Building the Future Hackathon

How much does it cost? 

Building The Future Hackathon is free for anyone who wants to participate. 

Who can participate in the challenge? 

The Hackathon is open to anyone with a creative or technical profile. People from different fields and with experience in data related fields are more than welcome to participate. Diverse teams usually present more robust solutions. 

I don't know how to use Microsoft Azure, can I develop my project on a different platform? 

No, Microsoft Azure is the only platform in which you can work to be able to claim the prizes. We will offer 500$ in Azure Credits for each of the 10 final teams, in order to be able to build their solutions. You also have access to free learning paths on Microsoft Learn to learn how to work with Microsoft Azure. 

Can I participate alone? 

No, you need to have a team to participate. However, if you don’t have a team, TAIKAI can help you create or join a team after your registration using its Matchmaking feature. You can know more about this by taking a look at the Matchmaking guide available in the "Resources" section. 

How do I form a team? 

All your team members should register individually as innovators in the Hackathon page before the 18th February. Afterwards, you can add your team members as project members using their username or registered email. If you don't have a team and would like to be part of a project you can use the Matchmaking feature to find a team. Find out more in the "Resources" section. 

What is the size of each team? 

Your team should have a minimum size of 3 participants and maximum size of 5 participants to be eligible to participate. In case, you want an exception on this rule, please reach out to us via: [email protected] explaining the situation. 

How do I chat with my team members? 

Through Microsoft Teams! You'll find a link to Microsoft Teams in the Hackathon page. We will provide you with an email and password to access a dedicated account to this Hackathon. It will also be on Microsoft Teams where you will have access to your mentors, and a dedicated channel called #AskAnything where you can ask anything you want. 

Is there any mentorship available? 

Yes. There will be mentors available to provide feedback during the ideation phase (from the 19th of February to the 4th of March) and the Development phase (15th of March to the 21st of March). Once the registration phase finishes, we will provide further information on how to get in touch with the mentors. 

How do I talk to my mentors? 

Through Microsoft Teams! You'll find a link to Microsoft Teams in the Hackathon page. We will provide you with an email and password to access a dedicated account to this Hackathon. It will be on Microsoft Teams where you will have access to your mentors, and a dedicated channel called #AskAnything where you can ask anything you want. 

Are the other participants apart from my team able to see my project details? 

Not during the competition. The published projects and draft projects are only visible to project members and judges, thus no one is able to copy or clone your project resources to use on their submission. After the competition is finished and the results are revealed, the project details become visible to anyone who visits the platform. 

Can a team apply with an idea which has already been developed? 

Teams can have a technology developed, but the project cannot have been invested, nor participated in an acceleration program nor received a financial award to the date of the event. 

How can I submit a project? 

After your registration, you'll find a button to “Create a project”. Add a name, a description and who will join you on your team. It will also be on your project page where you will showcase some of the deliverables required throughout the Hackathon. Don't forget to click on "Publish" to have your project visible to the jury and organization. You can do as many changes as you need until the submission deadline. 

What are the deliverables for this challenge? 

Ideation phase: complete your TAIKAI Project Page and Description creating the following sections: 

1. The problem you are aiming to solve. The more detailed and backed by real numbers the better!  
2. The value proposition. What is the solution your bring and how is it innovative relating to what exists right now. What specific areas are you improving or changing? Overall, how does your project adds value to the world! 
3. How would it work. In practical terms, how would your solution and approach work?  
4. The technology (technical approach). What are the technologies you are using and how do they work in order to create the solution?  
5. The team. Let us know who are the innovators behind the project. Tell us a bit about yourselves, your backgrounds and skills. 

Remember to describe and detail your ideias and project description. This will make it easier for the judges to evaluate it. Use an illustrative and clear approach to showcase your solution and highlight its contribution and added value to the defined challenge and add any other relevant documentation your project may require.

Development phase:

• Update your TAIKAI Project Description and add an additional section:  

 6. Conclusions and Results 

• Develop a short video - You can explain your idea in your own words or showcase your prototype/ MVP, explain the team’s thinking process that led to your solution, and have each team member speak on their own contribution. Make it interesting and creative - this is an opportunity to pass your team spirit and the potential of your solution to the judges. Don't worry, we won't be judging you on your video editing skills, we will care about the content and what is presented (Max. 5m video); 
• Upload any other relevant documentation. 
• If there is any code or documentation, please submit it to GitHub and share with us the project link. 

Is English the official language? 

All the communication of the Hackathon is done in English and the challenge is indeed a global initiative so it is strongly recommended to use English in your project. However, we won't let language barriers stop you in developing a great solution. We will grant exceptions to present your project and pitch it to the jury in Portuguese. However, all exceptions will need to be approved by the organization. Email us at: [email protected] and we will analyze your situation. 

How are winners selected? 

The winners are selected by a group of judges selected by the organization. They will evaluate the project submissions based on the criteria defined and on a project pitch session on the 24th of March. Each judge will have a limited amount of KAI tokens to invest and back the eligible projects. The final result is going to be produced based on the amount of KAIs received by each project. Get to know the Evaluation criteria in the "Prizes" section. 

Who owns the project's intellectual property? 

The team which develops the project is the owner of the project and its IP. We do encourage sharing of code with others in the community or making code open source but it is not required to participate or be eligible for the prizes. 

Are there any prizes in Building The Future Hackathon? 

Yes. The top 3 teams will win a money prize: 3,000€ to the winning team, 1,000€ to 2nd place and 1,000€ to the 3rd place. Additionally, we have prizes for every team member of the final 10 teams selected. They include SWAGs, Certification Exam Vouchers and Exclusive Azure Hero Badges. Get to know more about the prizes in the "Prizes" Section. 

How will the prize be paid? 

Winners will be informed by the Organization about their Prize via email, at the latest, 15 days after the challenge, to their accounts communicated upon Registration on the taikai.network

When will the winners be announced? 

Building The Future Hackathon winners will be announced on the 25th of March 2021. 

Still have questions? 

If you have any technical questions about the TAIKAI platform, please reach out to: [email protected] 

If you have any questions about the challenge or its rules or want to get in touch with the organization, please reach out to: [email protected] or use the #AskAnything channel on Microsoft Teams.