Name: Black CS Summit 2025 Hackathon
Start: 2025-09-28T10:00:00.000-04:00
End: 2025-09-28T17:45:00.000-04:00
Location: Black CS Summit 2025 Hackathon

Black CS Summit 2025 Hackathon: Tech for Thriving Cities

Theme: Tech for Thriving Cities: Innovating for a Better Chicago
Build real utility: reduce harm, increase access, strengthen trust, and make Chicago smarter, safer, and more connected. AI is encouraged—use it intentionally, with responsible data and a path to deployment.

Why this hackathon (our story)

We’re here to empower the next generation of local innovators to shape the future of their city. This is an opportunity to form relationships that grow into careers, companies, and community impact.

Skill-building goals

Take ownership of your city & your craft
Have a seat at the table and use your voice
Clarify your “Why” and build with identity & purpose
Practice Intentional AI and Success on Purpose—build things that matter

Guiding values

Global Majority: center communities historically excluded from tech decision-making
Building With Purpose: ship solutions that uplift neighborhoods, not just metrics

Challenge prompt

More than 80% of companies say gen-AI hasn’t produced a clear, company-wide boost to earnings yet—even with massive spending. (McKinsey 2025). So, what can AI make other than money? Build something that measurably helps a Chicago community—reduce harm, increase access, strengthen trust, and deliver real-world utility.

Examples: transit safety & routing; small-business resource finders; public-health signals; energy/waste dashboards; equitable city-service feedback; trustworthy info tools.Possible directions: street-level safety + transit insights, resource finders for small businesses, public-health early signals, energy & waste dashboards, equitable city service feedback loops, or trustworthy information tools.

Schedule (Day Of)

Saturday, Sept 27, 2025

Hackathon kickoff, team formation, start building (onsite mentor support during event hours)

Sunday, Sept 28, 2025

9:00 AM Breakfast
10:30 AM UI & Bootstrapping
11:30 AM Agentic AI & API Workshop
11:30 AM–2:40 PM Expert Office Hours
12:30 PM Lunch & Presentations 101 / How to deploy
2:50 PM Submission Deadline (Devpost)
3:00 PM Presentations begin
5:00 PM Closing Ceremony
6:00 PM Winners Announced

Between 9/27 → 9/28: teams may coordinate as they wish; in-person support when onsite.

Requirements

What to Build

A Chicago-focused solution in civic tech, sustainability, mobility, public health, education, or small business support with clear community benefit.

What to submit on Devpost (required)

Project page — problem, target users, your Why, solution, impact goals, next steps.
Working site (URL) — hosted prototype users/judges can click through.
Demo video (3–5 min) — show the core user flow end-to-end.
Slide deck (5–7 slides) — used during live pitch.
GitHub repo — README with setup steps, env notes, and licenses.
Data & AI note — datasets/APIs and model(s) used; limitations/risks; privacy & bias mitigations; deployment plan (how this ships in the wild).

Submission time: 2:50 pm Sunday September 28th

Live pitch & demo (in-person)

5:00 total → 3:00 live demo + 2:00 Q&A (hard stop).
If tech fails, we’ll play your recorded demo (≤5:00).
Single-round judging (no finals).

Tips (optional but recommended)

Include 1 measurable impact indicator (e.g., minutes saved, access increased).
Credit all sources (code, data, models). Avoid sensitive personal data.

Evaluation (how judges score)

Community Impact (30%) – Clear user/problem fit; measurable benefit.
Intentional AI (20%) – Ethical, transparent, trustworthy; feasible to deploy.
Technical Execution (20%) – Architecture, code, data handling, ops path.
Design & UX (15%) – Accessibility, first-time clarity, usability.
Story & Purpose (15%) – Your “Why,” stakeholder insight, adoption plan.