Presented by
Hackathon
Guide
5G Hackathon Guide 2
1. INTRODUCTION
2. WHAT IS A HACKATHON?
► Hackathon 101
► Sample Agendas
4-hr
6-hr
8-hr
► Description of Hackathon Format
Exploratory Stations
Open Design Time
Share Out of Student Work
Judging
Rubric
Tips for Judging
3. LESSON PLANS
► Warm up Games
► Exploratory Stations
► Design Challenge
► Gallery Walk
► Judging
4. HOW CAN I RUN A HACKATHON AT MY SCHOOL?
► Tips and Tricks for Running a Successful Hackathon
► Whole School Buy-in + Support
► Bring in Community, Allies + Partners
► Student Recruitment
► Finding a Space/Facility
► Technology
► Student Roles
► Facilitation Tips
► Incorporating Playtesting (Feedback)
► Materials Checklist
► Documentation/Publicity (maybe don’t need this)
5. FURTHER RESOURCES + READINGS
► Game design worksheets these will change
► Further readings on Game Design + Design Thinking reading on 5G and XR
► Links to online resources cospaces, mergecube curriculum
Table of Contents
5G Hackathon Guide 3
Welcome to the Verizon 5G Hackathon Teacher’s Guide, a
comprehensive handbook that will help you organize and run an
interactive, hands-on hackathon at your school to explore the
power of 5G. This guide provides both big picture information
about hackathons as well as many practical tools, tips and
activities to ensure the success of your event. The document
has three main sections: the first section provides an overview
on a recommended hackathon structure and oers sample
agendas for running your own hackathon; the second focuses
on the practical tools and resources needed to organize,
facilitate and judge a school-based hackathon event; the third
section provides supplementary resources and appendices for
further reading and research.
Who is Games for Change?
Founded in 2004, Games for Change (G4C) empowers game
creators and social innovators to drive real-world change using
games that help people to learn, improve their communities,
and contribute to make the world a better place. We convene
stakeholders through our annual G4C Festival and foster the
exchange of ideas and resources through workshops and
consulting projects. We inspire youth to explore civic issues
and learn 21st-century and STEM skills through our Student
Challenge and train educators to run game design classes on
impact games. We incubate projects through our game design
challenges and executive production expertise in coalition
building. We act as an amplifier by curating and evangelizing
games for change to the public through our games arcades and
awards. (www.gamesforchange.org)
1. Introduction
5G Hackathon Guide 4
2. What is a hackathon?
Hackathon 101
A hackathon event can be run for a few hours, a day or an
entire weekend! Hackathons allow students to work in teams to
conceive, design, prototype, iterate, playtest and showcase an
original design idea for an audience and judges using a common
prompt, theme or constraint and within a given set of time.
The first quarter of a hackathon is typically structured and
facilitated in order to provide students with a solid foundation
in the design process and the technology that they will be
using. Here, students might engage in some introductory design
challenges. During the design session for the remainder of
the session, however, student teams work independently with
minimal intervention from facilitators, working towards producing
a prototype that addresses the given theme. Hackathathons are
purposefully short in time, which is meant to help encourage,
collaboration, creative thinking, problem solving, rapid prototyping,
and ultimately to result in small but innovative designs.
All hackathons culminate in the showcasing and judging of
student work.
The Verizon 5G Hackathon, in particular, is a hackathon in which
Middle School students will tinker with Augmented Reality and
Virtual Reality technologies through a series of creative design
challenges. Working in teams, students will collaborate to
conceive, design, prototype, playtest, iterate and showcase an
original design for a group of judges around the given theme.
The experience fosters the development of a variety of 21st
century skills, such as collaboration, creative problem-solving,
communication, and design-thinking. Additionally, it will introduce
students to a variety of tools that allow them to experience the
power of 5G.
5G Hackathon Guide 5
Sample Agendas
Based on the specific conditions, needs and goals for your school, we’ve provided suggested
agendas for a 4-hr, 6-hr, and 8-hr Hackathon.
