Spotlight: DigiEduHack 2023 Local Hackathons

As the digital education landscape continues to evolve, the 2023 DigiEduHack Days marked a pivotal moment in the quest for innovative solutions. During an intense 8 days of hacking and co-creation, participants from around the world have showcased their dedication and creativity in addressing some of the most pressing challenges in digital education.

This year's DigiEduHack expanded the trajectory set by the previous editions with remarkable global participation that ultimately translated into 39 hackathons organized across 22 countries in Europe and beyond. This gathering of 1.685 participants brought together diverse perspectives, creating a dynamic environment for the exchange of ideas and the birth of groundbreaking solutions.

In the span of just over a week, teams spread out around the globe, gathered by varied host organisations – from schools to high schools, universities, research centres or non-profit organisations - took on the challenge of co-creating 225 solutions, each addressing different facets of digital education. Belonging to categories such as enhancing access and accessibility, learning spaces and pedagogies or emerging technologies for education (and more that can be found here), each solution encapsulates 24 hours of work and is the result of real teamwork, tailored mentoring and expert judging.

These numbers are tangible proof of the collaborative spirit that defines DigiEduHack. The initiative, known for fostering innovation and creativity, has once again proven its ability to unite individuals from various backgrounds and a shared goal, that of shaping the future of education.

As the hacking phase concludes, the focus now shifts to the next steps in the DigiEduHack journey. Out of all solutions submitted at the local level, each host has chosen one as “local winner”. All local winning solutions then enter the second phase, which is the evaluation by the DigiEduHack Steering Group. This process, starting in early December, will lead to the careful examination of the solutions – a test for their ingenuity and potential for real-world impact.

Following the evaluation, 12 finalist solutions will be announced. This will pave the way for the crucial stage of public voting, where the global community will have the opportunity to voice their support for the solutions they believe hold the most promise.

The final act of this grass-roots innovation exercise will be the announcement of the global winners. These teams and the visionary participants that compose them will not only receive well-deserved recognition but will also have the opportunity to further develop their competences in a line that will ultimately help bring their ideas closer to actual, real-life implementation. The full list of awards can be consulted here. 

As we wrap up the 2023 DigiEduHack Days, one thing is for sure: the impact of this global collaboration is undoubtedly resonating far beyond the in-person, virtual or hybrid hackathon rooms. It is a testament to the power of a collaborative, expert-driven environment, and it comes to show that by putting people at the centre of digital education and giving them a tool, a grass-roots innovation initiative like DigiEduHack, they become actively involved in the shaping of the future of digital education. 

Stay tuned for the unfolding of the next chapters in this exciting journey. We are just getting started!