Hackagong, a Wollongong based Hackathon ran over the weekend where teams of developers, designers and entrepreneurs get together and hack out a solution to a problem they’ve identified. In an intense weekend of designing, programming, testing and prototyping, 150 participants in 34 teams had just under 30 hours to present their creation to judges to be in the running for over $32,000 worth of prizes.
At the conclusion of the Hackathon, notable judges determined the Top 10 teams and the winners of each of the prize categories. The prize categories included: Most Innovative 3D Printed Object, Most Futuristic Business Idea, Most Creative 3D Printed Object, 3D Build Potential, Best Promotional Material Using Canva, Best Overall Design, Best Overall Game, Most Awesome #Hackagong Photo Competition. Information about the prizes and the winners of each category can be found on the Hackagong website.
The Top 10 teams of Hackagong were invited to pitch their product at the Illawarra Digital Conference 2013 (or Demo Day) where they would be in the running for the Major Prize which included $5000 cash, StartPad desks, professional pitch training + mentoring + 12 months of business consulting and legal advice. The major prize winner was Peereo, an education and networking platform. Peereo will allow the uploading of video content used for teaching. Students will be able to access the content at home and keep up to date should they be unwell or otherwise unavailable to attend school. Encompassing the power of the National Broadband Network, Peereo allows content to be shared among students, parents, teachers and schools.
Nathan Waters, the Founder of Hackagong has mentioned in an email to TechGeek, that Hackagong will stay as a yearly event. However, he mentioned that a yet to be announced, student run group, HACKAGONGx will be running mini-hackathons at the University of Wollongong.