TIME
10 min
15 min
25 min
10 min
2 hours
30 min
10 min
20 min
TIME
10 min
15 min
35 min
10 min
2 hrs
45 min
45 min
45 min
10 min
15 min
TIME
10 min
15 min
45 min
10 min
2 hrs
45 min
90 min
45 min
1 hr
20 min
15 min
ACTIVITY
Warm-Up Game
Intros and Overview of Hackathon / 5G
Exploratory Stations
Introduce design challenge theme and prompt
Design Challenge work time
Gallery Walk
Awards
Final Wrap Up
ACTIVITY
Warm-Up Game
Intros and Overview of Hackathon / 5G
Exploratory Stations
Introduce design challenge theme and prompt
Design Challenge: Brainstorm, organize, present initial ideas
Lunch
Final design tweaks and Plan for Gallery Walk
Gallery Walk
Awards
Final Wrap Up
ACTIVITY
Warm-Up Game
Intros and Overview of Hackathon / 5G
Exploratory Stations
Introduce design challenge theme and prompt
Design Challenge: Brainstorm, organize, present initial ideas
Lunch
Design Challenge Cont’d
Final design tweaks and Plan for Gallery Walk
Gallery Walk
Judging and Awards
Final Wrap Up
4-hr Agenda
6-hr Agenda
8-hr Agenda
5G Hackathon Guide 6
Hackathons are generally around six hours. For all three hackathon format options above, the
event has three essential components: an introductory section, an open design time, and a
share out.
Introductory Hackathon Section:
This component starts with a welcome and introduction of sta and students, an overview
of the day and design challenge, and an icebreaker. Introductory remarks/activities should
provide an overview of the principles and terminology of the design process as well as the
rubric that will be used to evaluate and judge final digital games for the competition. In the
6 and 8 hour option, there are additional design challenges to develop and practice these
concepts and terms. In all of the hackathon format options, sta and students should be able
to refer back to concepts and terms introduced in this section throughout the event.
As part of the introductory activity, it is essential to make sure students are familiar with the
iterative design cycle:
Open Design Time:
Open design time is the meat of the Hackathon event. Student self-direction, agency and
creativity are paramount here and they should largely work unaided; however, students should
follow the basic iterative design cycle steps articulated above and be encouraged to utilize
the process and strategies explored in the introductory sections.
Teacher intervention should be limited during Open Design Time -- largely playing the role of
time keeper.
Narrative Description of Hackathon Format
Understand the needs and
goals of your users,
stakeholders, and
the project.
Get the idea out of your
head and into the world so
people can interact with it.
Put your work into the
world and evaluate
the results.
Generate a wide array of
solutions that meet the
needs of the challenge.
Gather feedback, refine
solutions, and continue to
learn about your users.
EMPATHIZE DESIGN & PROTOTYPE APPLY & EVALUATE
BRAINSTORM
TEST
Design Process
5G Hackathon Guide 7
Sharing Out Student Work
There are two main “share out” formats that can be successful for a Hackathon. We typically
choose the format based on the layout of the space, the age group of students, the number of
attendees, and the types of activities used.
Group Presentation Style: In this format, students present their designs in front of the entire
group. This format works best when your physical space has a stage that is viewable by all
participants, and when your participants are not shy presenters. This also works best with
smaller events. With larger numbers of designs, you won’t have enough time for each team to
present with any depth.
Gallery Walk: In this format, representatives from each student team stands by a station and
present their prototype to students, teachers, parents and judges. This format is scalable to
any number of attendees. It can be helpful to provide a rotation in which some students stay
with their work while their team members circulate to other stations, and then they switch
roles. The science fair format works well with all ages, but particularly with younger students.
This also works best in places where all stations are in one open space, and it’s easy to walk
between stations. A warning though: this can be a messier share out format, but works great
when done well.
Warm Up Games
Many games can be used to get the group warmed up and ready to design. Leverage any
of the below games to get the creative juices flowing for your students. They each require
around 5-10 minutes of play and 5 minutes of debrief.
