The Raccoons is an online community that empowers students who are eager to learn by providing an environment for them to explore, build, and create. With the sudden changes our world is facing, now it is more important than ever to facilitate a general knowledge of STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) skills, as those are increasingly important to almost all fields. The Raccoons team has decided to bring an online experience aimed at students with any level of experience and tries to foster an environment for curiosity towards tech and exploration by offering workshops and mentors, teaching the basics of coding and technology.
8th of May - 11th of May
ONLINE STEM HACKATHON
As a final stage of the six-week adventure, all the participants will build a creative digital project in teams showing off the skills gathered over the course. The tinkering and hacking will all happen online, encouraging groups to collaborate efficiently using the latest tools for project management and remote work.
STEP 1 - Register and Submit your idea on Devpost Here
STEP 2 - Join Slack and Find a Team Here
STEP 3 - Read the Guidelines
STEP 4 - Follow the Agenda in Devpost + Slack
Here is a rundown of the timeline of the hackathon. We will keep updating it as the event comes closer.
All times shown in the GMT+3 timezone
8th of May
9th of May
10th of May
What is a hackathon?
A hackathon is best described as an “invention marathon”. Anyone who has an
interest in technology attends a hackathon to learn, build & share their creations
over the course of a weekend in a relaxed and welcoming atmosphere.
Who can apply?
It is open to anyone up to the age of 25, from any country, regardless of skills and background. We are beginner-friendly - all you need is the willingness to learn!
why should i participate?
1. Gain and improve programming skills and challenge yourself creatively.
2. Meet new like-minded people and learn to collaborate online.
3. Work on projects that you can add to your portfolio that showcase your talent when applying to positions at companies.
how does an online hackathon work?
The communication and the organisation of the event happens by the use of online tools. You can register for the event and share ideas in Devpost, brainstorm with others, communicate with your team, ask for help in Slack, attend opening ceremonies, workshops and entertainment activities such as games or film screenings via Zoom or Twitch and work on your projects using Miro, Git or other team collaboration tools at hand.
Great, how do i join in?
What are tracks?
Tracks are kinds of themes that we have defined within the hackathon, that should inspire you and help you to define an idea that you can work on. It will also help us to judge different projects according to their goal and take different criteria and intentions for each one in mind.
what if I don't have a team?
Not to worry - we will have online team building activities to help you find a suitable team. They will be announced in Slack and will take place from the 7th till the 9th of May. Plus the hackathon requirements are that you must work on an idea within a team from 1 to max 6 people, so you can also work alone in case you feel like it.
What is the
end result?
At The Racoons, the goal is to encourage learning, digital skills and freedom
to experiment and make mistakes, as well as build new things and ideas. Therefore,
participants are free to choose whether to present their projects and be eligible for
the prizes!
The hackathon ambassadors and mentors during the event are themselves young coders and entrepreneurs to look up
to. They bring experience in startups, mentoring, and hacking,host workshops and offer help throughout.
JĀNIS
VEĢIS
Specialising in UX/ Product design, Hackathon veteran.
Founder at Finch.
AUSTRIS
CĪRULNIEKS
Full stack developer,
Software Engineer at Alta Flora &
Engineering Student at Aalto University.
AIVA
STAŅĒVIČA
Front-end, HTML, CSS, JavaScript. Senator at the
University of Latvia.
EMILS
SYUNDYUKOV
Computer Scientist.
Lecturer at University of Latvia & Co-founder at Koatum.
ELVISS
STRAZDIŅŠ
Game design, C++.
Board Member at
GameDev & Engineer at Sonarworks.
LĪNA
MARTA SARMA
Computer Scientist and Creative Coder, member of Riga Tech Girls and CEO at The Raccoons.
RIHARDS GRĀVIS
Full stack developer,
Junction hack veteran, Software Engineer at RoboCorp.
OSKARS CIRSIS
Creative Director & Partner at WRONG. Universal digital craftsman - mastering from GIFs to 3D.
CLAUDIO
RIVERA
Baccalaureate Programs (BBA and BITL)Director.
Co-founder of GoBeyond.
GEORGIJS
PLISKA
Computer Scientist, Full stack developer, Technical Director at OrglabMedia.
KRIŠS
PUJATS
CoFounder at SSS, Full Stack Developer.
ANTON
YAKUTOVICH
Testing, particularly back-end services and API's for web. Uses Python/Java for test automation.
MAZEN
ZIBARA
Mobile App development, Swift in React Native.
LEO
SELAVO
Co-director of Content and Lecturer (Computer Science) at Riga
Business School
JĀNIS
GRĒVIŅŠ
Director of Riga Business School at Riga Technical University
