It’s crunchtime. The pressure is on. So what would the next HeroX do in a situation like this?

Take the challenge head on!

With the deadline for entries right around the corner, the Apps for Humanity HeroX Challenge is entering the final stretch of competition. I wanted to catch up with one of the judges (who asked to remain anonymous) about the idea behind the challenge, the high quality of entries thus far, and what exactly they will be looking for in selecting a winner. Here’s an exclusive look behind the curtains.

 

BRANDON: Set the stage for us… What is the problem or need this challenge is designed to address?

JUDGE: Nonprofits usually aren’t using the latest technology due to lack of resources. Just as some for-profits invest heavily in technology, nonprofits should do the same.

With that in mind, we’ve partnered with HeroX to help us with our mission. We understand that the open source movement can help us come up with innovative ideas that can benefit humanity. We’re challenging participants to utilize our open source platform, CORE (Central, Open, Reusable, Easy), to develop an app that will solve a humanitarian issue.

B: How did the idea come about?

J: The open source movement is all about collaboration. Given the global reach of HeroX, we wanted to empower everyone to make a change. Most people who have a great idea, don’t have access to the resources needed to execute it. We wanted to help bring these ideas to life.

B: I’m imaging something like this would appeal to a wide range of talent. How many entries do you have so far?

J: Many potential participants didn’t sign up because they thought the challenge was only open to people with a tech background. Once the question came up several times, we made a formal announcement that the challenge is open to everyone! After that announcement, we saw the number of sign ups grow rapidly. We currently have 26 submissions.

B: And what’s the overall quality of the apps that have been submitted? Are you surprised?

J: There are submissions coming in from all over the world, and some of the proposals we have are really great ideas. But there are others coming in, so we would encourage them to follow through and finish strong. Several students wanted to be able to get their submissions in this summer, which is why we extended the deadline to July 7.

B: Can you tell me a little about what you will be looking for while judging?

J: We have broken it down into six different categories that vary in score weighting.

What is the problem that your idea aims to solve? (10 points)

What is the potential impact of your solution? (20 points)

How would the CoreTech Foundation's software tools help make your idea a reality? (30 points)

What makes your solution different from existing solutions that aim to address this problem? (20 points)

Describe the practical usability of your solution. (10 points)

And finally, how complex is your solution?... keeping in mind, it’s not a bad thing if your solution is complex. (10 points)

B: Who is this HeroX? List what it will take for someone to win this challenge.

J: Innovativeness… we’re looking for people who think outside of the box to come up with an idea that hasn’t been tackled before. And of course, determination. We’ll fund their project and work alongside them to execute it.  

B: What will happen with all the other entries?

J: Unfortunately, we’ll only be able to select one entry to fund. But the others will get exposure and have resources available if they choose to finish development by other means.

 

The Apps for Humanity HeroX Challenge deadline is coming, but it’s not too late. All entries must be in by July 7, 2016 at 8:00pm PST. Submit your idea soon, and be the next HeroX!