SFU Hack the Future
What is Hack the Future?
Hack the Future is an online hackathon for Grade 8-12 girls, young women, and non-binary youth. Our aim is to foster a safe and inclusive learning environment centered on creativity, collaboration, and knowledge sharing. We welcome participants of all levels of expertise, whether you are new to coding or have some coding experience! For those who are new to coding, we will offer several pre-hackathon workshops to help you develop your skills in various digital tools and programming languages. The registration for the hackathon and pre-hackathon workshops is free.
Join us to learn new skills, unleash your creativity, and win exciting prizes while making lasting connections with mentors and your peers!
Why Hack the Future?
A hackathon is an event where participants come together to work diligently on a project within a set timeframe. Hackathons have become increasingly common, spanning various fields such as life sciences, healthcare, and business. Moreover, participating in hackathons presents many benefits, including learning new skills, working on cool projects, meeting new people, and connecting with mentors—all of which can strengthen university applications and job prospects.
However, we recognize that taking part in a hackathon, particularly if it’s your first time, may seem daunting. That's where Hack the Future comes in as an excellent starting point! Our hackathon focuses on fun, learning, teamwork, and creativity. We are dedicated to providing participants with the support they need to bring their ideas to life within the scope of this hackathon.
Hack the Future 2024
Date: March 9, 2024 (Saturday)
Time: 9:00 am-4:30 pm PST
Audience: Grade 8-12 girls, young women, and non-binary youth who are currently attending school in Canada
Cost: Free
Location: Online over Zoom
Team size: 1-5 persons*
*You can join the hackathon as an individual or a team of five. If you plan to join as a team, please choose a team captain before signing up. The team captain will be responsible for acting as the team's main contact.
Tentative Schedule
Please see a preliminary schedule of the hackathon below. Please note that this is subject to change. All times are in PST.
Frequently Asked Questions
It is recommended that you check out the FAQs before signing up!
-
Nov 25, 2023 (Saturday). Check out the registration link below!
-
The deadline to sign up for this online hackathon is Mar 4 (Mon) at 11:59 pm. The Zoom link will be sent out by Mar 5, 2024 (Tuesday) at 5 pm.
-
The Zoom link will be sent out by Mar 5, 2024 (Tuesday) at 5 pm.
-
We offer several pre-hackathon workshops to help you get started. Participating in this hackathon is also a great way to learn new skills.
-
Ssshhh, it’s a secret for now. The hackathon theme will be announced at the start of the hackathon.
-
All participants will receive a certificate of participation. And yes, there will be prizes. The prize categories will be announced at the start of the hackathon.
-
Hackathon winners will be announced on Mar 11, 2024 (Monday).
Sign up for Hack the Future 2024 now!
Info Session & Pre-hackathon Workshops
We will offer an info session in January 2024 and various pre-hackathon workshops to help you get started. Don’t forget to check them out below!
INfo session
Jan 20, 2024 (Sat) | 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Have questions about the Hack the Future hackathon? Join this info session to meet the organizers and get more details!
Pre-hackathon Workshop: Ideation
Jan 20, 2024 (Sat) | 11:00 am - 12:00 Pm
Coming out with project ideas could be challenging for some, especially if this is your first hackathon experience. Join this pre-hackathon workshop to get your creative juices flowing and brainstorm cool project ideas!
Pre-hackathon Workshop: Python Basics
Jan 27, 2024 (Sat) | 10:00 am - 12:00 Pm
The Python basics workshop introduces the basics of the Python programming language and best practices in programming. This workshop will cover Python syntax, variables, conditionals, and loops. It is beginner friendly and will use Google Colaboratory. Don’t forget to review the workshop overview and requirements before registering! Please note that this workshop is the same as the Hour++ of Code Python Basics workshop; it is cross-promoted as a pre-hackathon workshop to Hack the Future participants.
Pre-hackathon Workshop: Turtle Graphics in Python
Feb 3, 2024 (Sat) | 10:00 am - 12:00 Pm
The Turtle Graphics in Python workshop will introduce students to coding concepts through creating pictures and shapes on a virtual canvas using the Python turtle library. It is a fun and interactive way to learn programming for beginners. This workshop will use Google Colaboratory. Don’t forget to review the workshop overview and requirements before registering! Please note that this workshop is the same as the Hour++ of Code Turtle Graphics in Python workshop; it is cross-promoted as a pre-hackathon workshop to Hack the Future participants.
Pre-hackathon Workshop: Mobile App Dev
Feb 10, 2024 (Sat) | 10:00 am - 12:00 Pm
The Mobile App Dev workshop is open to students who are interested in how to plan, prototype, and code a mobile app. This workshop is beginner-friendly and will use Thunkable, which is a drag-and-drop app builder. Don’t forget to review the workshop overview and requirements before registering! Please note that this workshop is the same as the Hour++ of Code Mobile App Dev workshop; it is cross-promoted as a pre-hackathon workshop to Hack the Future participants.
Pre-hackathon Workshop: Intro to HTML/CSS
Feb 24, 2024 (Sat) | 10:00 am - 12:00 Pm
The Intro to HTML & CSS workshop is open to students who are interested in learning the basics of HTML and CSS and how to use them for making web pages. This workshop is beginner-friendly and will use CodePen. Don’t forget to review the workshop overview and requirements before registering! Please note that this workshop is the same as the Hour++ of Code HTML/CSS workshop; it is cross-promoted as a pre-hackathon workshop to Hack the Future participants.
Pre-hackathon Workshop: Machine Learning for Kids
mar 2, 2024 (Sat) | 10:00 am - 11:00 am
Machine Learning for Kids is a free, web-based tool that offers hands-on experiences for training machine learning models and creating projects. For hackathon participants who are interested in exploring AI concepts and skills, this pre-hackathon workshop could be for you!
Pre-hackathon Workshop: How to Present Your Project
mar 2, 2024 (Sat) | 11:00 am - 12:00 Pm
At the end of the hackathon, participants will present their project to a panel of judges and their peers. Join this pre-hackathon workshop and learn how to craft an engaging presentation to effectively communicate your project with a general audience!
Virtual Community Guidelines
Use the button below to access our virtual community guidelines. Thank you in advance for your commitment to keeping our programs engaging, safe and of course, fun!
Learning Materials & Resources
Click on the buttons below to check out learning materials and resources on various topics!
Contact
For more information, please contact saadmin5@sfu.ca.