Hackathon sets five challenges designed to tackle coronavirus pandemic

A technology company is inviting blockchain developers and enthusiasts to take part in its first-ever hackathon.

Maxonrow’s event is going to take place from Sept. 5 to Oct. 3. According to the team, there are going to be five challenges overall, with a total prize of 15,000 euros ($17,771) up for grabs.

Known as the MAXathon, Maxonrow is particularly keen to hear from experts who can join its quest to tackle COVID-19, as well as future pandemics.

It has created a control and communication system called MedsLOCK that provides real-time insights related to the coronavirus.

The five challenges

Each of the challenges devised for the month-long hackathon is designed to deliver new use cases and solutions for MedsLOCK.

With governments around the world searching for solutions to contain the spread of the coronavirus — through the use of social distancing, travel solutions and stay-at-home orders — the first challenge invites participants to explore how analytics can be used to enable administrations to ensure these measures are being followed properly by the public.

The second challenge aims to give governments a way to easily verify if a patient is virus-free after having COVID-19. Here, the task is to build a solution that would allow authenticated data to be quickly retrieved.

Challenge three centers on improving communication between businesses and governments. In a succinct description of this task, Maxonrow wrote: “Can we eliminate intermediaries to lower transaction costs, while providing transparency to beneficiaries of welfare programs?”

The fourth challenge looks at “virtualizing the new norm” — and asks how blockchain technology can help people navigate the disruption that they’ve suffered in their everyday lives. For blockchain enthusiasts who value creative freedom above all else, this could be the perfect challenge.

Last but not least, the MAXathon wants to improve user interfaces and user experiences. Given how data from the current pandemic can be illustrated in countless ways, the company is eager for ideas when it comes to building a “holistic, multi-dimensional dashboard with unique features.”

How the hackathon works

The team notes that the winners of each challenge will receive 3,000 euros ($3,557) for their efforts, and participants have until Sept. 30 to submit their project onto a specially built platform. After all of the submissions have been reviewed by a panel of judges, 20 teams will be selected to attend a Demo Day on Oct. 3 when solutions will be pitched to the jury overseeing the grand final.

Seasoned professionals from big brands are on the panel. Joining Maxonrow CTO Carlo Chung is PwC partner Holger Schmidt, investor and securities lawyer Nisa Amoils, Audi venture development manager Malte Schöenfeld, Dash.org COO Robert Wiecko, Avantas Tech CEO Sebastian Diaconou, and Avantas Tech managing director Muhammad Salman Anjum.

Sept. 5 marks the opening day of the event, giving participants access to helpful resources — as well as the opportunity to meet like-minded enthusiasts. A replay of this opening conference is going to be available on the MAXathon platform.

The deadline for team formation comes on Sept. 13, by which point a participant should be in a group of two to six people. Competitors will still have an opportunity to get involved after this date. They’ll either be given assistance to join an existing team or be paired with other individual participants.

Throughout the process, teams will also have access to a one-to-one mentor who will be able to provide feedback and encouragement. Among those offering guidance include TDX Strategies head of business development Amber Urquhart, DoxyChain CEO Gabriel Dymowski, and 10 top members of the Maxonrow team.