Flipkart invites entries from smart innovators for the Gridlock Hackathon, a unique event that brings together sharp minds, cutting-edge research and technology solutions to Bengaluru’s traffic snarls
In its tenth year of innovating for India, Flipkart wants its hometown Bengaluru to put behind its unsavory reputation for being a congested, traffic-choked city. Flipkart is calling tech thinkers and concerned citizens to put their minds to work and innovate to find solutions to this decades-long civic problem at the Gridlock Hackathon. An eminent jury, smart peers and exciting prizes just add to the motivating factors. Are you ready to ideate? Register and submit your idea at the Gridlock Hackathon. The contest will run from June 7 to June 21. The Gridlock Hackathon invites technology-centric solutions, as well as those that partially leverage technology through out-of-the-box thinking.
What is the Gridlock Hackathon?
The Gridlock Hackathon is a one-of-a-kind hackathon to crowd-source innovative, implementable solutions from the tech community and concerned citizens to help ease Bengaluru’s traffic problem. Bengaluru, dubbed India’s Silicon Valley or India’s Startup Capital, is world-renowned for being a hub of innovation, cutting-edge research, and top tech talent. But the city also carries the tag of being India’s third-most populous urban agglomeration, having enjoyed for decades a preferred status among students, job-seekers and global companies. The population influx, combined with rising aspirations and inadequate infrastructure, has caused Bengaluru to burst at the seams, giving rise to a perennial problem: Traffic Gridlock.
Flipkart, as an innovative technology company born in Bengaluru, firmly believes that all new innovation should benefit society at large. Flipkart is bringing together the developer community in the city and concerned citizen to collectively find workable solutions to Bengaluru’s traffic woes.
During the ‘Month of Innovation’ in June, part of Flipkart’s 10th anniversary celebrations, Flipkart invites these aspiring problem solvers to a ‘Gridlock Hackathon’ — a hackathon to crowd-source innovative, implementable ideas to help ease the city’s traffic situation.
The contest will run from June 7 to June 20. The Gridlock Hackathon invites technology-centric solutions, as well as those that partially leverage technology through out-of-the-box thinking.
The winning entries will be owned by the individuals/teams who have come up with the solutions.
So go register. Those horns are blaring!
How to participate in the Gridlock Hackathon
Interested participants may submit proposals that address macro problems like overall traffic in Bengaluru or traffic snares in specific areas (example: Silk Board Junction, KR Puram Junction, etc.). Solutions can be entirely technology-centric or may partially leverage technology in relevant and smart ways, to address problems related to Bangalore traffic.
Teams:
- Individual entries are allowed
- Maximum team size: 4 participants per team
- Participants may submit multiple entries
Data:
- Participants may also use any publicly available APIs like Google Maps, etc.
- Participants may also come up with their own databases/ use dummy data-sets to simulate traffic conditions
Judging criteria
Entries will be judged on the following parameters:
- Impact: How big is the problem being addressed, and how relevant is the solution?
- Feasibility: Can the solution be implemented in the face of real-world challenges?
- Scalability & Sustainability: Is the solution long-lasting, and will it scale for the real-world, possibly through relevant application of technology?
- Completeness: We are looking for a working prototype, a demonstrable proof-of-concept
Phase 1: Online submissions
In Phase 1, participants can submit their entries via the Hackerearth website.
Entries should be in the following format:
- PowerPoint(PPT) /Slide deck of max 8 slides:
- 1 slide – context/scope
- 1 slide – problem description
- 2-3 slides – analysis/research on why problem exists
- 2-3 slides – proposed solution
- 1 slide – Links to all supporting documents including code repositories (a GitHub link is preferred) and instructions on how to execute the code
- Demo video (optional)
Participants may either:
i) Upload a .zip file/folder of the slide deck/video directly to the event page on Hackerearth; or
ii) Upload the PowerPoint/slide deck/video to a Google Drive and share the link on Hackerearth
Phase 2: Final Demo
The top 10 entries will be short-listed based on the judging criteria. Short-listed participants will then have to conduct a demo before the jury for 10 minutes. The venue for the Final Demo will be announced shortly. Watch this page for updates.
Prizes
1st Prize: Flipkart Gift Voucher for ₹200,000
2nd Prize : Flipkart Gift voucher for ₹100,000
3rd Prize : Flipkart Gift Voucher for ₹50,000
Winners
The winning entries will be owned by the individuals/teams who have come up with the solutions.
Key dates to remember
June 7: Gridlock Hackathon online competition begins
June 21: Gridlock Hackathon online competition ends
June 27: Finalists will be announced
July 1: Offline presentation to judges and announcement of winners
