General Rules

To participate, you must:

• Be at least 18 years old;
• Declare acceptance of the Rules;
• Declare acceptance of the Microsoft and Improove Privacy Policy; more details can be found within the Rules;
• Complete at least 2 online checkpoints with our mentors; visit the Improove website to check available slots.

Participation is free.

Participation Types

You can participate in the hackathon in two ways:

1. Propose a project
2. Join a project

Proposing a Project

To propose a project, register on the Improove website and submit your project here.

You can choose whether your project is open for the entire community to join or restrict participation to specific invited members.

Joining a Project

To join a project, browse the available projects on the Improove website. On the project page of your choice, click the "Join the Team" button.

Mentors

Each team can benefit from one or more mentorship sessions to develop their idea.

Mentorship sessions can be booked on the Improove website by selecting one of the available time slots provided by the mentors.

Deliverables

The required outcome for teams at the end of the Hackathon can be:

• A mock-up demonstrating the functionality of the developed idea (e.g., a prototype on online design platforms)
• An application/software demonstrating the functionality of the developed idea

Each proposed solution must be accompanied by a 3-5 minute pitch video. The video may include slides, role plays, prototypes, or mock-ups as support.

Developed ideas must:

• Be original and innovative
• Be free from copyrighted materials

It is prohibited to upload the following to the platform:

• Corrupted files, documents, or images containing malware or viruses
• Files, documents, or images that are defamatory, offensive, threatening, or incite violence

Evaluation Criteria

An internal team will approve submitted ideas, ensuring they are relevant to the Hackathon themes and do not contain defamatory, offensive, threatening, or violent content.
Accepted projects will be categorized by the jury into five categories, each dedicated to a specific area of accessibility:

• Vision
• Hearing
• Mobility
• Invisible Disabilities & Neurodivergence
• Cross-disciplinary

At the end of the Hackathon, the jury will evaluate the submitted projects based on the following criteria:

• Technical feasibility
• Social impact
• Business model
• Technological innovation
• Social innovation

Prizes

The winning team in each of the five categories will receive an experiential prize, which may include:

• Visits to partner company facilities utilizing innovative technologies
• Courses and training provided by partner companies
• Free participation in events on diversity and inclusion topics

Mentorship

After registering for the event, you will have the opportunity to connect with our mentors through the Improove platform. In addition to scheduling meetings with them, you will be able to receive personalized insights, practical advice, and guidance from professionals and experts.

Don't miss this extraordinary opportunity to maximize your participation in the event and book your mentorship sessions.

External Resources

• Bootstrap Italia
  

  An accessible UI component library for web applications. It is a fork of Bootstrap managed by the AgID team.

• Accessibility Guidelines
  

  Be sure to pay special attention to accessibility guidelines when working on your projects, as they are essential to ensuring that your solutions are usable by a wide range of people, including those with disabilities.

• Online Tutorials for Implementing Accessible Web UI
  

  To help you integrate and deepen your technical knowledge of accessibility, we recommend the online tutorial available on w3schools.com.

• Microsoft Inclusive Design Toolkit
  

  Whether you are a program manager, engineer, data scientist, designer, or anyone contributing to creating products and services, Inclusive Design is a practice you can follow.

• Microsoft Fluent 2
  

  Explore the evolution of Microsoft's design system, enabling more seamless collaboration and creativity than ever. Move fluidly from design to development, between apps, and across platforms.

What is an online hackathon?

An online hackathon is a technical and creative event that presents a challenge for participants. By joining teams, they will develop project ideas, sharing their creativity, skills, and expertise to address the specified needs.

Who is the hackathon for?

The hackathon is open to developers, designers, creatives, data scientists, startup founders, digital marketing and communication experts, students, and, more generally, anyone interested in the topics covered by the challenge.

Do I need to register to participate in the online hackathon?

Absolutely yes, it is required. Participation is completely free, and we encourage you to carefully read the rules.

Do I need to participate with a pre-formed team?

It's up to you. Pre-formed teams are welcome, but you can also use the Improove platform to propose your idea to the community and find other people to collaborate with on a project. The event is designed to encourage teamwork, networking, and social interaction.

How do I build my team?

Once you have drafted your project proposal, you can invite your friends to join your team using the "Invite" function available on the project management page.