High School, College, Professional Teams Compete in IT-Focused Event

HONOLULU - Nine technology-focused teams comprised of high school students, college students, and young professionals took home $18,000 in awards during the ninth Hawai’i Annual Code Challenge (HACC) on Nov. 16 at the University of Hawai’i West O?ahu.

The HACC is an annual event that solicits challenges from state departments and community groups and asks student, amateur and professional coders to develop technology applications to help solve specific problems. This year’s challenges ranged from improving the state’s open data portal, to better energy efficiency, to creating a game to help identify bird species in Hawai’i.

About 120 people including friends, family and supporters watched as 17 finalist teams presented their solutions to six different challenges before a panel of judges. Prizes were $3,000 for first place, $2,000 for second place, and $1,000 for third place in three categories (high/middle school, college and professional).

“I am so proud of the teams’ ability to solve these challenges, under the hackathon time constraint, in innovative ways,” said Hawai’i Chief Information Officer Christine M. Sakuda. “They had fun while using their technology, problem solving, and public presentation skills to create the best possible solutions.”

UH President David Lassner told the competitors that the HACC is an opportunity to develop and share both their technical and soft skills.

“As the former VP for Information Technology and now President, I have spent a lot of time trying to help Hawai’i develop a stronger tech sector to diversify our economy,” Lassner said. “The HACC is a way we bring together those who want to develop technology solutions with public service providers who have challenges to address. This event shows off both your development skills as well as everything else you need to thrive in any workplace including communication, collaboration, initiative, and grit.”

The HACC was created to encourage engagement between Hawai’i residents and the local technology community to modernize state functions and services for a more effective, efficient, and open government. Another objective of the hackathon is to strengthen the pipeline of the IT workforce and expand the tech industry in our state.

The HACC would not be possible without the financial and in-kind support of local and national technology businesses and educational and non-profit partners.

“Microsoft is incredibly proud to support the Hawaii Annual Code Challenge,” said Azure Director of State & Local Government West Rick Joyer. “This event is a fantastic opportunity to showcase the exceptional problem-solving skills and innovative talent of local students and residents across the State of Hawai?i. We are committed to fostering a vibrant tech community and empowering the next generation of developers right here in Hawai?i.”

By the Numbers

- 158 participants
- 47 high school students
- 41 teams created
- 27 projects submitted
- 17 team finalists

Challenges

- University of Hawai’i - Digital Navigator
- Tyler Hawai’i - Hawaii AI Concierge Bot
- Enterprise Technology Services - Citizen Portal on Open Data
- Hawai’i Broadband Digital Equity Office - Digital Equity Dashboard
- Hui Manu O Ku - Aloha Birds Game
- Hawai’i Keiki Museum - Energy Usage Display

Sponsors

Microsoft, Verizon, Google for Government, Transform Hawai?i Government, Hawaiian Airlines, Salesforce, Tyler Technologies, eWorld Enterprise Solutions, Hawai?i Data Collaborative, AT&T, AWS, Hawaiian Electric, and DRFortress.

Partners

IMAG Foundation, the Hawai’i Department of Education Computer Science Team, UH M?noa Information & Computer Sciences, Hawai’i Pacific University, Pi?ik? Co., and the Chamber of Commerce Hawai’i.

For more information, visit https://hacc.hawaii.gov/