Valdosta State University’s Department of Computer Science has teamed up with Azalea Health to host Hackathon 2017 on Saturday, Feb. 25, at the STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Mathematics) Center for Applied Creativity and Innovation.
 
Hackathon is open to all currently enrolled high school, college, and university students interested in computer science, engineering, or computer design. During the all-day competition, teams of two to five students will collaboratively develop innovative software applications.
 
Teams may be created at Hackathon or arranged beforehand. Competitors retain full ownership of what they create during the event.
 
A panel of judges will select the top three teams based on the innovation/creativity, quality, user-friendliness, accuracy, and overall presentation of the final creations. The first place team will receive $1,000. The second place team will receive $500. The third place team will receive $250. To be eligible for prizes, all code, design, art, music, SFX, and assets must be created onsite during the competition. Third party services, APIs, open source projects, libraries, and frameworks are encouraged.
 
The deadline to register to compete at Hackathon is 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 22. There are no entry fees. Competitors must show proof of current enrollment as an active student at a verified school or institution of higher education.
 
WiFi, food, drinks, swag, and the opportunity to commune with like-minded Geeks will be provided. Students need to bring their personal laptops and/or desktops and a passion for developing something truly innovative to the event. They may also bring their cellphones and anything else they might need throughout the day.
 
Check-in will begin at 8 a.m. After receiving their problem that needs solving, teams will work on their software applications from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and present their creations at 4:45 p.m. The presentation of awards will begin at 6 p.m. Lunch will be served at noon.