Hawaii Annual Code Challenge

State of Hawaii Calls on Programmers to Help Improve Government

To engage the local tech community in the modernization of Hawaii state government, Gov. David Y. Ige and the Office of Enterprise Technology Services (ETS) presented the first Hawaii Annual Code Challenge (HACC) from Aug. 27 to Sept. 24, 2016.

The purpose of the HACC is to bring local talent together to develop modern tools and applications to provide enhanced government services to the public. The event also provides opportunities for students to network and show off their skills to the public and private-sector professional communities.

Month-Long “Code Challenge” Takes Hackathon Model to a New Level

A first of its kind in Hawaii, the HACC is based on the concept of a hackathon, a problem-solving event that brings together creative individuals over a set duration. Hackathons serve a variety of purposes, from exploring a new technology or programming language to encouraging economic growth through technology development, and they are often sponsored by companies, nonprofit groups, and other organizations. Rather than the traditional around-the- clock development over a single day or weekend, HACC offers an extended period for development over one month.

The expanded month-long timeframe is being provided to encourage solutions that not only meet immediate needs and/or serve desired functions, but also are appropriately matched with technologies and platforms in use or being considered by the state, increasing viability for implementation and long-term sustainability.