SXSW invites hackers, creators, makers, and coders to converge to solve problems, create new tools, and push the boundaries of existing tech across entertainment media from Tuesday, March 12 through Wednesday, March 13. Over the course of 24 hours during SXSW, hackers collaborate and compete in three media categories that span the rich universe of SXSW: Music, VR/AR, AI and blockchain.

Questions our hackers can/will address within or across each category:

Commerce & Industry – How is money getting to artists, creators, and rights-holders and can emerging technologies like blockchain, micropayments, or micro-licensing help facilitate and manage the process? How can creatives connect with the right industry players to mutually further careers?

Creation and Performance – How can musicians, VR/AR designers and other creatives use tech to produce, perform, and display in new ways? What tools can be created to make the process easier or more inventive?

Distribution – With the fragmentation of distribution systems, physical media, and streaming options, how do creators get their work out to the public and in front of the ideal audience?

Consumer – How can we improve the fan, customer, listener, viewer or user experience?

Cross-discipline – How can creators collaborate more easily and more creatively across audio, visual, and immersive fields?

Participating hackers get to show off their skills, play with the coolest APIs and SDKs from each category, work with our Artist/Entrepreneurs-in-Residence, and present to high-profile industry celeb judges in one crazy, marathon 24-hour coding experience. A variety of programming/hacking expertise is welcome to join, and you can apply solo, as part of an existing team, or be partnered up with other hackers during the event!

The winning teams will be awarded cash prizes and the opportunity to join the SXSW Hackathon Incubator, working with a group of industry mentors to fine tune their projects March 14-15.

Mentors 
  • Erin Frankenheimer, Entertainment Relations at Tunecore
  • Chase Farmer, Co-Founder of Show Sparker
  • Helen Sartory, Head of Emerging Technologies at Lazard
  • Ann Greenberg, CEO at Entertainment AI
  • Hazel Savage, CEO at Musiio

Developer-in-Residence is Chase Farmer, Co-Founder at ShowSparker.
Musician-in-Residence is Sereda
Filmmakers-in-Residence are Jack Henry Robbins, Anya Raza, and Shaheen Nazerali.

Eligibility

Only hackers who applied and been accepted into the event will be allowed to participate.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$28,500 in prizes

1st Place

$3000

2nd Place

$2000

3rd Place

$1000

R9B

$500 to R9B winning team

Buzz Angle Music (2)

$200 person to winning team

Eluvio (2)

JVC headphones $100 each.

Miro - formerly RealTime Board (2)

$250 per person gift cards to winning team

Native Instruments (2)

Keyboard and Software bundles!

R3

$100 gift cards for winning team "Best Use of Corda Blockchain"

Qloo

$1,000 prize and 6 months of free enterprise access to Qloo's API

Universal Music Group/ Capitol360

1 Week of Incubation at the Capitol Records Tower in Hollywood &
5 Capitol Records Gift Bags $500 value

Cox Automative

Nintendo Switch and a Holly Stone Shadow drone

Show Sparker

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

How to enter

The Hackathon is free and is open to coders of all skill levels and specialties. Anyone with programming/hacking expertise is welcome to join and can apply solo, as part of an existing team, or be partnered up with other hackers during the event. Entry Deadline: March 5, 2019. SXSW is now accepting 2019 Hackathon applications – please apply here:

https://www.sxsw.com/conference/sxsw-hackathon/#apply

Judges

Josh Constine

Josh Constine
Editor-At-Large at TechCrunch

Louise-Marie Marguet

Louise-Marie Marguet
CEO of EmoJam

Lauren Vitek

Lauren Vitek
Founding Employee at TravelBank

Jon Gottfried

Jon Gottfried
Co-Founder of Major League Hacking

Andrew Dubber

Andrew Dubber
Director of Music Tech Fest

Scot Barbour

Scot Barbour
VP Production & Innovation of Sony Pictures Entertainment

Tuhin Roy

Tuhin Roy
Senior Vice President of New Digital Business and Innovation at UMG

Judging Criteria

  • Impact to Industry
  • Innovativeness
  • User Experience
  • Technical Excellence

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Hackathon sponsors

Title Sponsor
Supporting Sponsor
API Sponsors
Produced in conjunction with Travis Laurendine of CODEMKRS

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