5G For Change FAQ
The Webby 5G For Change Hackathon Presented by Verizon is your opportunity to assemble a team and come up with your most game-changing 5G idea. Four finalists will come to New York City and pitch their final presentations to an impressive group of jurors for a chance for $50,000 and a Webby-winning moment on stage at The 26th Annual Webby Awards.
Here are some common questions you might have during the process and as always, if you can’t find an answer below, please reach out to Webby Producer, Esther Hoff at esther.hoff@webbyawards.com
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What makes 5G so special?
5G is ultra-fast, ultra-powerful and increasingly in more and more places.
It is the 5th generation of mobile technology – the next step that will eventually replace 4G throughout the world. The move to 5G gives consumers and businesses a faster, more responsive and overall more powerful experience. What does that mean in real terms? Uploading pictures, or videos faster, even in crowded areas when 4G can’t handle the load. It also means downloading is quicker. For home internet, it means replacing fiber-optic cable with a faster wireless connection that comes right through your wall or window.
We created an entire FAQ devoted to 5G. Check it out here.
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How can we learn more about 5G?
You can learn all there is to know about 5G at our special 5G Tech FAQ.
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What exactly does “for change” mean?
It really means just that: What’s the passion project you’ve been thinking about to make the world a better place? What do you and your colleagues feel needs fixing? We’ve experienced so much over the last few years and continue to face new challenges, so how can 5G technology help us find solutions?
Here’s your chance to make a change!
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How do you apply?
When you’ve assembled your team and have come up with your big idea, head on over to our submission page and make sure to fill it out and hit that ‘submit’ button by Friday, April 1, 2022.
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How will The Webby Awards select the participating teams?
You tell us? Why should we pick your team? How has your idea integrated 5G technology? We didn’t want to make the submission process too intensive, so you have just two questions to send our way.
Your idea and your expertise are the key criteria you’ll be judged on in this early submission phase. We also encourage every team to have a diverse make up which will factor into the winning submission.
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Are there any mandatory dates and time commitments for participation in the hackathon?
Yes, we expect all finalists to join us for the dates and activities listed below.
Virtual (full team)
April 14: Kickoff & Orientation Session
April 15 – 28: Virtual Competition and Mentor Sessions
In Person (two representative team members)
April 29: Hackathon finalist teams present their ideas to a panel of judges in NYC
May 16: The big moment: finalist teams will attend The Webby Awards in NYC, where the winning team will be announced and receive an award onstage.
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Do we need a developer or engineer on our team? Will we need to build a prototype?
Ideally your team would have at minimum someone with an understanding of the capabilities of 5G. That could be a developer or an engineer, or perhaps a creative technologist or strategist. Do you need to build a prototype? It’s not required but with 2 weeks to hack away as a finalist, your goal is to wow the judges with a truly stunning presentation. Would a prototype contribute to that? That’s for you to decide 🙂
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Are there any restrictions on how the prize money can be spent?
Barring any illegal activities, there are no limitations or conditions for how the prize money can be spent.
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Does it have to be technologically-related?
Yes. As an initiative of the Webby Awards and our partners at Verizon, the internet and the capabilities that 5G provides internet users should be core to your idea. Part of the criteria the judges will use will be the integration of 5G in within your idea.
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If our team is not based in New York, can you still compete?
Yes, and we’ll help cover expenses for your team’s two representatives to travel to NYC.
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What if our team representatives can’t travel to NYC?
There’s truly no place like New York City. And as the city begins to reopen, your team’s presence in NYC for both the pitch competition AND the Webby show will factor into the determination of the finalists.
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Will we be the sole owners of the intellectual property and also be able to develop it further to make it our own?
Yes, you will remain sole owners of the IP of your idea with the hope that you will continue to pursue it towards a tangible reality. Neither The Webby Awards nor Verizon will have any ownership of youridea. We hope that you will develop it further to make it your own and create real change in the world.
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If you don’t want to appear in photo or video footage of the competition, can you still compete?
A major part of the hackathon is capturing your thinking and creative decision points, so interview footage and footage of the pitch competition itself will be an integral part of the finalists’ involvement and ultimately the winning team’s big Webby moment.
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Can a team submit more than one solution to the briefing? (Same team members, but more than one idea in different submissions.)).
Sure. We are really hoping for ideas that can lead to real change. So the more great ideas our judges have to choose from the better. Just make sure it’s a Webby-winning idea that incorporates the internet and 5G and feel free to submit multiple ideas.
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Can a team member (Member A, for example), team up with other creatives and apply with a different solution on a different team?
Not a problem. In the pursuit for a world-changing 5G idea, who are we to limit team members to just a single team. Feel free to mix and match. The end goal is the same — the strongest ideas will be selected as finalists.
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Are we meant to use the $50K prize to create that change? Like literally?
No. The $50k is for you and your team members. Sure, if you want to use it to kickstart your Webby-winning idea, go for it. If you want to use it towards another fantastic idea, you can use it for that as well. How you use the prize money is up to you.
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Are we presenting an idea of how 5G can improve society?
Yes, that’s the brief exactly. How would you utilize 5G internet to fix a problem or provide a solution to something that has evolved over the last few years as a real problem in the world.
