Worldwide Competition Seeks Solutions to Address Tech Issues Facing Humanity

Supplyframe and Hackaday launch their third Hackaday Prize today, which challenges the international community of designers, engineers and makers to expand the frontiers of knowledge and engineering and "build something that matters."

"The 2016 Hackaday prize poses some serious challenges for the Hackaday community. Based on the enormous success of projects submitted in 2014 and 2015, we know that this community can face these challenges and solve them creatively."
-Sophi Kravitz, Director Product Marketing
This year the competition has evolved into a series of five design challenges that seek solutions to address technology issues facing humanity. The first challenge, which takes place March 14-April 25, focuses on concept designs for impactful projects. Entrants could choose to create a better radiation monitoring system, better calorimeter, open source instrumentation, digital logging scales or exercise trackers, to name a few ideas.
The Hackaday Prize competition continues through October with the following four themes: Anything Goes, Citizen Scientist, Automation and Assistive Technologies. Teaming up is encouraged through Hackaday.coms global collaboration platform so that projects move forward at all hours of the day.
Last years Hackaday Prize asked for creative solutions to the global water crisis, pollution, climate change, food shortages and fossil fuel dependency, among others. The Grand Prize was awarded to a British team, who created Eyedriveomatic, a non-invasive method of adding eye-control to powered wheelchairs using inexpensive and easily adaptable hardware. Best Product winner Vinduino, which monitors soil moisture at different depths to determine when to irrigate and how much water is needed, has implications far beyond its winemaking roots. Click here to see all of the 2015 Hackaday Prize finalists.
Joining the team this year are well known engineers and hackers Anouk Wipprecht, AnnMarie Thomas, Dustyn Roberts, Christal Gordan, Luz Rivas, Nadya Peek, James Bruton, Katherine Scott alongside returning judges Akiba (Freaklabs, @Freaklabs), Pete Dokter (Sparkfun, @petedokter), Ben Krasnow (GoogleX & host of Applied Science on YouTube, @benkrasnow), Lenore Edman and Windell Oskay (Evil Mad Scientist Labs, @EMSL), and Micah Scott (Scanlime, @Scanlime)
This year 20 projects will be chosen from each of the 5 rounds and awarded $1,000 per project. At the end of all 5 rounds, 100 projects total will advance to the finals, when 5 will be chosen for prizes ranging from $5,000 to $150,000. The total Prize pool is $300,000. In addition, the Grand Prize winner/winning team will be awarded a residency in the new Supplyframe Design Lab to further develop the project.
Individuals or teams from the USA, UK, India, and many other countries are eligible to enter. Universities, colleges, hackerspaces, and startups are strongly encouraged to take part, as are young hackers. Applicants must be 13 year of age or over to qualify.
These challenges cant wait. Share your ideas to help everyone get started.
To learn more visit hackaday.io/prize or follow contest news on Twitter at @hackadayprize or #2016HaDPrize. You can also email prize(at)hackaday(dot)com.
For press inquiries, contact:
Sophi Kravitz
Director of Product Marketing, Hackaday Prize 2016
+1 (917) 806-6210
prize(at)hackaday(dot)com
@HackadayPrize
The latest version of the press kit can be downloaded here: http://www.hackaday.io/prize/press
About The Hackaday Prize
The Hackaday Prize challenges people to better their world by designing and prototyping innovative products. In keeping with the community values of Hackaday, The Hackaday Prize encourages the use of open­ source technologies and the cross­ pollination of ideas by the hardware community. With the richest and coolest prize pool in hardware hacking history and expert judges who are notable within the community, The Hackaday Prize inspires hardware hackers to bring their best to the table.
About Supplyframe
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