About the Hackathon

The 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon brings together around 50 civil society activists, developers and designers from Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

For three days the technical and subject-matter experts will work with mentors on digital solutions addressing the needs of communities, helping citizens to better hold their governments to account and/or leading to the improvement of public services in their home countries.

The Hackathon winner(s) will receive financial and expert support from the European Union to fully develop and launch their civic tech solutions.



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news and updates

Outcomes of the 2024 Hackathon & Nominees for 2024 EaP Civic Tech Award
05 Feb, 2024
Exciting Results of Our 2023 EaP Civic Tech Ideathon
03 Jan, 2024
Recording of the InfoSession for the 2024 Hackathon Applicants
03 Nov, 2023
Get Ready for the 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon: FAQs
03 Nov, 2023
Info Session for Our 2024 EaP Hackathon Applicants
26 Oct, 2023
Join Us at the 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon in Moldova!
20 Oct, 2023
6 Projects to Compete for the 2023 Civil Society Digitalisation Award
15 Jun, 2023
Hackathon Coordinator Answers Your Questions at the Information Webinar
18 Apr, 2023
Information Webinar for Our 2023 EU-EaP Hackathon Applicants
12 Apr, 2023
Prototypes and Teams: Answering Your Questions
10 Apr, 2023
Get Ready for the 2023 EU-EaP Civic Tech Acceleration Hackathon: Eligible Solutions
07 Apr, 2023
Registration for the 2023 EU-EaP Civic Tech Acceleration Hackathon is Open!
03 Apr, 2023
Seven Ideas Nominated for 2020 Digitalisation for Civil Society Award
06 Aug, 2020
16 Ideas Selected for 2020 Online Hackathon!
29 Jun, 2020
How the 2020 Online Hackathon Will Proceed & Why I Should Apply
19 Jun, 2020
Call for Applications from IT Professionals & Designers – 2020 Re-opened
08 Jun, 2020
EaP Civil Society Hackathon Goes Online!
04 Jun, 2020
2020 EaP Civil Society Hackathon Postponed
07 Mar, 2020
Ideas, Teams, and Countries: Answering Your Questions
07 Feb, 2020
Eligible Ideas of IT Solutions for the 2020 EaP Hackathon
04 Feb, 2020
2020 EaP Civil Society Hackathon: Registration is open!
31 Jan, 2020
Call for Applications: Become a Mentor at Our 2020 Regional Ideathon in March in Chisinau!
17 Jan, 2020
PROVIDNYK Map Won 2019 Digitalisation for Civil Society Award
30 Dec, 2019
#IT4 Society: Insights from the Winners of the 2019 Hackathon
20 Jun, 2019
#IT4Society: 20 Ideas Go to 2019 EaP Civil Society Hackathon in Tbilisi
31 May, 2019
Deadline for submitting ideas of IT solutions extended until May 6
27 Apr, 2019
7 Questions You Asked About 2019 Hackathon
23 Apr, 2019
What ideas of IT solutions are eligible for the Hackathon?
22 Apr, 2019
2019 EaP Civil Society Hackathon: Registration is open!
15 Apr, 2019
Second EaP Civil Society Hackathon takes place in Minsk
02 Jul, 2018
IT professional and designers are needed for selected ICT tools ideas! Deadline: 14 May 2018
10 May, 2018
2018 EaP Hackathon: 5 reasons to apply before the deadline (30 April 2018)!
27 Apr, 2018
FAQs #2: ICT projects under implementation, application forms and portfolio
26 Apr, 2018
Submit Your Idea of IT Solution until 30 April
20 Apr, 2018
FAQs #1: Participation cost, eligibility of ICT tools, and others
12 Apr, 2018
Ideas of ICT tools: What solutions are we looking for?
05 Apr, 2018
EU supports innovative civic ideas through digital solutions in the Eastern Partner countries
02 Apr, 2018
More news

Why Participate

1.
Smart Team Members & Mentors’ Support

Find new members for your team to work on your idea of a civic tech solution, or join a team working on a civic tech project to solve a problem you care about. Our mentors from civic tech, IT and consulting companies have a lot of experience and can help you improve your project!

