Encode the story of the future! First hackathon of the Institute of National Remembrance

The Institute of National Remembrance would like to invite you to HISTHACK, a programming marathon dedicated to secondary school students from all over Poland.

The hackathon, a programming marathon in a competitive format, involves working in interdisciplinary teams, thus fostering the creativity of young people.

The process of preparing the report titled “Immersive historical education – towards new educational paths” made us realise how much willingness new generations have to be involved in the creation of new educational solutions, including those concerning the teaching of history. The first edition of HISTHACK is another step by the Institute of National Remembrance towards understanding the needs of young people in terms of history education that combines the real and digital worlds and the field of education and fun. The whole event is divided into two stages.

As part of the first stage of the competition, teams propose a concept for a scenario for a historical-educational computer game related to the history of Poland between 1917 and 1990. The first gaming project of the New Technologies Department of the Institute of National Remembrance, “Cyphers Game”, which was included in the curriculum as recommended content in 2022, can serve as an inspiration for participants.

Sixteen teams, each from a different province, will qualify for the final round. The teams must consist of five students from the same secondary school and one group supervisor representing the same institution. Enthusiasts of new technologies and Poland’s recent history can submit their groups from 17 February to 14 March 2023.

The winners of the first stage will be invited to the “Congress of National Remembrance” to be held on 13-15 April in Warsaw, where a new challenge awaits them, for which they will have 16 hours to work together.

Special prizes have been prepared for the teams that will stand on the podium, and for the rest of the participants of the hackathon there will be plenty of additional attractions prepared in special zones by the relevant units of the Institute of National Remembrance.

More information and the possibility to register teams for the event can be found at this link.