About the challenge
Real cities. Real problems. 36 hours.
CIVIC Hack is a virtual student hackathon where the challenge isn’t picked by organizers. It’s picked by the people who run Canada’s cities. Municipal leaders, planners and city-builders attending the Canadian Urban Institute (CUI) Summit vote on the municipal problem they most want solved. When voting closes on November 12, the winning challenge is revealed and you have 36 hours to build a concept, tool or working prototype that tackles it.
The best projects are presented at a virtual showcase on November 14, where professionals or advisors give feedback and discuss how ideas could actually be adopted or scaled.
Why join
- Work on a problem real municipalities said they care about.
- Put your work in front of city staff and urban leaders from across Canada.
- Compete for $1,500 in prizes.
- Catch a livestream of the CUI Summit’s municipal AI workshop on November 13.
- Build a portfolio project with real civic relevance.
Who it’s for
Post-secondary students in urban planning, data science, computer science, engineering, design, public policy: anyone who wants to use data and technology to make cities work better. Teams can include students from any university or college, as long as at least one member is a current University of Waterloo student. No prior hackathon experience needed.
The challenges
Summit attendees are voting on one of the challenges below. The winner is announced when hacking opens on November 12. Read them all, because you won’t know which one you’re building for until launch.
| Challenge | The problem | You might build |
|---|---|---|
| Making municipal decisions easier to understand | Council decisions are buried in long agendas, minutes and staff reports most residents never read. | A plain-language summarizer or searchable explainer for council decisions |
| Identifying transit access gaps | Some neighbourhoods have far worse access to frequent transit than others, and it’s hard to see where. | A map or score showing who is underserved by transit |
| Improving transit connections | Transfers between routes, systems and modes (bus, rail, bike) are slow or poorly timed. | A tool that finds bad transfers or suggests better connections |
| Comparing municipal election platforms | Voters struggle to compare local candidates’ positions side by side. | A neutral, sourced platform comparison tool |
| Visualizing long-term infrastructure costs | The lifetime cost of roads, pipes and facilities is hard for councils and residents to grasp. | A visualization of infrastructure costs and trade-offs over decades |
| Tracking municipal commitments | Councils make pledges and targets that are hard to follow up on. | A tracker linking commitments to progress and evidence |
| Prioritizing AI adoption opportunities | Municipalities don’t know where AI would help most, or where it carries risk. | A framework or tool that ranks municipal services for AI potential |
| Understanding the housing approval-to-construction process | Approved housing often takes years to get built, and it’s unclear where it stalls. | A pipeline view showing where approved units get stuck |
About the host
CIVIC Hack is run by the Future Cities Institute (FCI) at the University of Waterloo, founded by CAIVAN, as part of its CIVIC program connecting municipalities with student talent. Instead of every city solving the same problem alone, CIVIC builds solutions that can be shared.
Get started
- Register on this page.
- Join the participant channel: [link TBC].
- Read the shortlisted challenges above. The winner is revealed at kickoff.
- Form a team of 1–4 with at least one University of Waterloo student, or come solo if you’re a UW student.
- Join the virtual kickoff on November 12 at 6:00 PM ET.
Schedule (all times ET)
| When | What |
|---|---|
| Now – Nov 12 | Registration open; CUI Summit attendees vote on the challenge |
| Nov 12, 3:00 PM | Challenge voting closes |
| Nov 12, [keynote time] | Winning challenge announced during Dr. Leia Minaker’s keynote |
| Nov 12, 6:00 PM | Hacking begins: virtual kickoff, challenge brief, datasets |
| Nov 13, morning | Livestream of the CUI Summit municipal AI workshop |
| Nov 13, all day | Build time; mentor office hours [confirm] |
| Nov 14, 6:00 AM | Submissions due on Devpost |
| Nov 14, [time TBC] | Virtual showcase and awards ceremony |
FAQ
Who can participate? Post-secondary students from any university or college, as long as every team includes at least one current University of Waterloo student. Solo participants must be UW students. All programs and experience levels are welcome.
Does it cost anything? No, CIVIC Hack is free.
Do I need a team? No. UW students can compete solo. Teams can have up to 4 people, with at least one UW student. We’ll help people find teammates at kickoff.
I don’t code. Can I still join? Yes. Strong concepts, designs and data analyses are welcome, and teams with mixed skills tend to do best.
Why don’t we know the challenge yet? Because Summit attendees are choosing it. The winner is revealed at launch on November 12, so review the shortlist ahead of time.
Where does it happen? Fully online. Links for kickoff, the workshop livestream and the showcase go to registered participants.
Will I get feedback? Yes. Teams present at the November 14 showcase, where professionals give feedback on how ideas could be adopted.
Questions? Contact here.
Requirements
What to build: A concept, tool or working prototype that addresses the winning municipal challenge. Software, data visualizations, design prototypes and well-developed service concepts all count.
What to submit on Devpost by the deadline:
- Project name and a short description of the problem and your solution.
- A demo video, 3 minutes max, uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo.
- A link to your code repository, prototype or design file (if applicable).
- A list of the data sources, APIs and tools you used, including any AI tools.
- A short note on how a municipality could adopt or scale your idea.
Prizes
Best Hack (1st)
Best Hack (2nd)
Best Hack (3rd)
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
TBA
Judging Criteria
-
TBA
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
Invite others to compete
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