A virtual competition within the First online Hackathon in Montenegro – CoronaThon.me, was held over the weekend, April 24-26. Over 100 ideas were submitted and 15 teams entered the finals. With the support of their mentors they worked intensively to develop the solutions. During the finals, which took place last night, all teams had video presentations and answered questions of the jury, which consisted of 15 experts from different sectors and areas of expertise. The winners were announced via live streaming and prizes worth a total of EUR 13.000 were given.
CoronaThon.me was co-organized by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), the Ministry of Science and the Ministry of Culture, in partnership with DevClub, Digitalizuj.Me, company Alicorn, Science and Technology Park, Mtel Digital Factory and Innovation and Entrepreneurial Center Tehnopolis. Media partners of the event are RTCG, Television Vijesti, Vijesti Portal, Analytics Portal and CDM.
The first place and EUR 5.000 prize went to the YouLearn team, Tatijana and Aleksandar Dlabac, who introduced the platform, which was described as “YouTube for Learning”. In the 48 hours that the competition lasted, they were able to implement a technical solution that would allow teachers and parents to create educational games for their children and pupils. The platform will also be suitable for online testing, so teachers will be able to monitor the progress of the pupils.
The second prize of EUR 3.000 went to the Trguj.me team, which created an online store for networking the supply and sale of products from local manufacturers, at no additional cost and with automated digital marketing.
The third-place team, which won a prize of EUR 2.000, named AB +, presented a platform that connects voluntary blood donors and relevant health institutions, in order to be better informed about current supplies and needs.
Special prizes of EUR 1.000 each were awarded to the teams: Psihoteka, Team Respira and Parapet. All winning teams will be further supported by the organizers in order to implement the solutions as quickly as possible.
The ceremony was opened by UNDP Permanent Representative, Daniel Gasparikova, which emphasized: “We at UNDP are really proud of the strength and breadth of partnership we have established through this virtual Hackathon. In an incredibly short amount of time, we have been able to bring together the key players from all business fields – government representatives, NGOs, the private sector, the digital community and the media. It is the best evidence that in times of crisis, only solidarity can help overcome challenges. ”
The Minister of Science, Sanja Damjanovic, said: “I am most pleased that this Hackathon has shown that Montenegro has great potential, knowledge, creativity and energy for innovative ideas. This assures me that Montenegro has much more to offer when it comes to innovation, which is the engine for the development of the modern economy. We hope that all the ideas from this Hackathon will find their chance in the market, which passionately seeks for digital solutions that make our lives, businesses, education and protect and improve our health. ”
The Minister of Culture, Aleksandar Bogdanovic, reminded that “the creative industries sector is a constant focus of the Ministry of Culture, so we want to provide continuous support for creators and continue to create a favorable environment for the functioning of such events together with our partners. The Montenegrin market has never been more ready to embrace such and similar initiatives and the need for them will be even greater on our united path towards branding Montenegro as a creative destination.”
Judy Rising Reinke, the US Ambassador in Montenegro, expressed her pleasure as a jury member participating in this initiative and said: “This competition is innovative, creative and influential. All competitors showed entrepreneurial qualities, which I believe will contribute to a faster recovery of the economic strength of the state of Montenegro. I want to thank not only the organizers but also the mentors, who deserve all the praise.”
As a jury member, dr Senad Begic, the Deputy Director of the Institute of Public Health, said on this occasion: “It is a great honor for me to spend this afternoon with so enthusiastic teams. I am even more pleased by the fact that, through digital technologies, we have shown a modern approach, but also those things that characterize the complete response to the new Coronavirus in Montenegro, which is unity, one huge dose of flexibility and solidarity. ”
The Hackathon aimed to bring together the digital community, experts from various fields and citizens to come together to find a solution that will help Montenegro adapt quickly, respond and recover from the effects of the new Coronavirus. All solutions focused on three priority areas: protecting life and public health, accelerating recovery and securing a sustainable future, with special attention paid to protecting human rights and protecting vulnerable groups. Contestants emphasize that during the Hackathon they made additional contacts with experts, institutions and entities relevant to their solutions and most of them will continue to develop their ideas no matter the outcome of the competition. At the same time, it will be a motive for organizers and partners to continue creating such opportunities.
