Hackathon – ICLEI South Asia

Hackathon – ICLEI South Asia
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The Youth and Sustainability team at ICLEI – Local Governments for Sustainability, South Asia, announces the launch of the ‘Youth for Climate Hackathon’. Designed to bring together young minds to develop innovative,scalable, and impactful solutions to the climate crisis, the hackathon is guided by the COP30 Agenda and the ICLEI Pathways, ensuring that creative ideas can evolve into actionable, context-specific projects for the South Asia region.
Themed
‘Adaptation to Climate Change | Evidence-based Innovative Solutions for South Asian Cities
’,the hackathon begins on 25 April 2025 for young adults aged 18 to 25 from South Asia.
Under ICLEI South Asia’s pioneering leadership, the hackathon will be supported by knowledge platforms and networks. Regional partners in the youth and sustainability space will support dissemination, participation and conducting of webinars on climate between April and October 2025.
Winners
Youth Hackathon 2025 Booklet
Photo Gallery
Hackathon Details:
1. Eligibility Criteria:
Age group
: Participants should be between
18 and 25 years old.
Geographic eligibility:
Open to individuals from
South Asian countries.
Participant backgrounds:
We welcome
students, young professionals, entrepreneurs, and startups
working in sustainability and innovation.
Relevant Fields
– We invite people from diverse fields, such as climate science, urban and
environment planning, social science, economics, mobility, energy, biodiversity, and other disciplines.
Team Composition:
Teams may comprise
1 to 4 members
to encourage both individual and collaborative efforts.
2. Theme:
Adaptation to Climate Change | Evidence-based Innovative Solutions for South Asian Cities.
3. Expected output:
Participants will select
a city and propose context-specific, innovative solutions
that address its real-time challenges, tailored to local
needs and priorities.
4. Submission Format:
A1
size Poster Presentation.
A4
Summary of 500 words (1 page, font size 11) – Must include problem statement,proposed solutions, feasibility, scalability, and sustainability impact.
5. Evaluation:
Internal Screening – Based on eligibility
External Jury Round – Selection of top 5 ideas
Presentation of the Top 5 ideas
Winner Announcement
6. Criteria for selection (Total – 100 points):
Depth of understanding of the issue – 15 points
Contextual relevance of the solution – 15 points
Innovation and creativity – 20 points
Feasibility and practicality – 15 points
Potential for scalability – 10 points
Sustainability impact – 15 points
Alignment with relevant Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) – 10 points
7. Guidelines for poster submission:
Identify the challenge/ problem
Highlight city-specific needs
Outline the innovative solution
Detail local actions/ strategies/ practical solutions
Present potential impacts/ outcomes.
8. Awards & Recognition:
Winners will receive prizes and opportunities to intern with ICLEI South Asia.
How is this hackathon different?
Focus on real-world challenges faced by cities, businesses, and policymakers.
Winning ideas will receive financial support and internship opportunities.
Hybrid format enables both virtual and in-person participation.
Ideas will be aligned to relevant SDGs to ensure measurable impact.
Offers valuable networking opportunities for young participants.
OUR PARTNERS
MEET THE TEAM
Sayli Mankikar
Associate Director
Sayli Mankikar
Associate Director
Dechen Wangmo
Project Officer
Dechen Wangmo
Project Officer
Rick Sarkar
Associate - Communications (South Asia)
Rick Sarkar
Associate - Communications (South Asia)
Manju Adhikari
Senior Project Officer
Manju Adhikari
Senior Project Officer
Manasa Garikaparthi
Senior Project Officer
Manasa Garikaparthi
Senior Project Officer
Dipak Bhowmick
Technical Lead
Dipak Bhowmick
Technical Lead
Sankalita Dey
Communications Manager
Sankalita Dey
Communications Manager
Satarupa Roy
Senior Project Officer
Satarupa Roy
Senior Project Officer
Shinjini Saha
Knowledge Management Expert
Shinjini Saha
Knowledge Management Expert
FAQs
1. Is there any registration fee?
Answer :
No, there is no registration fee.
2. What is the duration allotted for the final presentation? What is the expected number of presentation slides?
Answer :
The Top 5 ideas will be briefed on the process in due time.
3. Are there any other relevant details or documents available (such as a rulebook or previous year’s presentations for reference)?
Answer :
No documents or references are currently available; however, the guidelines’ document will be shared with all participants.