Rock, Paper, Scissors Tournament - “MY BIGGEST FAN”
► Intro Rock Paper Scissors (RPS) and model a round. Review the rules of RPS. Explain to
students how the tournament will work:
Play ONE ROUND of Rock-Paper-Scissors with the person next to them.
Winner finds someone else to play, loser becomes part of the winner’s entourage
and cheers them on.
Continue process until final TWO players remain.
The last two players standing will play a final round - best 2 out of 3, each with
their own entourage of cheerers.
Once the winner of RPS has been determined, s/he picks their Biggest Fan!
Both the final winner and the Biggest Fan get a prize.
3. Lesson Plans
Narrative Description of Hackathon Format
5G Hackathon Guide 8
WHO STARTED THE MOTION - Good for groups of 8-25
Players stand in a circle.
One player is sent from the room while another is selected to be the leader who
starts the motion.
The leader begins a motion (such as clapping hands, tapping feet, nodding, etc) and
the rest of the group does the same motion.
The outside player is called back in and stands in the center watching the group. S/he
gets 3 guesses to identify the leader.
The leader can change the motion at anytime, and the rest of the group must follow
and change simultaneously.
ZIP ZAP ZURCH - Good for groups of 8-20
1. Everyone stands in a circle.
2. Ask the group to repeat the words “Zip, Zap, Zurch” three or four times, all together.
Tell them you have a bolt of energy in their hands.
3. To start the game, one player sends the bolt out of their hands with a strong forward
motion to the person to their left (using their hands, body, eyes, and voice) saying
“Zip.” They should make eye contact with the person they pass to.
4. Each player continues passing the Zip around in a circle to the left.
5. At any point in the circle, a player can reverse the direction of the energy by pointing
their hands back to the person who just passed them the ‘Zip’ and saying ‘Zurch.’
6. Play now continues around the circle to the right.
7. Next, a player can pass a ‘Zap’ to anyone in the circle (other than the person directly
to their right or left) by pointing hands to that person and saying ‘Zap.’
8. If there is a mistake, encourage players to simply resume playing without discussion.
Challenge players to not take long time to choose the next person.
9. Once they get the hang of the game, you can play with Elimination - players get out
and step out of the circle if they make a mistake.
CAPTURE THE CHAIR
1. Chairs are arranged in a circle. You should use the same number of chairs as
participants.
2. One person stands in the middle while everyone else sits down. One chair is empty.
The person in the middle is trying to sit in the empty chair. The people sitting are trying
to prevent her from sitting.
3. People sitting can move left or right but they must remain sitting.
4. If the person in the middle gets the seat, the person who moved o the seat takes
their place.
5G Hackathon Guide 9
NINJA - Good for groups of 8-25
1. Everyone stands in a circle and strikes their best Ninja pose.
2. In turns, people have one move to try to strike the person to their right or left.
The strike must land between the player’s wrist and elbow.
3. After striking, the player must freeze in the pose in which they land.
4. Other players are allowed one move to avoid the strike.
5. After avoiding a strike, players must freeze in their poze until it is their turn.
6. If a player receives a strike between their wrist and their elbow, they’re out and they
must step out of the circle. Play continue until their is one Ninja left.
NUMBER GAME - Good for groups of 10+
1. The group stands in a circle.
2. The group’s task is to count from 1 to 20 without any established pattern or non-verbal
communication about who should say a number next.
3. Anyone can say a number whenever they wish – although they cannot say two
numbers in a row.
4. If two people say a number at the same time, the group begins again with 1.
YES AND/INTERJECT - Good for groups of 12 or less
1. This game is a great brainstorming technique and a storytelling game.
2. The group chooses (or the facilitator assigns) a theme for a story, such as The
Craziest Dream.
3. One player begins with an idea, such as, “I had the craziest dream in which I went to
the moon…”
4. The rest of the group responds with “Yes, and…” and then the next player adds to the
story, for example, “Yes and I rode to the moon in a spaceship.”
5. The group responds with “Yes, and…” again and then the next person goes, until
everyone has added a line to the story.
