Hack the Normal 2022 : Sustainability

We should consider social progress, economic development, climate conditions, and the environment in all the steps we take in order to leave a more liveable world to future generations. This level of social awareness is essential for living sustainability; but, we must also ensure that we have the tools necessary to organise our lives around sustainability.

BEKO, which offers technological and organisational structures that will enable innovative ideas to come to life as well as the projects it carries out to realise its digital transformation vision, will be organised Hack the Normal Sustainability Hackathon on 13-15 May 2022 in cooperation with The Next Web .

When the pursuit of a healthier life became more critical after the pandemic, we realized what we needed to have discovered a long time ago: human health depends on that of our planet, and we need to act responsibly and collaboratively to improve it. To leave a better world for future generations, each of us needs to consider social progress, economic development, climate, and environment in our actions.

Born to encourage ideas for a positive impact on people and the planet and support economies where businesses balance purpose and profit, Hack the Normal online hackathon has been hosted since 2020. Hack the Normal gathers thousands of people worldwide, from students to start-up/scale-up teams willing to positively impact our planet each year. From Africa to Turkey, hundreds of people joined forces online and have already created more than 100 brilliant solutions, making an impact on people's lives.

This year’s host BEKO, offering technologies with 'healthy living is only possible on a healthy planet' vision, joins forces with organizers TNW and FT Talent, and has specifically focused on Europe to be the next stop to inspire ideas from May 13th to 15th, 2022. Talents are called to action; we #ActNow, we #ActTogether! Students, start-ups, SMEs, and anyone with bright ideas to positively impact the world are invited to Hack the Normal Sustainability online hackathon to develop solutions to improve lives and our planet.

Expertise and Technology Focus Areas

Circular Economy

Water Management

Climate Change

  • Receiving Individual and Team Applications

    Creation of an online form containing the contact details of the participants, their current occupation, and their anticipated roles during the hackathon.

  • Selection of Participants

    Participants register via an online form that includes their contact information, open-source username, preferred programming languages, and resource-related interests. Participants are selected according to the hackathon areas.

  • Creation of Teams

    Participants choose teams according to their interests, following the rule that they must be from different fields of expertise.

  • Hackathon

    The teams will receive training in different areas such as problem discovery, research, solution development, prototyping, storytelling, and attend seminars where experts in their fields will take part as speakers. During the hackathon, participants get the chance to develop their projects and refine their ideas by receiving mentorship from experts from different disciplines and fields.

  • Post-Hackathon

    Post hackathon event will be held online and will encourage and prepare the successful and selected hackathon teams to think, act and work like a start-up. Teams will be supported to improve their ideas by an online pre-acceleration program which includes training mentorship and guidance.

Frequenty Asked Questions

Answers to all questions about the programs are here!

Virtual hackathons are online gatherings where attendees build projects together following a theme or goal.

You can apply to Hack the Normal as an individual, a group (min. 2 and max. 6) or as a startup.

- The first, second, and third place winners in each category (challenges: water management, circular economy, climate change) will receive €2000, €1500, and 1000, respectively. - These winning teams will be given the chance to participate in the "Online Accelerator Program" to be held after the hackathon. (Participation is not guaranteed. The company that will run the OPA program will select 3 to 5 teams out of 9 teams together with Beko.) - The same people are given the chance to meet the BEKO top management to be organized after the hackathon. (This is not guaranteed for all teams. The selection will be made by Beko according to the hackathon presentation.) - In addition, an extra 1000€ will be paid to the top 10 selected ideas for product features that can be directly applied to BEKO's product groups, regardless of whether they win in the categories. Incentives concerning such projects will be awarded after conducting the written contracts with the Participants, if necessary. - After the hackathon, 3 to 5 teams among all winning teams will be selected as qualified to participate in the Online PreAccelerator (OPA) program. Teams that completed this OPA program will be awarded €27.000 by separating equally. (The highest amount of money can)

Not at all! This year’s Hack the Normal will be hosted online and we’re expecting applications from all around the world!

We prioritize innovative ideas over growth stages. So, you can submit your projects at any stage (idea, prototype, ready-made product, product pilot, etc.).

Teams can be between 2-6 people. If you are an individual or a smaller team and would like to have other talented people working with you, we will match you with other applicants based on your answers in the application form.

Individuals are eligible to apply to the hackathon, but they are expected to compete as a team. The hackathon organization will match individual applications to form a team based on the profiles. We aim to create diverse teams in terms of demographics and background.

During the team formation phase (see the previous answer), teams that need more members can be matched with other applicants.

No. You can develop your ideas during the hackathon but if you have a POC or idea, we can match you with individuals with whom you share similar interests and expertise.

Startups will have an opportunity to pitch their idea to Beko executives and our global partners. In addition, following the selection process and successful completion of the post-hackathon program, these teams will be able to receive an equal share from €27000 total

All project ideas will be reviewed using 3 criteria: impact (what is the potential sustainability and social impact of this idea?); feasibility (does it use a process or technology currently available?); and commercialization (what is the potential for market adherence?). Please take these into account when detailing your project in the application form.

Post hackathon event will be held online and will encourage and prepare the successful and selected hackathon teams to think, act and work like a start-up. Teams will be supported to improve their ideas by an online pre-acceleration program which includes training mentorship