“Dream it. Code it. Win it.” has been launched to celebrate creativity in the craft of Computer Science. Cristina Dolan, the MIT Club of New York, MIT Enterprise Forum of New York City, and TradingScreen launched the inaugural Create-A-Thon in October 2013, and a panel of visionaries awarded finalists prizes totaling $70,000 at the grand event in New York City on April 30th, 2014.
The purpose of “Dream it. Code it. Win it.” is to promote creativity, diversity, and literacy in the computer science field among students. Computer science is a fun discipline that anyone can pursue, as the internet has made it easier to access the tools and resources needed to learn how to code.
“Dream it. Code it. Win it.” Contest
The “Dream it. Code it. Win it.” contest was open to students enrolled at an accredited institution at the high school and university level. Participants were to submit a video that showcases a tool they coded that solves a problem affecting them or their peers. Submissions came in a wide variety, and there was an abundance of cellphone apps, webpages, and robotics. The objective was to use creativity to solve a problem in a novel way, and the submission page was hosted on the Dream it. Code it. Win it. Facebook page.
Judging
Submissions were judged by a panel of volunteers based on creativity, execution, and presentation.
Submissions Received
“Dream it. Code it. Win it.” received over 100 submissions at the college and high school level. Students from schools across the United States, including Harvard, University of Pennsylvania, New York University, and Princeton entered the contest with creative submissions.
Over 50 percent of the submissions were made by young women. According to VentureBeat, women make up only 11 percent of the participants in “hackathons.”
Third Annual "Dream it. Code it. Win it." Contest 