We have created really fun mods of this game that incorporates player created cards. They
each make 3-5 cards, writing down people, places, and things, 1 per card. On each player’s
turn, they must pick up a card from the deck and incorporate whatever word is written on the
card into their sentence.
Alternatively, each player can have their own stack of cards, and their goal is to interject as
many of their words as they can. Players must interject their words in a meaningful context
while someone else is speaking.
To debrief gameplay, pose the following questions to students. You can use a think-pair-
share or a full group discussion.
► How did play transform this space?
► What did you observe? (about yourself + others)
► What was most fun for you as a player?
► What was challenging about this game, if anything? What was motivating?
5G Hackathon Guide 10
Exploratory Stations
The purpose of this section is to get students familiar with the technology they will be
using without having to think about a theme or complex design prompt. For this Hackathon,
students need to be working with software that will allow them to design easily in either
Virtual Reality or Augmented Reality. We recommend the use of Co-Spaces. More can be
found on Co-Spaces in the technology section.
Materials: Tech, design challenge instructions on slide deck
Setup:
To setup, create a group of stations that students will rotate through. Depending on the
size of the group, we recommend somewhere between 4-6 stations total: 2-3 cospaces with
VR and one 2-3 cospaces with AR. Students will spend half their time with AR and half their
time with VR.
Introduction:
► Explain to students that they will be rotating through two stations to explore both
SOFTWARE (CO-Spaces) and HARDWARE (VR headsets, Mergecubes, etc) tools.
Explain the dierence and introduce each tool. (5 min)
► Students will move through stations in their groups.
► Around 15 kids in each group, students will work together at their stations in groups of 2-3.
► Students will rotate through the stations to experience the aordances of the tool and play
around with AR/VR capabilities.
Rotation Activity:
► At each station, students will complete the same design challenge prompt. Students will
have 20 minutes at each station before rotating.
Use the tool to build your Dream hangout room. Each room must include the following:
At least 4 walls
Roof
A door
A window
At least 2 pieces of furniture
BONUS: As a bonus, include a character who greets you in some way
► Debrief at each station:
What were the aordances of the tool?
What was most challenging? Least challenging? Why?
What did you like best? Least?
5G Hackathon Guide 11
Design Challenge
Introduce design challenge prompt
► Introduce Design Process
Inform students that they will be using this process to create a VR or AR Experience
using the tools we explored earlier. Show students the design process graphic.
Ask how many kids have seen a version of this before? Who has gone through
design processes in the past to create something unique?
► Introduction to the Hackathon Prompt
The year is 2030. 5G is powering the major areas of your life, including:
ENTERTAINMENT: What will entertainment experiences look like in the future
(movies and television, sports, live music venues, XR, games)?
RETAIL: How and where will you shop for the stu you like (stores, online
experiences, etc)?
FOOD: What will food and dining experiences look like (dining in/out, grocery
shopping)?
TRANSPORTATION: How will you get around (public transportation, cars)
HEALTH/WELLNESS: How will the way you take care of yourself change
(doctors, exercise)?
Your mission is to imagine, brainstorm and design a prototype of an innovation in one
of these areas that might exist in the future. Use AR or VR to bring your idea to life and
provide users with a taste of your innovation. You will also create supporting materials
such as: posters, paper prototypes, written documentation and description in order to
provide a comprehensive overview of your idea.
Allow time for student questions
Materials: design process on slide deck, Design challenge prompt on slide deck, challenge
cards, design challenge worksheet
Design Challenge
Form groups, brainstorm, and organize ideas
Group Formation
Students will count o and split into small groups of 3-4. Each group will randomly
be assigned one area to focus on from the prompt (entertainment, retail, food and
transportation)
Facilitators should assign design roles to each student in each group
1. Recorder: Take notes and document process on design sheet
2. Innovator: Constantly challenge your team to create something new and
innovative
3. Includer: Make sure everyone’s voice is being heard
4. Playtest Prompter: Encourage your team to continuously try out your idea
5G Hackathon Guide 12
Collect and Cluster: This activity allows you to explore many ideas as soon as they occur to you.
