Call for entries: Seedstars global Digital Democracy Challenge

Seedstars has announced for submission of entries into its global Digital Democracy Challenge, a hackathon that seeks to provide innovative solutions that strengthen and promote digital democracy.

The program is looking for innovative and cost-effective solutions that can help citizens, activists, civil society actors, disenfranchised political actors engage in the democratic process, exchange ideas and provide first-hand accounts of government activities.

According to Seedstars, the theme of the challenge comes from the growing decline of democracy around the world.

Seedstars said in a statement that “The hackathon calls for socially committed citizens worldwide, problem solvers, creative minds, democracy experts, programmers, graphic and web designers to come together in a 72-hour collaborative digital process.”

“It will finish on a Demo Day where the participants will pitch in front of a jury. The top three solutions will be selected and the winners will receive prize money of $10K USD for first place, $8K USD for second place, and $6K USD for third.”

The Swiss-based group regularly holds programmes and challenges around the world. It also has a fund dedicated to investing in African startups, which made its first investment in 2020.

This challenge, however, is not location-based — and is therefore open to applicants from around the world.

How to apply for the Seedstars Digital Democracy Challenge

Teams that want to apply for the challenge need to have at least three members. You must also already have an idea or minimum viable product for the hackathon.

Your solution will need to address certain key challenges outlined by the hackathon, which include:

• Populations cannot rely on face-to-face or in-person meetings for civic participation.
• Internet restrictions due to government shutdowns or throttling.
• The suspension of major social media platforms by governments.
• Media censorship.
• Government disinformation and misinformation campaigns.
• Digital surveillance of citizens by authorities, including the persecution of dissidents and critics.

The deadline for applications is 13 September, after which participants will be selected on 18 September.

The hackathon is billed to take place between 29 September and 1 October, with winners announced on 1 October.

In the application, you will be asked to provide your country, team name, and team members. You will also need to explain your solution, the stage of development, the target customer, and your startup’s business model.

To apply, you can visit the Seedstars Digital Democracy Challenge website

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