The Event-Save the Date! (October 6-8, 2023)

Welcome to HarborHack!

If you have made it this far, you are interested in either technology, startups & entrepanuership, meeting people, learning something new or competing for a prize. Good news, CharlestonHack harborHack brings together people from all walks of life, from novices taking their first steps into the world of technology to seasoned experts pushing the boundaries of what's possible.

At HarborHack, we believe that every participant, regardless of their skill level, has a meaningful role to play in shaping the future. Whether you're a coding prodigy or someone who's simply passionate about problem-solving, you'll find a place here to contribute, learn, and collaborate. Join us on this exciting journey, where your ideas and creativity can make a real impact. It's not about where you start; it's about where you can go together.

harborHack is a community-run hackathon in Charleston, South Carolina, and co-hosted by the College of Charleston at the Harborwalk East and West buildings located at the beautiful Charleston harbor. A weekend long in-person hackathon open to the entire community and focused on fostering innovation and collaboration between students and professionals, developers and entrepreneurs, and across the entire Charleston academic, tech and startup scenes.

The event brings together individuals from diverse backgrounds and skill sets, creating an inspiring environment to collaborate and develop innovative tech solutions to a specific problem. Our mission is to educate, empower, and enable individuals to join or grow their careers in the local tech industry and connect with likeminded builders.

Nervous about where to start or what you'll build or how? We will have facilitators around who can help you with a variety of challenges and connect you with other people at the hack who can help you move forward. This is a learning and growth experience as much as anything else, and we'll do whatever we can to make sure every team can accomplish something amazing!

Charleston harborHack will be held the first weekend in October 2023:

Friday, October 6th, 6pm-10pm - Our featured speaker Patrick Bryant, Orientation & Team Formation (Harbor Walk West)
Saturday October 7th, 9am-10pm - Hack Day (Harbor Walk East)
Sunday, October 8th, 12-5pm - Submission, Judging and Awards (Harborwalk West)

We can't wait to meet you and witness your incredible journey!

Requirements

What to Build

Impact > Input - the theme of our hack, a beginning, the "ripple effect" of action setting in motion other actions as the impact becomes greater than the input. How will your tech project continue to amplify its mission after the hackathon is over?

Your idea - What matters to you? Is it sustainability, education, health, equality? Some ideas might include: a Digital Mentor Platform, Community Energy Exchange, Food Waste Reduction App, Emergency Response Network or a Learning Enrichment App.

But the best ideas will come from you!

All harborHack projects will be judged on their completeness and on future viability of the project's impact on our region and beyond.

Ideas can include but are not limited to the following:

Healthcare: Disease diagnosis, medical image analysis, drug discovery, personalized medicine, patient monitoring, and improving healthcare delivery systems.

Education: Personalized learning, intelligent tutoring systems, automated grading, educational content generation, and adaptive learning platforms.

Environmental Conservation: Climate modeling, natural disaster prediction and response, environmental monitoring, wildlife conservation, and sustainable resource management.

Financial Services: Fraud detection, risk assessment, algorithmic trading, personalized financial advice, credit scoring, and customer service automation.

Smart Cities: Optimizing energy consumption, traffic management, flood modelling and simulation, urban planning, public safety, and infrastructure maintenance.

Social Impact: Address societal challenges such as poverty alleviation, access to healthcare and education, disaster response, human rights, and social equality.

Participant Proposal and Team Formation:

At the start of the in-person event, individuals who wish to participate will have the opportunity to create teams of up to 5 members. These teams typically comprise individuals with various skill sets and levels, including developers, creatives specializing in UX/UI, project managers, and business or pitch experts. Team formation may involve participants proposing project ideas or joining existing teams. Participants can choose to start hacking immediately or on the following day.

It's important to note that team formation can also begin before the hackathon, either in person or by utilizing the tools provided within Devpost. Rest assured, we will facilitate the team-building process for all participants on the opening night to ensure everyone has the opportunity to build something with the best people ever!

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$1,400 in prizes

First Place

Prize number and amounts are subject to change.

Second Place and Raspberry Pi kits

Honorable mention

Prizes, and number of prizes are subject to change.

Judges

Lancie Affonso
Honors College Faculty Fellow, College of Charleston

Will Horn
Founder, g/d/n/a

Jeremy Berman
Founder & President, GoodUnited

Bradley Dalton-Oats
Product Consultant, CharlestonHacks

Troy Knauss
Faculty Member, Entrepreneurship, College of Charleston School of Business

Aya Hojadova
Commercial Investment Consultant, Coldwell Banker Commercial Realty

Judging Criteria

Innovation
How unique and original is the idea or solution presented?
Technical Difficulty
The complexity of the technical implementation or the challenge addressed.
Execution
How well was the idea executed and implemented within the given time frame?
Presentation
How well the team communicates their idea, demonstrating its value and potential impact.
Design
Visual appeal and strength of user experience
Market Potential
The commercial viability and potential market demand for the solution.
Ethical Considerations
Whether the solution considers ethical implications and adheres to principles such as privacy, security, fairness, and inclusivity.