DIGITAL ID AFRICA HACKATHON (THE “HACKATHON”) OFFICIAL RULES

NO PURCHASE OR PAYMENT NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING. 

SUBMISSION OF ANY ENTRY CONSTITUTES AGREEMENT TO THESE OFFICIAL RULES.

THE ORGANISERS OF THE HACKATHON RESERVE THE RIGHT TO SETTLE ANY AMBIGUITIES AND SELECT WINNERS AT THEIR DISCRETION. 

DATES

Stage 1: Ideation Phase

  • Launch & Info Dissemination: November 29th 
  • Digital ID Course: TBA. Specific details will be posted in the forums, email, and social media. 
  • Idea Submission Deadline: February 8th

Stage 2: Shortlisting & Development

  • Announcement of Shortlisted Ideas: February 9th
  • Prototype Development: February 9th - March 23rd
  • Solution Submission Deadline: March 23rd

Stage 3: Evaluation & Recognition

  • Solution Assessment: March 23rd - 31st
  • Award Ceremony: April 11th
ELIGIBILITY

Participants:

Citizens of the select countries can participate in the hackathon by forming a team of 2-5 members. However, the participation will be restricted to people residing in countries covered. To foster inclusivity, teams will be required to have at least one active female participant. Additionally, a nationality exception for refugees residing in the allowed countries will be permitted to participate. Participation will be limited to students currently enrolled in accredited universities at undergraduate, graduate or doctoral levels in countries covered.

Age: All participants must be 18 or older.
Gender: At least one active participant on the team must be a female. 
Qualifications:  Teams are encouraged to have at least one member with a STEM qualifications that will assist in prototyping.
Region: Participation is open to individuals from: Northern, Western and Central, Eastern, and Southern Africa (all African countries).
Previous Projects: Participants may use new or existing projects as long as they have full and uncontested rights to the intellectual property, copyrights and trademarks used (see Intellectual Property for details).

PROJECT AND SUBMISSION REQUIREMENTS
What to Create

We have developed a template that will guide you in bringing out the best aspects of your idea. This template must be filled as-is to give your idea the best chance of winning.

Download the Submission Template: [Find the Template Here] (Fill this out before submitting)

What to submit:

  • Completed submission template as a PDF: Ensure your completed template is converted into a PDF document.Keep the file size between 10MB and 35MB for easy submission.

  • Submission via Devpost: Head over to the “My Projects” tab, create a project and follow the prompts to upload and submit your completed PDF template. You edit your submission any number of times before the deadline.

A team may submit only one entry. The submission may be edited any number of times before the deadline and only the final submission after the deadline will be considered.

Submission Deadline: All idea submissions are due by Sunday, February 22nd, 2026 at 11:59 PM UTC

Intellectual Property

Your Submission must: (a) be your (or your Team) original work product; (b) be solely owned by you, your Team with no other person or entity having any right or interest in it; and (c) not violate the intellectual property rights or other rights including but not limited to copyright, trademark, patent, contract, and/or privacy rights, of any other person or entity. An Entrant may not contract with a third party for technical assistance to create the Submission. An Entrant may submit a Submission that includes the use of open source software or hardware, provided the Entrant complies with applicable open source licenses and, as part of the Submission, creates software that enhances and builds upon the features and functionality included in the underlying open source product. By entering the Hackathon, you represent, warrant, and agree that your Submission meets these requirements.

Publicity

By participating in the Hackathon, Entrant consents to the promotion and display of the Entrant’s Submission, and to the use of personal information about themselves for promotional purposes, by the Sponsor, Administrator, and third parties acting on their behalf. Such personal information includes, but is not limited to, your name, likeness, photograph, voice, opinions, comments and hometown and country of residence. It may be used in any existing or newly created media, worldwide without further payment or consideration or right of review, unless prohibited by law. Authorized use includes but is not limited to advertising and promotional purposes.

CODE OF CONDUCT

While participating or present in physical and/or virtual spaces used by the hackathon for example; the award venue, Discord channels, webinars and Devpost platform, you are expected to conduct yourself in a manner that is respectful of the space and others in the space. For more details on the code of conduct, visit https://hackcodeofconduct.org. If the organisers deem your behaviour harmful to the hackathon, you may be expelled from the competition and associated spaces.

JUDGING CRITERIA AND WINNER SELECTION

A detailed rubric will be used to evaluate your presentations and demos, ensuring a fair and transparent review process. This rubric will be shared with participants at a later stage. Here’s a sneak peek at the key criteria:

1. Novelty & Creativity (25%)

"Don't just build another login screen."

We are looking for a breadth of use cases. Digital ID can be used for Agriculture, Health, Supply Chains, Education, and Refugees—not just Banking.

  • What Judges Ask: Is this a copy-paste of an existing ID card? Or is this a fresh application of the technology?
  • How to Score High: Apply Digital ID to a "neglected" sector. Solving a problem in a rural supply chain is often more creative than solving a problem in a city bank.

2. Impact & Community Benefits (25%)

"Solve a wicked problem, and do no harm."

We want ideas that change lives, not just ideas that offer convenience.

  • What Judges Ask: Who benefits? Does this help the marginalized (unbanked, rural, refugees)?
  • Ethical Check: You must demonstrate Ethical Awareness. Acknowledge that data is sensitive. If your idea exploits users or puts them at risk, it will score low.
  • How to Score High: Explicitly identify your target community (e.g., "Farmers in regions with < 20% internet penetration") and explain how this idea changes their daily lives.

3. Feasibility & Practicality (15%)

"Is it Sci-Fi, or is it Real?"

Since this is the Ideation phase, we do not expect code or perfect security architectures. However, your logic must be grounded in reality.

  • What Judges Ask: Does this technology actually exist today? Is it affordable?
  • How to Score High: Be realistic. If you propose using "Drone-based retina scanners" in a village with no electricity, you will score a 1.

4. Relevance to African Context (15%)

"Design for the reality on the ground."

Your solution must work in the real African context, not just in Silicon Valley.

  • What Judges Ask: Does this require an iPhone 15 and 5G? Does it assume the user can read perfectly?
  • How to Score High: Inclusion is key. Ensure your idea works for people with:

    • Low literacy (uses voice or icons).

    • Basic devices (feature phones).

    • Spotty or no internet connection (offline first).

5. Clarity & Documentation (15%)

"Structure your ideas like a professional."

A major goal of this hackathon is to prepare you for professional research and grant writing.

  • What Judges Ask: Is the problem clearly stated? Are arguments backed by data? Is it easy to read?

  • How to Score High:

    • Use clear headings.

    • Cite your sources (e.g., "According to the World Bank...").

    • Check your spelling and flow. A messy document suggests a messy idea.

6. Adoption & Engagement (5%)

"How do we get people to use it?"

The best idea in the world fails if nobody adopts it.

  • What Judges Ask: Do they have a plan to roll this out?
  • How to Score High: Don't just say "We will use social media." Be specific.

Judging Process:

  • Stage 1: A selection committee will review idea submissions based on the rubric and select the most promising projects to advance.
  • Stage 2: Judges will evaluate the functionality, presentation and code of the prototypes of best 4-5 teams to the rubric to select finalists.
  • Stage 3: Finalists will present their projects live, and judges will select the winners based on the rubric criteria.