Miami, Oct. 10, 2023 – Miami Dade College (MDC)’s Miami Animation and Gaming International Complex (MAGIC) will once again host a 24-hour Halloween Hackathon starting at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20, through Saturday, Oct. 21, at MDC Wolfson Campus in the heart of downtown Miami. This event is free and open to the public, but registration is required by Sunday, Oct. 15.
This year, the event will be open to students from middle and high schools in South Florida. Projects will be judged in the categories of Virtual and Augmented Reality, 2D/3D Game Development and Animation. Minors require a waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian.
“The hackathon is more than an event to gather the young tech community to have fun. One of last year’s finalists went on to develop a VR algebra application they came up with during the event, and today, the VR algebra simulation HoloMath is being implemented in classrooms at MDC,” said Mauricio Ferrazza, MAGIC’s chairperson.
The Halloween Hackathon is organized by members of the M.A.G.I.C. Club, a student organization that seeks to supplement the MAGIC curriculum by gathering current and prospective students to learn from sources outside the classroom.
Guest judges include Elbert Perez, Senior Partner Engineer at Unity, and Denise Mendez, Principal Software Engineer at Microsoft Mixed Reality. Winners will receive prizes from Steam Deck, Meta and Nintendo.
Sponsors include Stem Legacy Grant, Microsoft, PlayFly, Gato.us, City of Miami and the Miami Downtown Development Authority.
To participate in the Halloween Hackathon, register at https://magic.mdc.edu/hackathon/.
WHAT: MAGIC to Host 24-hour Halloween Hackathon
WHEN: Friday, Oct. 20, at 6 p.m. through Saturday, Oct. 21, at 6 p.m., Register at: https://magic.mdc.edu/hackathon/
WHERE: MDC Wolfson Campus, Chapman Center, room 3210 (Building 3, second floor), 245 NE 4th Street
For more information about the Halloween Hackathon or MAGIC, please contact Nicole Garay at 305-237-3560, ngaray@mdc.edu.