Afrotech AI Hackathon: Empowering Innovators to Shape the Future of Technology

The Afrotech AI Hackathon is a top event that brings together developers, techies, and innovators to use the potential of AI to solve important problems around the world. AfroTech is hosting this hackathon, which gives participants a chance to show off their abilities, work with people who think like them, and help come up with ideas that will help communities all across the world.

What Is the Afrotech AI Hackathon?

The Afrotech AI Hackathon is a virtual competition that asks people to use large language model (LLM) APIs from platforms like Google Gemini or OpenAI to create or improve software applications. The applications’ main areas of concentration are:

Health and Medical: Innovations that improve healthcare delivery, patient outcomes, and medical research.

Sustainability: Solutions that help protect the environment and encourage long-term practices.

Cybersecurity and Risk: Tools that make digital security better and lower risks in several fields.

Skills-based Workforce Development: Initiatives that empower individuals with the skills needed for the developing employment market

Participants must construct apps that use these AI technologies to come up with useful solutions in these areas.

Prices and Recognition

The Afrotech AI Hackathon offers major awards to the top-performing participants:

First Place:

$7,500 in cash as a prize
Up to $5,000 USD team travel reimbursement to attend the AfroTech Conference
Complimentary AfroTech Conference All-Access Ticket
Editorial feature on AfroTech.com
AfroTech Insider Membership

2nd Place:

$5,000 USD cash award
Complimentary Executive Ticket to AfroTech Conference
Editorial feature on AfroTech.com
AfroTech Insider Membership

3rd Place:

$2,500 USD cash prize
Complimentary General Admission Ticket to AfroTech Conference
AfroTech Insider Membership

These prizes not only give financial incentives but also provide winners with opportunities for professional growth and exposure in the digital industry

Key Dates

Registration Opens: August 12, 2024
Submission Period: August 19 – September 30, 2024
Judging Period: October 2 – October 9, 2024
Winners Announced: October 14, 2024
AfroTech Conference: November 13–16, 2024

These guidelines provide a disciplined and timely process from registration to the announcement of winners.

Eligibility Criteria

The Afrotech AI Hackathon is open to:

Individuals:

At least 21 years of age
Mid-career professionals or beyond
Residents of the United States, Canada, Mexico, United Kingdom, Ghana, Nigeria, or Kenya

Teams:

Comprising eligible individuals
Each team must choose a representative to submit entries on their behalf

This inclusive eligibility supports a diverse variety of participants bringing unique viewpoints to the hackathon.

Submission Requirements

Participants are needed to submit:

Project Description: A full overview of the application’s features and functionalities.
Demonstration Video: A 3-minute video displaying the application in action.
Public Code Repository: A link to the codebase, hosted on platforms like GitHub.
Public Application URL: A live link to the deployed application.

These parameters ensure that submissions are detailed and allow judges to analyze the practicality and impact of the solutions

Notable Winners

Increase Divine-Wisdom (Nigeria): Developed a health management app for those with chronic diseases, receiving the 1st place.
Tom Nyuma (Nigeria): Created ‘Sickle Sense’, an app to assist patients with sickle cell disease, gaining 2nd place.
Third Place: Details of the third-place winner were not mentioned in the available sources.

These projects highlight the hackathon’s focus on addressing real-world challenges through innovative AI solutions.