On September 11-13, 2015, GlobalHack pulled 235+ civic hackers together to build 44 prototypes in its first civic hackathon.
Participating teams aimed to address one (or more) of five specific challenges collected from court clerks, judges, attorneys, and the public about St. Louis’ regional municipal court system. Keeping in mind that some citizens do not have access to credit cards, home internet, smart phones, or personal transportation, teams built tools to promote accessibility (beyond technical and jurisdictional boundaries), user-friendliness, and a more transparent, accountable, citizen-focused justice system.
At a high-level, the prompts were to address the following situations. You can read the detailed prompt here.
- I need to go to court to contest a ticket.
- Last month I received a speeding ticket, and I’ve lost the information.
- I owe fines and fees for several violations.
- My license is suspended.
- I’m a court clerk.
All teams were encouraged to open-source their prototype, and the winning teams were:
1st place prize of $30,000: Inveo
Inveo is a marketplace that allows organizations and employers to post one-off jobs, which people with tickets can do in exchange for the job sponsor to pay their ticket for them. Read an interview with the team via EQSTL.
2nd place prize of $15,000: The Foot
3rd place prize of $5,000: Spark!
Top College Team, $5,000: Who Broke the Build?
Top High School Team, $5,000:Spark!
More information on GlobalHack V via Lockerdome.
CivTech Saint Louis is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization based in Saint Louis, Missouri.