4. What is the duration and location of the competition?
Answer :
The hackathon will be conducted online for all participants, except for the final round, which will be held in a hybrid format in New Delhi, India, for the teams with the Top 5 selected ideas. The overall duration of the hackathon is from April 25 to October 8th/9th, 2025.
5. Will participation certificates be provided?
Answer :
Qualified candidates from the submitted entries are eligible for Participation Certificates.
6. What are the knowledge-sharing webinars?
Answer :
The knowledge-sharing webinars are interactive sessions designed to build participants’ capacity by providing valuable insights, tools, and case studies related to urban resilience and climate adaptation. These webinars will be conducted during and after the submission phase of the hackathon. Their purpose is to support participants in developing stronger, evidence-based solutions to the challenges presented. Experts and practitioners will share relevant experiences, data sources, and best practices that can help teams refine their ideas and approaches.
7. What and when will be the orientation webinar?
Answer :
The orientation webinar will be conducted 8th July 2025, Tuesday, from 4:00-5:00 PM (IST). It is highly recommended for all participants to attend this session, as it will provide a clear understanding of the hackathon process, the central theme, and the expected outcomes. Additionally, the session will include a Q&A segment to address any questions or concerns participants may have.
For any queries and discrepancies, please reach out at:
[email protected]
1. What is the submission date and time? Is there any submission link?
Answer :
After the registration deadline, eligible participants will be updated on the submission deadline (date & time) and provided with guidelines for the hackathon including links to upload the submissions.
2. Will you be providing any specific guidelines, formatting requirements, or judging criteria that should be followed for the submission?
Answer :
All participants will receive a toolkit containing the hackathon brief, which includes evaluation criteria, submission guidelines, submission formats, and references.
3. Will participants receive confirmation or feedback after submitting their information?
Answer :
Yes, participants will receive a confirmation message once they have successfully uploaded their files and submitted the Google Form. However, individual feedback on submissions will not be provided. Please note that only one final submission is allowed before the deadline. No edits or additional submissions will be accepted once the deadline has passed.
4. Why was our submission not considered?
Answer :
Please note that submissions will not be considered under the following circumstances:
Failure to meet the submission deadline
Incomplete entries (e.g., missing poster, summary or references)
Non-compliance with the prescribed submission format
Submissions sent via email instead of the designated submission form
Multiple submissions made by the same team
Submission that does not correspond to the specified topic or thematic focus
For any queries and discrepancies, please reach out at:
[email protected]
1. Can the team members be changed after registration?
Answer :
No, team changes are NOT allowed. If at least one member of the team meets the eligibility criteria, the registration is considered valid. Remaining members, who do not meet the eligibility criteria are disqualified from participating and will not receive participation certificates for the submitted entry.
2. Can new team members be added after registration?
Answer :
No, new members cannot be added after registration.
3. What are the opportunities for the participants with the Top 5 ideas?
Answer :
Participants whose ideas rank among the Top 5 will have the opportunity to present their solutions before an expert jury and participate in ICLEI South Asia’s flagship event. In addition, winning teams will be awarded cash prizes and offered internship opportunities at ICLEI South Asia, providing valuable exposure and hands-on experience in the field of urban climate resilience and sustainability.
4. Why were our registrations not considered?
Answer :
Registrations are evaluated based on strict adherence to the stated eligibility criteria. Teams or participants who did not meet the requirements as mentioned below were not considered eligible for participation:
Age Group
between
18 and 25 years old
Geographic Eligibility:
Open to participants from
South Asian countries*.
Team Composition:
Teams can have
1 to 4 members.
Wrong information
about the above criteria.
Registration before
15th June, 2025 11:59pm IST.
Note:
Registrations will be only accepted from countries where ICLEI South Asia has an office, ongoing projects, or active site to ensure winning teams are provided internship opportunities in the later phase of the hackathon without any challenges.
5. Why was our registration considered partially eligible?
Answer :
Participating teams or individuals are considered as partially eligible if at least one member in the team meets the eligibility criteria, with missing/incomplete details in their registration, such as:
Individual age
of team members
Teams composed of
both eligible and ineligible members
Team members from
outside South Asian countries*.
Teams with more than
four members
*Note:
Only entries having all the details of registered team members meeting the eligibility criteria will be considered during submission.
For any queries and discrepancies, please reach out at:
[email protected]
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