2023 Recap: A Quarterly Review of DigiEduHack's 4th Upscaled and Expanded Edition
As we prepare to step into the new year, we’d like to take a moment to reflect on the journey that has unfolded since the announcement of the return of DigiEduHack. Ten months have passed since we kicked off preparations for the upscaled and expanded 4th edition, and a lot has happened since! Here’s our 2023 recap!
The first months of the year were dedicated to the outreach and registration of 1) hosts – enthusiastic individuals eager to bring the initiative to life at the local level; and 2) participants – the do-ers, people ready to join a challenge, collaborate with teammates and co-create solutions for the future of digital education.
Simultaneously, we launched a series of educational webinars. hosted by experts in the field who provided invaluable insights into the challenges and future of digital education; produced the second season of DigiEduHack, the Podcast; established the DigiEduHack Community on Discord where hosts, participants, and experts in digital education come together for continuous conversations about the future of education.
With all this previous preparation, hosts and participants, mentors and judges, completely immersed into the world of digital education and innovation during the DigiEduHack Days. This major milestone, spread along 8 days – from the 6th to the 13th of November, gathered digital education enthusiasts in 39 local hackathons, organised in 22 countries on both EU and global levels, and resulting in 225 submitted solutions and the recognition of 37 local winners.
Immediately after the DigiEduHack days, we wrapped up the most active part of this edition with the Main Stage Event, which took place in Madrid, on November 13, 2023. It brought together high-level political representatives and speakers for captivating speeches and dynamic panel discussions. Built around DigiEduHack's 2023 theme, "Putting people at the center of Digital Education”, the event spotlighted the hackathon days, showcasing the spirit of DigiEduHack with videos and testimonials from participants. Notably, 2023's Main Stage event was co-hosted by the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union.
Last but not least, the evaluation period began in December 2023, and is ongoing. Our dedicated Steering Group members are currently evaluating the local winning solutions and we will announce who our finalists are on February 8. This will launch us into the next phase of the initiative: the public voting that will decide which solutions are the global winners of DigiEduHack 2023. Check our awards here.
The achievements listed above constitute the stepping stones for what lies ahead. While the testimonials of DigiEduHack participants and hosts have already highlighted the impact of the initiative in the lives of those who get involved and participate, we look forward to discovering the 12 finalist teams and to disseminating their ideas, as we are convinced you would find them inspiring. Stay tuned for further updates!
