WA Health Hackathon 2023

Frequently Asked Questions

Hackathon Weekend Venue Location

Building 211: Room 221 Curtin Bentley Campus – Click here for Curtin Maps

There is two ways to access the building, please see maps and walk through videos below.

1. Main Building Entrance (Up the stairs)

2. Accessibility Access (via Building 209)

Hackathons are collaborative and innovation focussed events that see participants build prototype solutions to solve challenges. When we say ‘hack’ in this context we mean to encourage quick solving something through a prototype, not breaking into a software system. Solutions are generally software-based programs, but they can also be new designs or even insightful improvements for processes and other issues. Given the time constraints (you’ll only have a week!) a prototype can be as simple as a small piece of code, a website or even a presentation. The point is to have fun helping our community. 

Here is a timeline of all the pre-event and main events for the Hackathon:

One of the goals of the WA Health Hackathon 2023 is to encourage our participants develop compelling, viable prototypes. To achieve this we have stretched out the timetable of the Hackathon to give you the best chance to understand the technical complexities of the Challenges and more time to build your solutions. 

The Launch Event on Monday 9 October will see the release of the data and provide a great moment to thank our partners and supporters. 

The Workshops on Tuesday 10, Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 October provide you with dedicated time to meet the mentors and ask them your initial questions about the Challenges and data. 

The Hackathon Weekend over the Saturday 14 and Sunday 15 October is the centrepiece of the Hackathon and will provide you with dedicated time to build your prototypes if you haven’t started on that yet. We’ll also hold our First Round Pitches on the Sunday. 

On Thursday 19 October we’ll hold our Finale to hear the brilliant work of our Shortlisted Teams and celebrate all the work you have put in. 

Each Workshop focuses on two Challenges: 

  • Tuesday 10 October – Challenges 1 and 2 
  • Wednesday 11 October – Challenges 3 and 4 
  • Thursday 12 October – Challenges 5 and 6 

 

At each workshop mentors that are specialists in the Challenge will be available to answer your questions. We will also conduct a deep dive into the data sets that may help you build a solution to your question. 

No! We’re completely realistic that everyone has other priorities. This is supposed to be a fun event where you can give back to our community by solving impactful Challenges. This isn’t supposed to feel like work. 

If you can attend a Workshop then please do so. We anticipate that it will be very useful for you to talk with mentors and explore the supporting data sets.  

We do anticipate that some teams will begin working on their prototypes before the Hackathon Weekend and that’s great, but you’re under no obligation to do so. 

The Supporting Events are intended to give you more time and information to help you think through how you might solve your Challenges. We strongly encourage that you attend the workshop relevant for your Challenge. 

The only compulsory events that you need to attend to be eligible for a prize are: 

  • Registering your team in person at the event space at 11:00AM on Saturday 14 October 2023. 
  • Pitching your prototype at the First Round Pitches on Sunday 15 October 2023. 

We will require that participants are part of a team for the WA Health Hackathon 2023. We’ve noticed that participants have more fun as part of a team and that the prototypes which are built tend to be more impactful. 

We are running some casual team building and networking events in the lead up to the Hackathon Launch. Watch our LinkedIn for more information about these events. 

You will need to register your team and the Challenge you are exploring, in person at 11:00AM on Saturday 14th October at the Hackathon Event, Curtin University.

Exact location to be advised.

See Curtin Campus Maps for more info.

The Launch event, Workshops and the Finale will all be held at the Old Perth Boys School (139 St Georges Terrace, Perth). 

The Hackathon (weekend) Event will be held on Curtin University Bentley Campus. The easiest main roads access points are from the Kent Street Main Entrance or the Manning Road Main Entrance.

Exact location to be advised.

See the Curtin Campus Maps for more info.

Yes, but keep in mind the following requirements:  

  • All team members must have a valid ticket 
  • All team members, and your challenge must be registered in person at the event space at 11:00AM on Saturday 14 October 2023 at the Hackathon Event. 
  • Your solution must be demonstrated in person at the Shortlist Pitch Event that starts at 13:00PM on Sunday 15 October 2023. 
  • If your team is shortlisted your solution must be demonstrated in person at the Finale Event that starts at 17:30PM on Thursday 19 October 2023. 

Saturday 14th October 2023 is The 2023 Referendum – Indigenous Voice voting day. There are several polling places that are close to the Hackathon Event. 

  • Bentley Primary School | 15 Hedley Street, Bentley 
  • Millen Primary School | 100 Etwell Street, East Victoria Park 
  • Kent Street Senior High School | Kent Street, Kensington 
  • Harold Hawthorne Community Centre | 2 Memorial Avenue, Carlisle 
  • East Victoria Park Primary School | 30 Beatty Avenue, Victoria Park 


You can also submit an Early Vote from 2nd October 2023. More information can be found on the AEC website.

At 13:00PM on Sunday 15 October 2023 teams will have three minutes to ‘pitch’ their idea to our judges. Judges will also have an optional one minute of questions. This pitch can take whatever form you’d like – demonstrations are always a great way to show off what you’ve built. Using a defined Judging Criteria the Judges will select the five most compelling solutions. The teams on this Shortlist will be invited to pitch at the Finale on the Thursday 19 October 2023. 

At 17:30PM on Thursday 19 October 2023 shortlisted teams will have five minutes to ‘pitch’ their idea to our judges. Judges will also have an optional one minute of questions. This pitch can take whatever form you’d like – demonstrations are always a great way to show off what you’ve built. Using a defined Judging Criteria the Judges will award the prizes to these shortlisted teams. 

To be announced.

Yes. The Department of Health will be providing a range of data sets including a rich set of synthetic data. Teams are also encouraged to seek out and use other open data sources that might help them validate their solution. 

Participants will be able to access the various data sets here. You must have a registered GitHub account to access the data. 

No, but if you are under the age of 18, you will need to be accompanied by a guardian at all times. 

The Launch, Workshops and Finale will all be held at the Old Perth Boys School (139 St Georges Terrace, Perth). Transport to this location can be found by visiting the Transperth website. There are also CPP and Wilson parking lots close to this venue. 

The Hackathon Event will be held Curtin University Bentley Campus. Transport to this location can be found by visiting the Transperth website. Parking over the weekend is free at any BLUE zones on the Bentley Campus. 

Visit the Curtin website here for more info.

This will be an event where we explore how Generative AI techniques can help solve major issues affecting WA. We’d strongly recommend bringing along a laptop and a collaborative mindset! 

There will not be food or refreshments at the Launch, Workshops or Finale, as these are shorter events.

However lunch and some drinks will be provided over the course of the Hackathon Weekend on the 14th & 15th October.

If you have any further questions you can contact WADSIH via wadsih@curtin.edu.au or reach out to Hackathon Lead Tim Sondalini, at tim.sondalini@curtin.edu.au