World Engineering Day (WED) for Sustainable Development is celebrated on the 4th of March every year as a UNESCO international day promoting the profile of engineers and engineering. WED is an opportunity to engage with governments, organizations, universities, industries, media and the community to address the need for engineers around the world to develop strategic frameworks and best practices for the implementation of engineering solutions for Sustainable Development.

In 2022, The World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) and its members and partners are hosting the HACKATHON which is an international event with a goal to involve engineering students from all over the globe in the celebration of the World Engineering Day.

The WFEO committee, Young Engineers / Future Leaders (YE/FL), is a motivated team of young engineers that work voluntarily to acknowledge and celebrate the young voices of the Engineering profession. Firas Bou Diab is the Chair of this committee, and is delighted to encourage engineering students from all universities to participate in this worldwide competition and work in teams to present engineering solutions for a global problem that is affiliated to the WED2022 Theme: Build Back Wiser – Engineering the Future.

The Hackathon is hosted by the World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO), its members and partners. Partners include the International Engineering Alliance, the International Federation of Engineering Education Societies, the Global Engineering Deans Council and Engineers Without Borders-International who are working with WFEO to create comprehensive and relevant engineering challenges that align with the 2022 World Engineering Day theme, Build Back Wiser: Engineering the Future, and which will encourage engineering students to develop solutions that advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.

All times noted are in Paris, France timezone

• November - open to register your team
• 10 Jan 2022 - Challenges released
• 23 Jan 2022 - Round 1 submissions due
• 14 Feb 2022 - Round 1 winners announced
• 15 Feb 2022 - Criteria for Round 2 released
• 2 March 2022 - Round 2 submissions due
• 4 March 2022 - Winner announced during WED 24HR Live feed

Students around the world are invited to participate in the WED Hackathon, that address engineering challenges developed by the World Federation of Engineering Organizations in collaboration with its partners in international engineering and the Engineers Without Borders International network.

Participants will get an opportunity to apply principles they are learning in universities to solve real engineering problems. Further, participants will gain insight into the complexities involved when working within a team trying to solve a challenge within tight time constraints. These types of challenges serve to motivate the students to dig deeper into their engineering education, in order to solve these very real problems.

The HACKATHON competition will take students beyond textbook theory by enabling them to design, build, and test the performance of a real project and then compete with other students from around the world in exciting and intense competition. The competition prepares undergraduate and graduate students in a variety of disciplines for future employment in industries by challenging them with a hands-on, team engineering experience that also requires budgeting, communication, project management, and resource management skills.

The notable prestige that comes with winning or even competing in this HACKATHON will expose participants to additional activities that will help them navigate through their degree in terms of professional opportunities and will also provide networking experiences with experts, who can serve as valuable resources in their collegiate work, as well as advocates for future internships. Participants will also gain valuable exposure with recruiters from leading companies in the industry to help land their first engineering job after graduation.

Round one is a written submission round. Participants will be required to make their official submission within 2 weeks of the Hackathon Challenge announcement. Entries must provide a detailed submission of their solution for judging. The top 8-10 entries will be identified and qualify for the next round.

Round two is a video submission. Finalists will be required to create and submit a video presentation of their solution and work. Finalist videos will be aired during the global World Engineering Day 24HRS LIVE stream, with the winner announced LIVE on air on March 4th 2022.

Are both graduate and undergraduate students allowed to participate?

Yes, teams can be made up on most levels of university students. Only PhD level is not eligible

Does the team have to be all from the same university?

No, we can accept teams which are made up of a number of universities

When will the finalists be announced?

Round 1 Finalists will be announced 14 Feb 2022

Can I receive a certificate of participation?

Yes, we will send you a prompt to make this request after your Round 1 submission has been made.

Is there any cost to participating?

There is no cost in participating. Please note our sponsors, for without their support we would not be able to put on such a worthwhile event.

How will I receive the challenge?

The challenge will be released on this website on the 10 Jan 2022. Registered Team Captains will also receive the link to the Challenges.

When does the registration period end?

Registration ends 23 Jan when Round 1 closes.

What is the maximum number of participants allowed per team?

Teams are to be made up of 3 - 5 students, with a majority being engineering students.

How should my Round 1 solution be presented?

This is a word document which must be in English. Further detail will be released with the Challenge.

Can we see an example of the winning case solution from the last years?

2022 is the first year, so we don't have an example to show at this time.

I've made it through Round 1! What format is Round 2 in?

Congratulations! Round 2 takes a video format. This can be in your prefer language, but must have English subtitles. Further information will be released to the team captains upon confirmation of your Finalist status.

Who is WFEO?

The World Federation of Engineering Organisations (WFEO) is the body which created this hackathon event.

What is World Engineering Day?

Discover more here

Who came up with the Hackathon challenges?

WFEO partnered with Engineers Without Borders International (EWB) and utilised their great knowledge and experience in creating challenges. EWB worked closely with WFEO to ensure the challenges aligned with the WED theme for 2022 and were able to highlight some challenges engineers are facing towards the UN SDGs.

Entry and Eligibility

The World Engineering Day Hackathon will be open to:

1. 1. Any student attending any university or engineering school, for the entirety of 2021;
   2. Entries are open to undergraduate and graduate students, excluding PhD. (Add details in FAQ)
   3. Entries must be made by a group of 2 to 5 individuals working as a team;
   4. The team must contain at least 50% of students enrolled in an engineering degree
   5. Entrants will be required to provide evidence of their eligibility under these rules as a part of their submission. Example of evidence is a university ID card.
   6. An individual may only participate in a single team. They cannot work across multiple teams.
   7. Participants from each team do not need to be restricted to the same university or country
   8. Submission 1 entries (written) must be provided in English.
   9. Submission 2 entries (video) can be in any language, but must have English subtitles.

Intellectual Property

The entrants retain ownership of their designs.

The entrant’s licence WFEO and the World Engineering Day Committee to use and modify for use their photographs, video and any written content as a part of promoting the Hackathon, the winners and the event.

1st: EUR 4,000

2nd: EUR 2,000

3rd: EUR 1,000

All prizes are to be given as a team, not as individuals

Details coming soon.

There will be up to 30 judges in Round One and up to 10 judges in Round Two.

We're currently seeking sponsorship partners to join us for this exciting new program. If you would like to hear more please click here