Facebook Online Hackathons - latest winners announcement

Why we build

Here at Facebook, we have a long-standing, guiding principle for how we approach our work: ‘Why we build’. This saying shows up throughout our company and culture, and is at the heart of the conversations and decisions we’re engaged in every day.

‘Why we build’ is our reminder to strive for the best possible experience for people on our platform; a commitment to serve communities, address problems and take constant action to improve.

As part of this philosophy, the ‘we’ in ‘Why we build’ also reminds us that challenges are best overcome together, and that the most innovative solutions really do come to life through collaboration.

And that’s why we believe so strongly in hackathons as unique opportunities for developers in our ecosystem.

We see hackathons as important spaces for learning, connection and innovation - or in other words, as really fun sandboxes for exploring meaningful ideas with friends.

Building on the momentum of our first Facebook Online Hackathon earlier this year, I’m pleased to share the winning submissions from our second hackathon in the series today.

Judging by these solutions, it’s clear that each team has asked themselves ‘Why we build’ in their own way, and creatively set out to serve their intended audiences.

Our winners

In this latest hackathon, we made three immersive tech tracks available to participants:

• Artificial Intelligence (AI)
• Augmented Reality (AR)
• Messaging

The below winners will share USD$21,000 in cash prizes and each receive Oculus VR headsets, alongside our free swag giveaway for all eligible submitters.

AI

Solutions featuring natural language interactions that leverage the Wit.ai platform

First place ($3,000)
Spilt Coffee - a service supporting businesses with media monitoring and tracking brand reputation trends

Second place ($2,500)
Robin Accountant - an intuitive budgeting and record-keeping virtual assistant

Third place ($1,500)
Otto - an intelligent chat application, designed to help aspiring machine learning engineers go from ideation to implementation

Honorable mention
Teleport - a voice-command virtual reality experience that reinvents travel for the post-pandemic world

AR

Solutions featuring a Spark AR World Effect that help enrich communities or support social good

First place ($3,000)
Little Foodies - an immersive AR effect for your next food review

Second place ($2,500)
Blow Soap Bubbles in AR - an AR effect enabling the joy of blowing virtual soap bubbles into your world

Third place ($1,500)
Pirate Dash 360 - an interactive AR puzzle that hones logic, memory and problem-solving

Honorable mentions
ChillzRoom - a playful, interactive take on the classic ‘escape room’ puzzle
Truth or Dare - a range of AR effects gamified to connect people during the pandemic

Messaging

Messenger experiences that leverage features such as Handover Protocol, One-Time Notifications, Private Replies and Quick Replies

First place ($3,000)
HayLingo! - a Messenger-powered app taking language learning to the next level

Second place ($2,500)
Carinderia Bot - a platform digitizing authentic, local Filipino eateries with scalable potential

Third place ($1,500)
AiCommerceBD - connecting consumers with necessities and encouraging them to stay at home

Honorable mentions
Flatten That Curve - a digital wellness initiative helping charities transition online
Sticker Bot - an experience for making and sharing user-generated stickers
Booxly - an intelligent bookmark system that summarizes the pages you read and monitors your reading habits

Congratulations to these inspiring innovators and thank you to everyone who participated!

Let’s keep building!

Be sure to keep an eye out for the next online hackathon in our series - launching very soon!

For the latest updates, please sign up for the Facebook for Developers email newsletter and join our buzzing Facebook Online Hackathons group.

We’re also now just a couple of months away from this year’s Facebook Developer Circles Community Challenge - our annual virtual hackathon for members of our free program for global developers. To keep up with all the news around the Challenge, don’t forget to join your local Developer Circle.

We can’t wait to see what you #BuildwithFacebook next, together.