</a>fuels the success of innovators and entrepreneurs to build great businesses by connecting them with community, coaching, customers and capital. We do this through a range of programs across our I2N Hubs at Honeysuckle, Williamtown and Musswellbrook.=================You may be photographed or videoed while attending this event: please approach the organiser if you have questions, concerns, or do not wish this to happen.The event organisers may add you to a mailing list so they can follow up, and you can receive updates about their activities: this mailing list will have an easy-to-find unsubscribe button.

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