The Climate Change-Makers Challenge: 2025

No coding experience needed! Solutions don't have to be app or website-based! Beginner friendly!

SCHEDULING NOTES:

• 
  Our opening ceremony is on Friday, February 21st @ 9 pm EST...Should be a great event, with some incredible guest speakers joining. Will share key context/ background/ guidance for the hackathon. BONUS POINTS for teams that do come. Highly encourage all to make it.
  


• Links will be sent via a Calendar invite using Zoom, please RSVP if you are able to come. 


• We also have a SUPER line-up of workshops & other events. It is 100% okay to register for only for the workshops. Stay tuned for updates.


• Final submission is a 4-MINUTE PITCH VIDEO (detailed guidance on this will be provided on rubrix + structure), due on Sunday, February 23 @ 11:59 PM EST.

About the Challenge:

Climate change is among the most urgent issues of our time.

2011-20 was the Earth's warmest decade in recorded history, and up to one million species are at risk of extinction due to climate change. Tens of millions will be displaced from their homes because of it. The Climate Action Tracker anticipates a 4 degrees increase in global temperatures by 2100 if we keep at our current trajectories... The delicate balance that we have on Earth is at risk.

So, what do we do about it? The need for action & innovation is more urgent than ever. And to make headway in addressing the problem, it will not be a "magic bullet" that solves everything, but rather the joint efforts of engineers, artists, coders, educators, politicians, business-people & others coordinating with a variety of differenc solutions to make a difference.

Our challenge: Can you create that next big solution to our climate change dilemma?

It can be locally-focused, it can be globally-minded. It can be an art concept, a new machine, a code-heavy app, a proposal for an event, a plan to conserve an ecosystem, an education campaign or more. It can be a business, a non-profit concept or anything in between. It can be many things. As long as it's built with the planet and its people in mind, working to address the climate crisis in its own unique way.

The Logistics:

• Our opening ceremony is at 9 pm, Friday, February 21, with our deadline set at 11:59 PM EST on Sunday, February, 23. Folks may work on their ideas at any point from during that weekend.


• We do ask that you submit original ideas, which means that the ideas must not have been submitted in their current form to past hackathons or similar innovation competitions... if you are thinking of evolving a past idea in a significant way, let us know & can advise if it'll be different enough to submit here.


• Each team should have 2-5 members, which can come pre-formed or be finalized before/ during the hackathon with help of the organizers... In terms of helping with team formation, we will have a Slack channel TBA & also do a match-making event the Friday before for folks looking for teams/ teammates.


• Be sure to check eligibility requirements as you make your team... Having a diverse set of people & backgrounds— including in the level of past hackathon experience— will be key!


• During the hackathon, there will be opportunities to attend educational workshops on different issues, some related to developing skills for developing/ presenting your idea (e.g. on pitching), and others on issues around climate change (e.g. on environmental justice)....  Although not finalized, we may have bonus points or incentives to encourage folks to take advantage of these different opportunities.


• In addition, there will be information + resources + advice shared during our intro session, via our Slack and through mentors who will be available at points during the weekend.


• Some details above change closer to the date.

A final note that the submission itself will likely be a four-minute video (may change), with finalists then being invited to present their solutions live at a finals time TBD in the weeks following.

Themes:

Over the course of this 48-hour hackathon, we will focus on four sets of challenges that will need to be addressed as we fight climate change. These are described below:

1. The Adaptation Challenge: From sea level rise to the increased extreme weather events, we must face a reality that some impacts of climate change are here to stay... And with that, comes a need to adapt our communities, infrastructure and processes to be more resilient to the new and ever-evolving reality we find ourselves in. What can you do to help with climate adaptation, locally or globally?

2. The Biodiversity Challenge: We cannot solve our climate crisis without also addressing our biodiversity crisis, and vice versa. Looking at things like mangrove restoration, coral reef regeneration or the protection of unique ecosystems like the Arctic, nature-based solutions offer some of the greatest potential to address the climate crisis. How can we protect biodiversity from climate change or use it to mitigate impacts?

3. The Capacity Challenge: Even as impacts of the climate crisis become more real, there exists much misinformation spread about on climate. And beyond this education piece, how to shift our workforce and activate humankind's potential to act on climate is a real question... There is a lot of work we need to do to meet our climate goals, how do we develop our capacity to do so?

4. The Technology Challenge: Much of our climate dilemma comes from using carbon-heavy technologies to address problems of the past. From changing how we transport goods to how we create electricity to how we build cities differently, there is a lot in our current technology that needs to change. And the potential of engineered carbon sinks also must be explored. How can technology be used to address the climate crisis?

Our Four Lens that Every Solution Must Consider

Regardless of what theme/ challenge you choose to focus on, participants choudl also consider the following perspectives/ lenses in designing their proposed solutions:

• 
  An Equity & Justice Lens: Think about how your solution will impact different communities, including those most impacted by climate or who have been historically marginalized from decision-making (e.g. indigenous & racialized groups). Think also about your solution's impacts on generations into the future.
  


• A Practical Lens: Think about your timelines for action & what it will take to implement your idea. There is time pressure to act on climate, which makes it important to have those big dreams about all that can be possible (there's SO much to be hopeful for), while grounding action to the realities of the present.


• 
  A Two-Eyed Seeing Approach: Incorporate a two-eyed seeing approach, where you complement indigenous knowledge with academic science, learning from these inter-connected and unique perspectives. Additionally, ground your solution in facts, and do research on the people + issues you are seeking to serve/address.


• 
  Recognize Intersectionality: While your idea may focus on one theme, it likely links to many others. For example, solar panels are a high-potential renewable energy source, yet rely on rare earth materials that can hurt biodiversity if mined improperly. Think about your solutions impact on all the themes.
  

The above "lens" are not specific to any solution but rather apply to any project concepts that one might develop. These are not necessarily things you will be asked about in your submission, yet must always be front-of-mind when creating new (or evolving old) solutions for the climate crisis!

About the Organizers: 

The OATHE Project is an environmental non-profit that rests on a very simple idea: that small acts add up. Put another way, that 1 + 1 + .... + 1 = possibly something incredible, with the only limitation being the 1's we have in between. At its core, it is about making a commitment, to each other, but most importantly to ourselves. It’s about doing the little things that make a difference. Find out more at https://www.oneactatatime.org.

Youth Impact Challenge is a non-governmental organization that hosts an annual program/ challenge which engages innovative youth and encourages collaboration towards positive outcomes to solve complex problems. The World needs young innovators, and YIC turns ideas into impact. Find out more at https://www.youthimpactchallenge.ca.

Feb. 21, 2025 - Feb. 23, 2025

The OATHE Project

Online

$CAD2,140