Got a big idea and a desire to make a difference? 

We invite you to participate in the Microsoft #BuildFor2030 Hackathon, which seeks to drive transformative solutions and services into development to further the UN Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

Through this learning and community-building journey, let's accelerate innovation to power a more inclusive economy, together.

Bring your bold ambitions and curious mind, along with a hack team consisting of people with different job roles and areas of expertise that align with the design, build, GTM, and sell stages of the product lifecycle.

Get inspired by meaningful challenge themes, hone your changemaking skill set, and get ready to innovate and have fun reframing challenges as technology opportunities—and make the world better for more of us.

Getting Started: 

Start by joining the #BuildFor2030 Hackathon Community to get important information and browse the full program of #BuildFor2030 Hackathon live events and chats.  Even if you are not a part of a hack team, you can still join our community to participate in events.

After joining the community, and when you're ready to register your team, click on "Participate" to start your entry. Important: Only the primary team member should start an entry.

Note: You will be prompted to create a WeChangers account to access the community space and to start an entry. 

View the Microsoft #BuildFor2030 Hackathon Official Rules .   

#BuildFor2030 Themes

Build a hack team to create innovative solutions aligned to five #BuildFor2030 Hackathon themes: Gender Equality, Sustainability, Accessibility, Enabling Nonprofits and Empowering Communities.  

Teams can decide to solve for one of the following #BuildFor2030 theme challenge statements or dive into our theme-specific challenge prompts.  

Join the #BuildFor2030 Hackathon Community to browse the full list of challenge prompts and available resources. 

	Gender Equality
Enable technology that creates more equal participation, economic access, and opportunities at all levels in work and life for women and girls.
	Climate Action and Sustainability
Build new solutions for environmental challenges faced by customers and industries across the globe.
	Digital Inclusion and Accessibility
Create accessible technology devices and applications with inclusive design for more than 1 billion people living with disabilities.
	Enabling the Nonprofit Sector
Develop solutions to enable the nonprofit sector to achieve scalable and measurable mission impact.
	Empowering Communities
Reimagine solutions that strengthen our institutions, build resilient infrastructure, and create equitable access to health, education, and social services for communities.

Benefits and Prizes

By participating in the Microsoft #BuildFor2030 Hackathon, you can: 

• Get inspired with new ideas and innovate with your team, in support of UN SDGs.
• Use your expertise to unlock new industry solutions and inclusive market opportunity.
• Learn and gain technical resources and GTM benefits to bring your solution to market.
• Grow your network with like-minded Microsoft partners and changemakers.

And, compete for a chance to win $50,000 in total prizes, technical, go-to-market benefits and more!

#BuildFor2030 Hackathon winners (5 awardees) 

• A USD $10,000 award to their organization.
• A feature in the Microsoft winner announcement blog and social post(s). 
• An exclusive #BuildFor2030 Hackathon Winner promotion kit to amplify your win.
• Engagement opportunity with a Microsoft leader.
• Two (2) consultations with a Microsoft Partner Technical Consultant^{1, 2}.
• Access to Partner Go-to-market Toolbox with 15 points to elevate your marketing².

#BuildFor2030 Hackathon Heroes (5-20 awardees)

• An exclusive #BuildFor2030 Hackathon Heroes promotion kit to amplify your win. 
• 1 X post-hack consultation with a Microsoft Partner Technical Consultant^{1, 2}.

• Access to Partner Go-to-market Toolbox with 8 points to elevate your marketing².

¹ Review “Learn more about technical presales and deployment services” section here for in-scope services.
² Expires June 30, 2022.

In addition, all winners and awardees will gain added consideration for:  

• Community partners' feature opportunities (e.g. events)
• #BuildFor2030 campaign feature.³     
• Microsoft Global Social Entrepreneurship Program.³     
• Microsoft Startup Program.³     
• Microsoft AI for Accessibility Grant.³     

Eligibility

The #BuildFor2030 Hackathon welcomes all Microsoft partner organizations!  

Microsoft #BuildFor2030 Hackathon Official Rules     

Participation eligibility*

• You must be eighteen (18) years of age or older to participate. 
• Your organization must be a part of the Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) with a valid MPN ID and active membership.
• By submitting an entry, you represent and warrant that you are authorized to act on behalf of your organization.
• For all entries submitted with a valid MPN ID, the intellectual property of the solution needs to belong to an organization (not an individual), and any prizing associated with the entry is given to the Organization under which the MPN ID is registered.
• Additional requirements apply. Review the full participation eligibility requirements in the official rules.

Can’t find your MPN ID? Visit aka.ms/mpn_id .

Note that organizations will be disqualified if they are based in a nation, state, province, or territory where U.S. or local law prohibits participating in the contest or receiving a prize. 

Entry eligibility* 

• Your entry must address and align to at least one (1) of the #BuildFor2030 themes and challenge statements; and
• Your entry must be developed primarily using Microsoft software and/or hardware; and
• Your entry must be your own original work; and
• Your entry must be either newly created by you and not yet commercially available, or, if the work existed prior to the Entry Period, must have been significantly updated after the start of the Entry Period; and
• Be solely owned by you, your Contest Team with no other person or entity having any right or interest in it; and
• Your entry cannot have been selected as a winner in any other contest; and
• You must have obtained any and all consents, approvals, or licenses required for you to submit your entry; and
• All Entry materials must be in English and
• Additional requirements apply. Review the full entry eligibility requirements in the official rules. 

