So much of our day-to-day lives rely on audio. From entertainment to healthcare, to communication, and increasingly so in remote working environments, we turn to sound technology to connect us. But imagine trying to conduct a Zoom call, access TeleHealth services, or tap into a Clubhouse conversation without the ability to hear.
The World Health Organization predicts that by 2050, nearly 2.5 billion people will have some degree of hearing loss. The rapidly growing hard-of-hearing community encounters accessibility issues today – issues that Tech can address.
About Girls in Tech
Girls in Tech empowers women to tackle global issues using tech skills. We’re passionate about building equal and inclusive experiences that bring people together. We invite you to join us in developing much-needed tech solutions for the hard-of-hearing community. Whether you’re a web developer, a designer, a product developer, an engineer, a strategist, or anyone with ideas – we need your input.
PRODUCT CHALLENGE IDEAS
Here are some ideas for solutions you could help develop:
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Communication: Technology that transcribes or adds subtitles to virtual collaboration tools like Zoom or phone calls.
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Healthcare: Solutions to enable hard-of-hearing people to access in-person or TeleHealth services without sign language translation.
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Wellbeing and fitness: Apps linking hearing aid devices to health technology like heart rate monitoring, step counting, workouts, or meditation practices.
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Emergency access: Ways to connect with emergency services in a nonverbal way.
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Culture and entertainment: Ways to make audio-based apps (Spotify, Clubhouse, Netflix) accessible to the hard-of-hearing.
HACKATHON SCHEDULE:
Team Formation + Build Period | Judging | |
---|---|---|
Sprint | February 7 - March 4 | March 7 - April 1 |
HOW TO PARTICIPATE:
Step | Topic | Main content |
---|---|---|
# 1 | Registration | In Devpost, click the “Register” button and create an account. |
# 2 | Join Slack Workspace | Join the Slack Workspace: Girls in Tech Hard of Hearing Hackathon and introduce yourself in the #general channel! |
# 3 | Recruit team members |
Head over to the participants’ page to indicate whether you’re working alone, looking for teammates, or already have a team. You can also post in the #find-teammates Slack channel if you’re still looking for more team members or are trying to join an existing project. |
# 4 | Create a team channel in Slack | Feel free to create your channel in Slack and invite all of your team members to it. |
# 5 | Review rules and challenges | Review the rules and guidelines on Devpost and challenge project ideas: Girls in Tech Hard of Hearing Hackathon |
# 6 | Prototype, build, and test! | Work on your challenge project and submit via Devpost. It is highly recommended to use Slack to reach out to your team members |
# 7 | Submit! | Submit your completed project by the Sprint deadline of March 4, 2022 |
PRIZES FOR ALL PARTICIPANTS:
To receive these prizes, you must submit your completed project to the Girls in Tech Hackathon Devpost by March 4, 2022.
Requirements
Build a functioning MVP ready for immediate use.
OR
Develop a prototype concept for an application that can later become a functioning product.
All of the following items must be included in your submission to the Girls in Tech Devpost page:
1. Submission form
Submit your project to the Girls in Tech Devpost before the deadline and complete the submission form questionnaire. Submissions (including video/code links) are editable until the deadline.
What to include:
- Introduction
- Purpose & Motivation
- How does the application work?
- How was the application developed?
- How to use the application
- Difficulties & Challenges faced during the design and/or development process.
- Go-to-Market (How will the application be available to the public, and is it scalable?)
2. Video
Upload a 3 min video including the following:
- Pitch Deck Presentation
- Demo of your product, including an explanation of the solution and function of your application.
- This video can be submitted as a Youtube link on your Devpost page for your project. Make sure the video is set to public.
- Note: Any video longer than 3 mins will be automatically disqualified
3. GitHub or other code repo link
Please ensure that this link is publicly shareable so judges can access your project
4. Provide images, screenshots, & wireframes of your project
***Important: By submitting your project to the Girls in Tech Hackathon Devpost, you acknowledge that these materials may be used to promote this hackathon globally.
Prizes
$6,000 in prizes
1st Place
- $3,000 Cash Prize
2nd Place
- $2,000 Cash Prize
3rd Place
- $1,000 Cash Prize
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges

Stacie Lewis
Senior Director, IT Change, Experience & Strategy at HPE

Tejaswini Muniyappa
Integrations Operations Lead at HPE

Swati Oza
IT Director at HPE
Ben Dressel
HPE

Bharathi Selvakrishnakumar
HPE
Judging Criteria
-
Originality
Is the idea original and innovative? -
User Experience
Is the design user-centric, easy to navigate, and intuitive? -
Business
Can the application be transformed into an MVP ( Minimum Viable Product), be profitable, and scalable? -
Usefulness
Is the application addressing real issues the users are facing? Does the application provide user research or validation?
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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