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.

$28,500 in prizes

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

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