Winners tackle coding challenge and share in
$40,000 in prizes
TORONTO, March 26, 2015 /CNW/ - After 48 grueling hours of
coding and an intense day of presentations to a panel of judges,
the Canadian Open Data Experience (CODE) hackathon winners were
announced at a ceremony held at The Burroughes Building in
Toronto. The Grand Finale event
marked the final step of the hackathon presented by XMG Studio Inc.
and the Government of Canada.
CODE is a hackathon that focuses on using open data to
accelerate innovation and improve Canadians' lives by connecting
people to information and services. This year competing teams
demonstrated this focus through apps that re-imagine useful data
from open.canada.ca for Canadians looking to make informed choices
about their career, health and business decisions.
About 1300 tech enthusiasts from across the country competed
during the hackathon. From a field of over 300 teams, the Top 15
were invited to present their ideas live to a panel of industry
experts. The Grand Prize was awarded to Team Niew Labs with
their application Career Path by Niew
Labs. The application is aimed at helping Canadian youth
discover, research and choose future career paths. The team
consists of Jigdel Kuyee, Rob
McDiarmid, and Daniil
Shevelev of Toronto and
Lev Perelman of Vaughan, ON.
"CODE 2015 has been an inspiring experience, showcasing a wealth
of Canadian talent, from developers and designers to budding
entrepreneurs," said the Honourable Tony Clement, President of the
Treasury Board and official facilitator of CODE. "All participants
demonstrated the potential open data has for job creation,
opportunities in the high tech field, and future innovation."
CODE was pleased to award the following prizes:
- $15,000 for the CODE Grand
Champion:
- Team Niew Labs with
Career Path by Niew Labs
- $5,000 for Category winners:
- Commerce: Business Opportunities:
- Team Farm Canada with
Farm Canada - Location:
Calgary, AB - Participated
virtually
- Quality of Life: Healthy Living
- Team Neighbourfood with Neighbourfood
Location: Vancouver, BC -
Participated from Vancouver VIP HUB
- Youth: Youth Employment
- Team Niew Labs with
Career Path by Niew Labs
Location: Toronto, ON -
Participated virtually
- $5,000 for the Best Student Team
Submission:
- Team SFU Data Crunchers with High School Down, Where
Next?
Location: Burnaby, BC -
Participated virtually
- $5,000 for the Fan Favourite:
- Team Bear Paws with COFY
Location:
Richmond, BC – Participated from
Vancouver VIP HUB
The winners were picked from the top 15 entries of over 300
teams from across Canada. They
were selected by a team of industry experts, evaluating each
application by its user experience, use of open data and market
potential.
"Congratulations to this year's CODE winners, who represent the
best of Canadian-made talent. Their original applications showcase
the unlimited potential of open data—an important part of our
government's plan for Canadians to take advantage of opportunities
in the digital age," said the Honourable James Moore, Minister of
Industry and CODE facilitator. "We will continue to provide
Canadians with the tools and skills they need to excel in an
increasingly digital economy."
CODE 2015 hackers participated across the country through the
three VIP HUBs and Partner HUBs, or by participating virtually from
their homes, schools or local coffee shops. CODE 2015 would not be
possible without the support of sponsors and like-minded
organizations: the Government of Canada, IBM, Cognition LLP, Communitech,
Digital Ocean and Namecheap, as well as the CODE VIP HUB Location
Sponsors BCTIA, Notman House, and
OneEleven.
To learn more about the teams and their submissions, please
click here. For more information on
CODE: www.canadianopendataexperience.ca
Click here to download B-roll of the CODE Pitch Day
presentations. Pictures of the CODE Grand Finale will also be
available for download on March
27th, 2015. Please visit:
canadianopendataexperience.ca/GrandFinale
About XMG Studio:
XMG Studio Inc. is an
award-winning developer and publisher of mobile games. Founded in
late 2009, XMG has developed a track record for innovation
excellence in mobile gaming including the release of critically
acclaimed games downloadable on your iOS, Android, and Windows
Phone devices. Based in Toronto, XMG is one of the largest indie
mobile game studios in Canada. Named as one of the top global
mobile games developers to watch by popular media, XMG is
focused on providing creative expression through gameplay for
all fans of fun.
SOURCE CODE 2015: Canadian Open Data Experience