Like brainstorming or free associating, capturing allows you to begin without clear ideas and gain
clarity. The clustering helps to find patterns within the group. It is an emergent activity, allowing you
to think about many ideas and develop themes.
Facilitators will model a collect and cluster brainstorm for the full group
1. Facilitators model a collect and cluster brainstorm using example prompt: What
are your hopes for a successful school year?
2. Ask a few students to participate and model the process of grouping post-its and
labeling groups.
Students use a collect and cluster in their groups to collaboratively brainstorm ideas related
to their assigned area of focus.
1. Students individually generate as many ideas as they can and write ideas on
post-it notes (1 idea per post-it)
2. Within their groups, students spread out everyone’s post-its on the table or a wall.
3. Students group all like post-its together in their group. Move similar ideas next
to one another and give each of these groups/buckets a name, category, or a
theme.
Students look at buckets together. Based on buckets that emerged from the collect and
cluster, each group chooses 3 dierent directions to go in and brainstorms together 3
distinct ideas. Make sure they identify which tool(s) each idea would require/leverage
Pitch ideas
Once they have 2-3 clear ideas, students pitch their ideas to a facilitator or their Home Base
advisor for feedback. By the end of the pitch, they have to select the ONE idea to move
forward with.
Design and Prototype
Design Round 1
Storyboard: In the first design round, students further develop their ideas. They start by
creating storyboards of what a user’s experience might be in the AR/VR experience.
Groups begin to design using tools and materials provided to prototype their ideas
Feedback Cycle #1 (15 min)
Groups are paired to present design at whatever point they are at. (5 min present, 2 min
feedback) Groups gives each other warm/cool feedback
Design Round 2 (30 min)
Using feedback, groups continue to work on design
Design Round 3: (45 min)
Groups continue to prototype their ideas and test internally on their team
Feedback Cycle #2: (15 min)
Groups are paired to present design at whatever point they are at. (5 min present, 2 min
feedback) Groups gives each other warm/cool feedback
Using feedback, groups continue to work on design
Design Round 4 (30 min)
Using feedback, groups continue to work on design
Materials: post-its, pens, index cards, , role cards
5G Hackathon Guide 13
Sharing Work
Option #1 - Group Presentation
► Set up stage area for presentations
► Allow each team 3-5 minutes to present, depending on overall time allotted.
► Allow judging panel to ask 2-3 clarifying questions
► While presentations occur, encourage other students to record feedback on the feedback
matrix.
► Cycle through all the groups
► Once groups are done, judges meet and deliberate, using the defined rubric.
► Judges give overall feedback to the entire group and announce the winners
Option #2 - Gallery Walk
► Students set up their posters, prototypes and feedback matrix poster (a poster that
includes areas for glows, grows, questions, and suggestions)
► Rotation A: Half the students stay with their projects and the other half rotate through
visiting other students’ projects and providing feedback on post-its in the form of glows,
grows, questions, and ideas.
► Rotation B: Students switch so that all students get the opportunity to give and receive
feedback
► In each rotation, judges will walk around to view each group presentation and assess the
work using the judging rubric.
► After both rotations, judges meet and deliberate, using the defined rubric.
► Judges give overall feedback to the entire group and announce the winners.
Judging
Judging and Awards
► Judges review their judging rubrics and determine and present the following awards:
Most Innovative
Most imaginative
Overall Winner
5G Hackathon Guide 14
4. How can I run a hackathon at my school?
Tips and Trick on Running a Successful Hackathon
Whole School Buy-In + Support
A successful hackathon will involve and require the buy-in and support from all school
stakeholders. Start by speaking to your principal and/or department lead to strategize the
best ways to inform the school community about the event. After reviewing the process with
your school leaders, be sure to inform the faculty as well. This could also help you recruit
additional faculty support or at the very least, encourage other teachers to help you with
student recruitment. Specifically, if your school has one, you should reach out to the Tech or CS
department at your school as there is a lot of support needed to set up and monitor equipment.
