Call for Code unites innovators to develop groundbreaking AI solutions that address social and humanitarian issues to make a real difference for communities around the world. The final Call for Code challenge for this year is open October 23 – November 3, and we’re calling on you to join us in person to get ready to participate.
Highlights of event
The October hackathon theme is “Industry, innovation, and infrastructure.” Learn about the opportunity to build a solution that can harness generative AI and make a real difference to address this United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 9.
Gain insights of subject matter experts, academia leaders, and Persistent leaders.
Gain AI skills with IBM watsonx™: IBM’s portfolio of AI products that accelerates the impact of generative AI in core workflows to drive productivity.
Insights from Leaders and Networking
Keynote session by Dr. Anand Deshpande – Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, Persistent Systems.
Session note by Sonali Deshpande – Chief Trustee and the Chairperson of the Board of Trustees, Persistent Foundation.
Network with a community of developers, entrepreneurs, students, and problem solvers, including Persistent leadership, who share a similar passion for #techforgood.
What is the Call for Code Global Challenge?
Our world is facing numerous, interconnected humanitarian and social issues, many of which are caused or exacerbated by climate change. Now more than ever, we need the global Call for Code community of students, developers and problem solvers to bring fresh ideas and new tech-for-good solutions to address these issues.
The 2025 Global Challenge asks:
How can innovative, generative AI technology solutions address social and humanitarian issues to make a real difference for communities around the world?
Compete for a chance to win $50,000 USD and gain recognition within the Persistent and IBM communities.
In addition to prizes, participants can grow their AI, cloud, and other emerging tech skills through access to expert technical mentors, training resources, and events.
Through Call for Code, top solutions receive implementation support from IBM and the Call for Code ecosystem to make a real impact in the communities with the greatest need.
The builder on your team, tech mastermind, bringing methodical, digital-obsessed expertise to ground your solution in what’s possible.
Designers
Your UX expert ensures the solution is user-friendly and visually appealing. Designers bring creative vision to technical problem-solving, making what you build sleek and easy-to-consume.
Communicators
Effective communicators simplify complex ideas simple and inspire action. Your team’s strategic thinker is crucial in articulating the problem and defining how the solution can make a difference in a profound, unique, consumable way.
Humanitarians
Altruistic thinkers who understand the complex problems at hand in a truly human way and are committed to finding a solution to make a demonstrable difference.
Judging criteria
Each submission will be scored based on the following criteria with a minimum score of 0 and maximum score of 20 points, with the final score being the average of the judges’ scores.