2.
New Knowledge & Useful Network

With master classes from interdisciplinary experts, you will have the chance to learn something new and, hopefully, enjoy yourself in the process. What else? Participants from six countries. Free food and snacks. Travel and accommodation for people outside of Chisinau are on us!

3.
Get the Award

Based on the voting results, up to five top-scpring ideas of civic tech solutions will be nominated for the EaP Civic Tech Award and have the opportunity to get funding for the development and launch. Our previous Hackathon winners have already launched their solutions. In 2024 it could be you!

Mentors

IRYNA VELSKA
Key Expert at EaP Civil Society Facility & Hackathon Coordinator
Roman Gluck
Ideathon & Hackathon Mentor / Product Manager, Startup Consultant, Pitch Trainer
Volodymyr Ivanov
Ideathon Mentor / Director at BTDC, CTO at Activemedia IT, Co-Founder of Activelex
Anton Perkin
Hackathon Mentor / CEO at FusionWorks and Talents.Tech, Co-Founder of Dely, Viar.Live, iFood, Founder of #MDC and DeveloperMD Community
Jane Klepa
Ideathon Mentor / Director of Partnerships and Innovation at SET University
Iryna Leu
Ideathon & Hackathon Mentor / Editor, Online Course Producer, Co-founder of a Social Mobile Game
Sasha Pleshco
Hackathon Mentor / Product Design Lead at Pentalog, Founder of YaTakViju!
Laura Burtan
Ideathon & Hackathon Mentor / Researcher and Fundraiser at Funky Citizens
Mark Nightingale
Hackathon Mentor / Chief Product Officer at OCCRP

Agenda

day 1
Friday, 26 January 2024
11:30 – 12:00
Registration and welcome coffee
12:00 – 12:30
Introduction and opening remarks:

• Adam GRODZICKI, Deputy Head of Operations at the Delegation of the European Union to the Republic of Moldova
• Monica BUCURENCIU, Team Leader, the European Union’s Eastern Partnership Civil Society Facility project
• Iulian GROZA, Executive Director of the Institute for European Policies and Reforms

12:30 – 14:00
Ice-breaker & participants’ presentations
14:00 – 15:00
Speed dating: finalising the teams & teams first discussion
15:00 – 15:30
Coffee break
15:30 – 16:15
Iryna LEU. 5 Mistakes That Might Kill Your Product: A Social Game Case Study
16:15 – 18:00
Project work
18:30
Networking Buffet Dinner
More
09:30 – 10:15
Check-in, morning coffee & project work
10:15 – 11:15
Iryna VELSKA & Roman GLUCK. Your Final Pitches: Rules & Friendly Advice
11:15 – 11:45
Coffee break
11:45 – 12:30
Sasha PLESHCO. You Are Not Your Users
12:30 – 13:00
Projects status check-in & mentors’ speed dating
13:00 – 14:00
Lunch
14:00 – 15:15
Project work
15:15 – 16:00
Mark NIGHTINGALE. How to Cheat at Design
16:00 – 16:30
Coffee break
16:30 – 18:30
Project work
More
09:30 – 11:00
Check-in, morning coffee & project work
11:00 – 11:30
Coffee break
11:30 – 12:00
Time to Panic: organisers & mentors’ session on the project status
12:00 – 13:00
Project work
13:00 – 14:00
Lunch
14:00 – 15:00
Drafting presentations
15:00 – 17:30
Final presentations of the projects & participants’ vote
17:30 – 18:00
Participants’ vote & coffee break
18:00 – 18:30
Mentors’ vote & calculating the results
18:30 – 19:00
Closing ceremony

