The Global Hack – Hackathon to Discover Solutions in the COVID-19 Crisis | Avast

The COVID-19 crisis has disrupted our lives in unprecedented ways, and the challenges deriving from the crisis will remain with us well beyond the quarantine time. The current crisis requires solutions to problems we have never been confronted with before, at least not at this magnitude, and not simultaneously. However, where there are problems, there is potential for solutions. On April 9-12, thousands of hackers around the world will take on the challenge of developing solutions for the many problems arising from the crisis, at one of the largest Hackathons in the world, the Global Hack. 

Avast is a proud sponsor of the event, with our Chief Technical Officer, Michal Pechoucek, mentoring the “Crisis Response” track, and chess grandmaster and Avast Security Ambassador, Garry Kasparov, leading the “Work” track. 

The Global Hack is organized by Estonian organizations, AccelerateEstonia, Garage48 and Guaana, who initiated the initial online hackathon “Hack the Crisis” in Estonia in March, with the goal to tackle issues resulting from the coronavirus crisis. Within 48 hours, over 1,300 people across different time zones created more than 30 ideas. The initial hackathon was followed by more than 35 regional hackathons around the world, in India, Brazil, and many other locations, and has motivated the organizers to create this global event.

The Global Hack is supported by the European Commission’s initiative Startup Europe. The best ideas will be funded by sponsoring funds, with a prize pool for the best ideas of €120K. 

How to take part in the Global Hack? 

1. Share your ideas and find teammates on Slack theglobalhack.com/slack
2. Already have a solid idea and a team? Upload your project to Devpost: deadline 9 April 13:00 UTC theglobalhack.devpost.com
3. April 9-11: Hack! You’ll get support from world-class mentors & update projects on Devpost