The Hackaday Prize is an award handed out each year since 2014 by Hackaday to designers who craft innovative solutions to problems. In the prize’s first year over 800 designers competed for recognition. Last year, that number grew to almost 1,000. The most recent batch of winning ideas will be discussed at an upcoming SXSW Interactive session featuring Sophi Kravitz, who works in marketing for Hackaday. I spoke with Kravitz to learn a bit more about the Hackaday prize, the ideas it has helped spread, and what attendees can expect from the session. Check out our conversation below.

At the panel you’re going to be speaking about the winners of the competition. Are they going to be there?

“None of the winners will be there, but I’ll be playing a short video montage which includes them. One of the Hackaday Prize judges will be on the panel, as will at least one MIT scientist. I’m excited to talk about how different organizations help to create social change.”

Now, one of the prizes is a real jaw-dropper: a trip to SPACE! How did you arrange this, and when will it happen if the winners choose to go?

“HAHA. The trip to Space is available only if trips to Space become available within 2 years of receiving the Prize. It’s currently not available to the public, but when it is, we’ll be the first to purchase someone a ticket!”

The designs created by the winners are extremely useful. Have you already seen them be put into use?

“Yes, several of the winners have startups born from the Hackaday Prize. In 2014, the grand prize winner started a foundation to create open source ground stations. Vinduino, one of the 2015 winners, created an irrigation system that saves 25% water in drought-stricken California and is actively making a product. Eyedrivomatic, the 2015 grand prize winner, is a wheelchair drive system for quadriplegics driven by the eyes. Supplyframe, Hackaday’s parent company, plans to help create these (for free) for those in need. The Hand Drive wheelchair attachment, a 2015 Hackaday Prize finalist, was featured in press all over the world. Open Bionics, a 2015 Hackaday Prize winner, created a system for robotic prosthetic limbs which the designers plan to open source to those in need. That’s just a few! Additionally, many entrants from the past two years went on to have successful fundraisers and created products from their entries.”

Could you talk a bit about how the prize got started, and what direction you anticipate it will take?

“Supplyframe’s CEO, Steve Flagg, is committed to social change through engineering. He came up with the original idea to run the Hackaday Prize to motivate people to create change using their technology skills. In 2016, we’ve changed things up a bit. Instead of having 5 huge prizes at the end, we’re awarding 100 $500 prizes throughout the competition. This flat structure will reward even more people than the past 2 years and we hope that this will drive more entries. More entries, more ideas, more people thinking about how to move humanity forward can only be a good thing.”

When and Where:
Sunday, March 13
5 – 6 p.m.
Palmer Events Center – SX Create Stage / 900 Barton Springs Road

Find out more: The Hackaday Prize: Technology and Social Change