• Monica BUCURENCIU, Team Leader of the Eastern Partnership Civil Society Facility: announcing the 2024 EaP Civic Tech Award nominees
• Final talks

19:00
Networking Buffet Dinner
More

QUOTES

Denis Romanescu
Moldova
Here I found really interesting people – both participants and mentors, and learnt a lot of new things.
Polina Pliskovskaya
Belarus
During these two days of Ideathon, communicating with mentors and other participants, I managed to fully formulate my idea, which has all chances to become a great project.
Karina Litvinova
Ukraine
We had to create the MVP in 3 days, having nothing but an idea. We’ve developed our ToR by Day 2 and… started working non-stop! We had the job done 10 minutes before the final presentation :)
Nadzeya Tsaranok
Belarus
For me, it has really become a major breakthrough in the development of a new project – I had an idea, but lacked knowledge to develop an ICT tool
Andriy Gevyuk
Ukraine
With such strong mentors, we have rethought and reworked a lot in our HelpInvest project and can now make both technical and ideological changes in our project
Mikalai Kvantaliani
Belarus
Hackathon is a good chance to answer the question: to what extent the problem you’re dealing with is relevant to the community you’re going to impact with your activities
Oksana Boyarinova
Ukraine
You helped us to realize the main value of our project and focus on the main things!

Rules and Faq

How will the 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon proceed?

The Hackathon starts on 26 January at 12:00, and finishes on 28 January 2024 at 19:00. The Hackathon venue will be open to participants all three days. It will be very comfortable to work there: the oganisers will provide everyone with internet access, working spaces, lunches and coffee breaks. The organisers arrange and pay for the hotel accommodations for all participants based outside of Chisinau. Be sure to take your own laptop with all software installed. The hackathon sessions are mandatory for all participants, so please consider the agenda of the event when planning to work on your own project.

What is the EaP Civic Tech Ideathon?

The 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon is preceded by the EaP Civic Tech Ideathon, an intensive two-week online incubation session for civil society activists – authors of ideas for digital solutions (applicants), and Ideathon mentors. The Ideathon will be held online on 1-16 December 2023. Up to 25 shortlisted civil society activists who applied until 13 November will be invited to the Ideathon, to present their ideas to the Ideathon mentors and organisers, to improve and further develop their proposed projects. On the last day of the Ideathon, the mentors and the organisers will select up to 15 solutions for participation in the 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon in Chisinau, Moldova.

What is the final presentation?

On the final day of the Hackathon, the teams must present their civic tech solution prototypes to the Hackathon participants and mentors. This will happen on 28 January. They will need to demonstrate the maximum ready-to-go prototype of the proposed civic tech solution and a clear vision of how this digital product will work. The organisers will deliver a special session on the final pitches in advance. 

How are the winners selected?

All participants will be asked to evaluate each digital solution except their own, according to five criteria: the social value of the proposed civic tech solution, its feasibility, relevance to the needs of the target group, impact and sustainability. In addition, mentors and organisers will also evaluate all presented solutions. The organisers will provide a ranking based on overall scores. Authors of up to five prototypes (the Hackathon finalists) will be nominated for the EaP Civic Tech Award, a special facility to support the full-fledged development and launch of the winning solutions: the three highest-scoring civic tech solutions based on the public vote and two highest-scoring solutions based on the mentors’ and organisers' vote. The expected average amount of support for a winner is EUR 10,000; on an exceptional basis, up to EUR 12,000 may be awarded.

I have a question I could not get answered here.

If you have questions, write to us at [email protected]. We will reply within 24 hours!

1. Description and Overall Objective

The 2023 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon brings together around 50 civil society activists, IT developers and graphic designers from the Eastern Partnership countries to work on new digital solutions that would enable civil society to contribute to improved transparency and accountability in the EaP countries, as well as to address the concrete needs of communities, and/or lead to the improvement of public services. The Hackathon is organised by the EU-funded Eastern Partnership Civil Society Facility project.