View the rules and FAQs for more information on how to register your team and submit an entry. 

Judging

Judges will comprise of a team of Microsoft subject matter experts and leaders, as well as from Ashoka, our social impact partner.

Successful entrants will need to demonstrate how their solution, leveraging Microsoft technologies, helps to make a positive social, environmental or community impact, in the context of addressing real world needs and challenges faced by intended customers, users, or beneficiaries. The solution must address one or more #BuildFor2030 themes and challenge statements.

Judging criteria:

• Build for impact: Does the entry make or create something, leveraging Microsoft technologies, that is tangible that can be shown or demonstrated, going beyond an idea?
• Address the Challenge: Does the entry address a Contest theme and challenge statement and present a clear and relevant solution that helps drives positive impact in the world (for example, greater inclusion, equity, sustainability, and resilient communities)?
• Customer Focus: Is the entry clear on who the solution is built for? Does it provide a compelling solution for the customer/user?
• Business Value: Does this project provide business value? For example, does it attract new users, delight current customers, increase revenue, reduce costs, increase usage, retain customers, etc.? 
• Feasibility: Does the project have a reasonable chance of success or possible pathway forward to implementation and delivery to market?
• Inspiration & Energy: Does the idea bring energy, excitement, fresh perspective, novelty, or delight?
• Inclusion: Was the solution built with inclusive design in mind? Did the team consider who is being excluded from the solution being built? How did the team include, consider, and represent input and feedback from the diversity of the customers intended to use the solution being built?

Winners will be announced in January 2022.

Please see full Microsoft #BuildFor2030 Hackathon Official Rules.

FAQ

How do I register my team and submit an entry?

Start by joining the #BuildFor2030 Hackathon Community to get important information and resources. You will be prompted to create a WeChangers account. All team members can join the community. 

When you're ready to register your team, click on "Participate" on this main hackathon landing page to start your entry. You will be using the same WeChangers account login to enter the application portal. Important: Only the primary team member representing your MPN organization should start and submit an entry.

Each team will need to complete all required tasks and fields within the application portal and click submit by the entry submission deadline. Learn more here. 

I am not in a technical role, can I still participate? 

Yes! The #BuildFor2030 Hackathon welcomes team members of all backgrounds to participate. We encourage hack teams consisting of people with different job roles and areas of expertise that align with the design, build, GTM, and sell stages of the product lifecycle, including non-technical roles. 

You can learn more about the hack team roles we suggest within the hack resources within the #BuildFor2030 Hackathon Community. 

How can I become a Microsoft Partner? 

Please visit Partner with Microsoft for more information on becoming a part of the Microsoft Partner Network. 

How can I find my organizations’ MPN ID? 

If your organization is already part of the Microsoft Partner Network, you can visit aka.ms/mpn_id and login with your MPN account to locate your ID. If your organization operates in multiple countries or regions and has multiple MPN IDs, please use the MPN ID aligned with the regional organization you are representing or defer to using your global MPN ID, as appropriate.

We are a team of individuals that work for an organization. Can we enter? 

Yes, employees may enter on behalf of their organization. For all entries submitted with a valid MPN ID, the intellectual property of the solution needs to belong to the Organization (not an individual), and any prizing associated with the entry is given to the Organization under which the MPN ID is registered.

Please see full Microsoft #BuildFor2030 Hackathon Official Rules.

Where can I see all the #BuildFor2030 Hackathon events? Do I have to be hacking to participate? 

Join the #BuildFor2030 Hackathon Community to browse the full program of #BuildFor2030 Hackathon events.  If you are not a part of a hack team, and a Microsoft partner looking to learn more, you can still join our community to participate in events.

Can I form a team with other organizations (e.g., students, academia, nonprofits, customers, technology vendors etc.)? 

Yes, however only employees of Microsoft Partner Network (MPN) organizations with a MPN ID and active membership may submit entries. 

If your team consists of individuals external to your MPN organization, any intellectual property, or legal agreements among members of the hack team are the sole responsibility of the entrant and not Microsoft. 

If you decide to form a team with other MPN organizations, you must choose one MPN organization to represent the submission. 

For all entries submitted with a valid MPN ID, the intellectual property of the solution needs to belong to the Organization (not an individual), and any prizing associated with the entry is given to the Organization under which the MPN ID is registered.

Please see full Microsoft #BuildFor2030 Hackathon Official Rules.

How can I contact you? 

In the #BuildFor2030 Hackathon Community, you can find and attend live chats available for asking questions and connecting with other participating Microsoft partners. You can also email us at: BuildFor2030@microsoft.com.

For technical issues with the website, account log-in or access issues, reach out to support@wechangers.org.

Community Partners

We're excited to have our participating community organizations with us on this changemaking journey, working together to extend our reach and collective impact. 

• Ashoka Changemaker Companies
• Black Channel Partner Alliance
• International Association of Microsoft Channel Partners
• The WIT Network
• Women in Cloud

Join the #BuildFor2030 Hackathon Community  to attend events, share ideas and grow your network with like-minded Microsoft partners and changemakers from partnering community organizations.