Finally, be sure to inform the parent community about the hackathon. In your messaging to
parents, outline the major activities of the event (prep work, ocial event) and how it will support
21st Century Thinking, CS skill development and student growth.
Bring in Community, Allies and Partners
Do not feel you have to do it alone. Feel free to enlist outsiders to help plan and support the
Hackathon. For example, it can be very helpful to have an adult(s) from an outside organization
facilitate an exploratory station. Or, it can be very motivating to have expert judges drawn from
the community -- like a local CS professor or professional designer. Additionally, if you anticipate
a large number of students, parents can help with food, sta and tech support.
Student Recruitment:
Recruiting students who are passionate about the Hackathon is critical to your success. Begin
by announcing the Hackathon to both the entire school, as well as to each of your classes.
Additionally, utilize students who are both interested in the Hackathon and are skillful at
speaking with their peers as ambassadors for the event. These students can make personal
announcements in homeroom classes and set-up a table during lunch or after school to
encourage sign-ups. Additional incentives can also bring in more students. When possible,
students could join the Hackathon for extra credit. Additionally, consider oering pizza or
snacks during Hackathon sessions to encourage high attendance.
Be sure to focus on populations traditionally underrepresented, marginalized or excluded from
CS and/or Game Design: Girls, Non-Gender Conforming, Students of Color. Also, consider that
not all students need to have CS background since students will be working in design teams. So
broaden your outreach to students with strengths outside of math and sciences.
Finding a Space/Facility
Finding a good space or spaces is a critical piece in planning and organizing a Hackathon.
We recommend having a large, central room for the entire group to begin and end the event
-- like a gym, lunchroom, or auditorium -- especially if you have more than 50 students involved.
The space should have a projector and screen, and tables/chairs for all the students. Pay
attention to the infrastructure of the room and make sure you will have enough outlets to power
5G Hackathon Guide 15
your stations. You could consider having the students do their group design work in breakout
rooms if that is an option. There should also be at least three sta members for supervision and
logistics, (like putting out snacks and cleaning up) and at least two per station. The Share Out
and Judging section of the event benefits greatly from being in one big room rather multiple
breakout or classrooms (SEE; 3C “Student Share Out” above). This will more readily allow
judges to see all work in a quick, ecient way.
Technology
To successfully run a Hackathon at your school, you will need the following tech requirements:
► At least 1 computer for every 4 students (Pentium 4 class CPU or higher; 2 GB RAM (4 GB
recommended); 1024x768 display (1280x800+ recommended); Windows XP+, OSX 10.6+
or Chrome OS; Standard 3-button)
► High-speed internet access (10+ MB/s download, 5+MB/s upload minimum)
► Headphones and Mouse (one pair per team of students)
► Access to Co-Spaces - please email cospaces@gamesforchange.org to get free access to
Co-spaces
► VR headsets (if applicable)
► Mergecubes (if applicable)
Preparing Your Students
You do not need to prepare students in advance of the event. However, it can be valuable for
students to at least have some understanding of the Hackathon before they show up to the
competition, including a review of the Judging Rubric and criteria in advance.
Additionally, you may want to do some pre-jam activities like exploring the themes in advance
and/or some introductory Design activities. However, make sure that all students in the
competition have equal access to these preparatory activities so there is an even playing field.
Lastly, you may want to form student teams in advance of the Hackathon.
Student Roles/Teams
Student ownership and choice are key to success of each team and the Hackathon as a whole.
This should not feel like work, and doesn’t need to be tied in any way to the regular school
curriculum. We recommend that students only participate if they want to.
Additionally, while all participants must compete in teams, you can allow students to form their
own teams. However, they should be encouraged to not simply work with their friends but
consider assembling a strong team (eg a group that has worked productively in the past; that
includes a diversity of strengths and styles)
Lastly, whether the students self-select the teams or you do, it is always critical to spend some
time during the Hackathon discussing group norms, roles and expectations, as well as problem-
solving and consensus building techniques.