The 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon will be held on 26-28 January 2024 in Chisinau, Moldova. It will be preceded by the EaP Civic Tech Ideathon held online on 1-16 December 2023, where the shortlisted applicants will work on their ideas of civic tech solutions and present them to the organisers and mentors. Up to 15 best ideas will be selected for participation in the 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon in Chisinau.

The Hackathon winner(s) will receive financial and expert support from the European Union to finalise and launch their civic tech solution(s).

2. Implementation

The 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon seeks to unleash the potential of digital technologies to contribute to improved transparency and accountability in the EaP countries, as well as to address the concrete needs of communities, and/or lead to the improvement of public services.

The 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon will be held in a hybrid format with the following stages:

  • The Online EaP Civic Tech Ideathon (December 1-16, 2023)
  • The EaP Civic Tech Hackathon (January 26-28, 2024)

The working language of the Hackathon and Ideathon is English.

The 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon starts with the EaP Civic Tech Ideathon, an intensive two-week online incubation session for civil society activists – authors of ideas for digital solutions (applicants), and Ideathon mentors. The Ideathon will be held online on 1-16 December 2023. Up to 25 shortlisted applicants – civil society activists who applied with an idea of a civic tech solution – will be invited to the Ideathon, to present their ideas to the Ideathon mentors and organisers, to improve and further develop them. On the last day of the Ideathon, the mentors and the organisers will select up to 25 ideas for the participation in 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon in Chisinau, Moldova.

Participants of the EaP Civic Tech Hackathon will work in hack teams consisting of three experts: the author of the respective digital solution idea (a civil society representative and a subject-matter expert) who will act as the team lead of his/her team and technical experts – one developer and one graphic designer, or two developers.

On the final day of the 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon, the teams will present their prototypes to the Hackathon organisers, mentors and other participants, who will evaluate the digital solutions. Up to 5 top-scoring prototypes (3 by the participants’ vote and 2 by the mentors' and organisers’ vote) – the Hackathon finalists – will be nominated for the EaP Civic Tech Award, a special facility to support the full-fledged development and launch of the best solution(s) proposed by the 2024 Hackathon participants.

3. Cost of Participation

The cost of participation in the 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon will be covered by the European Union, including travel and accommodation of the Hackathon participants based outside of Chisinau.

4. Eligibility of Participants

Participation in the 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon is open to citizens of Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, with a strong civil position and real experience of civic work, regardless of their experience in working for a CSO.

Applications from grassroots activists and young IT professionals from across the region are encouraged.

5. How to Apply

To apply for participation in the 2024 EaP Civic Tech Hackathon, the applicants need to fill in the online application form at the website and submit it before 23.00 (CET) on 13 November 2023, if applying with an idea of a civic tech solution, or before 23.00 (CET) on 18 December 2023, if the applicants are developers or graphic/web designers.

The application is open both to individuals and hack teams. Hack teams may consist of a maximum 3 persons, and include at least one subject-matter expert (the author of the civic tech solution) and one or more developers and/or graphic designers.

Applying with an idea of a civic tech solution, applicants need to provide the link to the existing prototype and describe the proposed solution in brief, indicating:

  • the specific problem(s) to be addressed and how the proposed IT solution will help solving it/them;
  • how the proposed IT solution addresses the needs of the targeted community(-ies), helps citizens to better hold their governments to account and/or leads to the improvement of public services in their home country and the EaP region;
  • the main users of the proposed solution and how they will benefit from its launch;
  • other IT products that tackle the same problem (if exist) and the differences with the proposed solution;
  • how the proposed IT solution will be maintained and updated in the future;
  • the team proposed for participating in the Hackathon, and team members’ expertise.

The organisers will seek to inform the applicants about the selection results no later than 24 November 2023.

6. More Information

For more details, please download and read Guidelines for Applicants. Questions to organisers may be sent by e-mail ([email protected]) no later than one working day before the application deadline.

Contacts: