1. Introduction

Within the framework of the project ‘Strengthening media capacity to monitor and report on climate change in Asia Pacific’ funded by the Government of Malaysia, UNESCO and FOSSASIA are organizing a hackathon to provide journalists with innovative apps to monitor and report on climate change and sustainable development issues in the region.

This activity is implemented under the UNESCO YouthMobile initiative to build the coding skills of young generations and leverage computer science education for sustainable development. https://en.unesco.org/youthmobile 

The hackathon will be held in Ho Chi Minh City on 13 and 14 October 2018 under the theme of “Getting the Message Across: Climate Change and Sustainable Development.” Developers, designers, students, bloggers and all open source contributors are invited to join! 

 2. Objectives

The objective of the hackathon is to develop innovative apps that help journalists to monitor and report on climate change and sustainable development issues in Asia and the Pacific.

The participants will be introduced to UNESCO’s Guidebook for Journalists Reporting on Climate Change and Sustainable Development in Asia and the Pacific which includes information and knowledge on climate science, related international and regional treaties and policy frameworks including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable development, and tips for journalists for finding and telling stories.

The apps developed should meet one of the following objectives:

• Spread and publicize the contents of the guidebook towards the target audience such as journalists, communicators, journalism students and teachers as well as civil society across the region,
• Help journalists to monitor and leverage data, scientific knowledge and information relating to climate change contained in the guidebook,
• Help journalists to find and tell the story effectively and accurately based on the guidebook,
• Raise awareness and engagement of journalists on climate change reporting based on the guidebook.

3. Prizes of hackathon

For the winners of the hackathon there will be prizes awarded by the jury consisting of members of UNESCO, FOSSASIA and invited experts. Team are usually 3-4 people. The 3 top teams at the conclusion of the hackathon will be awarded special prizes to develop the full version of their applications.

4. Preliminary Schedule

$2,400 in prizes

1. Get your ticket here 
2. Sign up on Devpost
3. Join the Gitter channel at https://gitter.im/fossasia/hackathon (requires login with Github)
4. Find team members and create your team of preferably at least 2 and maximum 4 contributors. You are also welcome to sign up and then wait until the Presentation of Ideas on Saturday before deciding to join a team, however we'd encourage you to form/join a team in advance if you already have an idea that you'd like to work on.
5. Join the event from on October 13 (8:00-20:00) and October 14 (8.00-17:00)
6. Stay connected, join event on Facebook and Meetup and follow us on Twitter.

• Technical Implementation
  The application is in open source. Code is made available as Open Source during the hackathon. The solution implements and uses latest technologies in an innovative way.
• Project Adaptation
  The application helps and encourage journalists to monitor and report on climate change and sustainable development issues in Asia and the Pacific based on the contents of UNESCO guidebook
• Usability and UX
  The solution is an easy-to-use prototype and intuitive with a clear user interface
• Scalability and Replicability
  It is possible to scale-up the solution and replicate it in other contexts in Asia and the Pacific.
• Inclusiveness
  The solution is gender-sensitive, recognising and encouraging women’s participation in science, technology and sustainable development.