5G Hackathon Guide 16
Facilitation Tips
While adult intervention should be limited during Open Design Time (largely playing the role of
time keeper) the teacher’s role during the entire day is critical to the success of the Hackathon
-- especially in the morning introductory sections.
Firstly, it is essential that students all have a clear understanding of the format of the day and
how their designs will be assessed. Having slides and handouts to present and give out at the
top of the day are essential. Additionally, during the morning introductory sections, teachers
will have a considerable facilitation. While all the design challenges are hands-on, students can
benefit from guidance applied in small doses along the way. Also, whenever possible, try to take
advantage of peer learning and peer leadership. Those who speed through an activity can help
explain what to do for those who are having trouble getting started.
Incorporating Playtesting
Playtesting is a crucial but easily overlooked component in a Hackathon. In the rush and
excitement of creating a design, it is very easy for student teams to not allot time to actually try
their designs themselves before sharing with the public. It is important to encourage students to
both playtest their own design or even have outsiders try it out before the final design share out,
and to leave time so they can incorporate feedback into their designs.
Materials checklist
► Computers/tablets, chargers
► VR headsets (if using)
► Mergecubes (if using)
► Projector & screen
► Speakers (as needed)
► Markers, papers
► Name tags
► Prep computers to make sure they necessary software
► Materials for each Hackathon station (depends on activity; might include Post-it notes,
markers, physical computing kits, arts and crafts supplies)
► Scoring Rubric/Judges Score Sheets
► Slide Deck/Handouts
►
Publicity (pre and post)
Students will not only produce high quality work during the Hackathon, but the Hackathon itself
will be something you will want to share with the school community. You will certainly want to
take pictures of the Hackathon and screen grabs of student games that can be presented to
school stakeholders. An email out to parents and teachers thanking everyone for their support
and spotlighting student work as well as a bulletin display within the school will not only serve as
a way to celebrate the work that you and the students did, but help with interest and recruitment
for future Hackathons.
5G Hackathon Guide 17
Judging Work
Judging Rubric
Teams will be judged on the following criteria*
Theme Integration
The team used the assigned theme to inspire their designs, Their project oers an interesting
potential innovation within the assigned theme.
Creativity
The team was imaginative in their thinking and solved for the design challenge in an interesting
and unique way
Innovation
The project oers an innovative solution to the design challenge prompt. The team used out of
the box thinking.
Style and Flair
Project has a creative and consistent style that communicates their idea eectively.
Verbal Presentation
Verbal presentation of project is clear, concise, and organized.
Visual Presentation
Visual documentation of the project is thorough and includes storyboards and/or drawings
and/or diagrams in addition to a prototype to illustrate concepts
Group Participation
Every team member actively participated and played a role in the group presentation.
*See the full judging rubric here.
Judging Tips
We recommend including 3-5 judges in the Hackathon event. While the judges can all be drawn
from the school, students are often motivated and excited by volunteer judges who work
in relevant field such as AR/VR design, 5G experts, and game design and who can provide
meaningful and authentic feedback. It is nice to have a combination of judges from inside and
outside of the school. Each judge should understand the basic competition structure and rules
as well as review the scoring rubric in advance.
Make sure judges have ample time to see all games and game design teams and to confer with
one another after the Share Out to determine the winner of the competition.
Additionally, while there is only 1 winning design team per school that will go on to compete
against other schools, we recommend having multiple winners in dierent categories within the
school (for example, an audience award judged by student peers or an award for each category
of the rubric). These winners can be given certificates.
5G Hackathon Guide 18
Further Resources:
Links to online resources
► You can run a Hackathon for kids (blog post)
http://www.gamasutra.com/blogs/EmilyThomforde/20150203/235567/
Yes_You_Can_Run_a_Game_Jam_for_Kids.php
► Planning your Hackathon (blog post) –
http://press.etc.cmu.edu/content/planning-your-game-jam-game-design-
gateway-drug
5G
XR
Slide deck
Worksheets
