Our very last hybrid hackathon in 2021 was JunctionX Budapest, which is memorable for all of us as our first-ever hybrid hackathon after the pandemic era.
Before Covid-19 appeared, hackathons were usually offline or fully online. However, the pandemic forced us to move all of our hacking marathons to the virtual space. We quickly learned all of its perks and downsides. Although it allows us and the competitors to build a diverse international network from the comfort of our own homes, it can seem quite repetitive after a while, and the personal side of hackathons just can’t be imitated with online workshops and virtual fun activities.
As soon as the circumstances allowed us to go offline again, we did. However, we did not want to lose the advantages of online hackathons especially because of all the participants who can not yet travel abroad.
So in the first half of 2022, we organized two hybrid hackathons that were pretty successful, thus we plan on going forward with the hybrid formats as a large amount of the projects submitted comes from online teams.
Hack& Heal | March
Our health / healthcare related hackathon debuted in an online format in 2021. This year with more than 360 applicants from 48 different countries, 90 participants worked at the Budapest venue and the rest joined online. As a result, the number of projects doubled compared to last year’s event, and 52 projects were submitted. Many of which focused on helping Ukraine. Offering psychosocial support for Ukrainian children, reducing the burden of traveling, or improving the mental health of refugees.
3 winner teams took home 4,500 Euros and the grand winner won an industrial-quality 3D printer as well.
CraftHack | May
CraftHack was created as a companion event of Craft Conference for the younger generation who are ready to innovate. In 48 hours, 36 amazing projects were born again by 281 registered participants at this year’s CraftHack hybrid hackathon. Our partners provided fascinating and the winner teams brought home a total of € 9,000!
Gamerland was partly responsible for the unique and fun atmosphere of the hackathon. Thanks to them participants were provided with a modern gaming arena in Budapest with the most powerful computers, consoles, simulators, VR, and exclusive private rooms with many entertainment options.
Fall Hackathons 2022
We can not yet reveal all of our plans for the fall season, but make sure to follow us on all social media platforms because JunctionX Budapest is definitely coming back strong in October, and two other exciting surprise hackathons are also in the making! 🤫 Stay tuned!