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Join the Kansas City Fed on February 24 for its 7th annual Code-A-Thon! During this two-day virtual event, collegiate teams will build software solutions for meaningful problems. All submissions receive professional developer feedback and top teams will receive awards. Imagine, Code, Win!

External LinkRegister here. Read about recent winners here

About the Code-A-Thon

The Kansas City Fed Code-A-Thon is an annual virtual event to encourage and inspire computer science and engineering students. The Code-A-Thon offers an opportunity to partner with universities in providing a medium where students can co-create in developing innovative solutions that solve real-life problems. Equally, the Code-A-Thon provides students an opportunity to gain real world skills and experiences needed to transition into the workforce. Some examples of meaningful solutions submitted by previous teams include Election IQ, Social Media Sanitizer, Collaboration Station and Grapevine.

External LinkJoin us the weekend of February 24 for the 7th annual Code-A-Thon. During this two-day virtual event, collegiate teams will be challenged to build innovative solutions to address real-life problems.

Schedule of events:

  • Virtual Kickoff and Theme Reveal: February 24, 6 p.m.
  • Code: February 24, 6 p.m. through February 25, 11:59 p.m.
  • Presentations: February 26
  • Awards Ceremony: March 10

External LinkRegister today!

Eligibility and Participation

The KC Fed Code-A-Thon is open to students at all levels who are enrolled in computer science, engineering, or related programs at participating universities within the KC Fed’s District.

External LinkRegistration

  • Participants must register as teams. Teams will be required to register online for the Kansas City Fed Code-A-Thon.
  • Participants must register using a university assigned email address.
  • The names and university issued email addresses of all team members must be provided upon registration.
  • Participants must accept the Kansas City Fed’s Terms & Conditions upon registration.
  • Participants must create an appropriate name for their team.
  • Participants must be available to participate in a virtual Code-A-thon over a weekend period, hosted from 6:00 p.m. Central time on Friday, February 24 through Sunday, February 25.

Teams

  • Teams must consist of three to five students currently enrolled at a participating university.
  • A maximum of five teams per university may register for the Kansas City Fed Code-A-Thon.
  • Teams must be able to participate in the virtual kickoff event as scheduled.
  • The KC Fed Code-A-Thon team will work with universities to identify a faculty liaison who will serve as the university’s point of contact for registered team(s).

Code-A-Thon Theme

The theme for the Code-A-thon will be revealed during the kickoff event. Further details about the kickoff event will be provided to teams after registration.

Technical Criteria

Teams are encouraged to use any development environment, third party APIs or libraries of their choice. Further technical guidelines will be provided to teams upon registration.

Submission Guidelines

Submission guidelines will be provided to teams upon registration.

Judging

The judging criteria for the KC Fed Code-A-thon are structured to ensure that all submissions are judged consistently. All entries will be judged by a panel of experienced developers/engineers. Judging will be focused on the substance of a creative solution that fits the theme. Submissions will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

  • Innovation – A new or fresh approach to an existing problem.
  • User Experience/Polish - Experience is smooth and designed.
  • Functionality – Solution works and is usable in its current state.
  • Impact/Potential – Solution aligns with the theme and has the potential to impact a real-world problem or experience.
  • Presentation - README files and video demonstrations effectively communicate what your app does and why it is important.

Results of the Code-A-Thon will be made available to participants within four days after the submission deadline. The top three teams will be selected for a final presentation.

Final Presentation and Award Ceremony

The top three teams will be invited to the KC Fed’s headquarters for a final presentation and award ceremony. The event will take place no later than two weeks after results notification. Teams will be required to give a pitch that demonstrates their solution. The pitch must incorporate a convincing vision of “why” and “how” their solution is uniquely positioned to provide value to people or entities. Teams will be recognized as follows based on the final pitch:

  • 1st Place
  • 2nd Place
  • 3rd Place
  • KC Fed Code-A-Thon University Champion – This category will be awarded to the university whose faculty/institution demonstrates the highest level of engagement during the Code-A-Thon in support of its participating team(s).

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