Playing means growing up!

Games help children to develop while having fun…

Do you have an idea for a developmentally appropriate toy for children under 3?

This Play to Grow Hackathon is for you!

apply before july 31, 2024

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UNICEF, in partnership with the Government of the Netherlands and as part of the French Muskoka Fund, is launching a hackathon to research innovative solutions, recognizing play as a crucial tool to stimulate the cognitive, social and emotional development of children from an early age.

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Why an early childhood development hackathon?

The first years of a child’s life are crucial, forming the foundation for their future development.

It is important to invest in early childhood development to give every child the best possible start and generate significant benefits for themselves and the community.

The objective:

Design games and toys that promote the social, cognitive and motor development of young children, while encouraging local innovation and respecting international manufacturing and environmental standards.

These games must be adapted for children aged 6 to 36 months, including those with developmental deficits, using local materials and emphasizing the diet and nutrition of young children.

The conditions for a toy/game adapted to the development of young children

Safety: The materials used must be non-toxic (varnishes and paints must comply with safety rules for young children and be guaranteed non-toxic, for example: without dangerous substances), comply with current safety standards; The edges must be rounded and small parts avoided to prevent the risk of accidents (choking, injury, etc.); Toys must be durable and pose no danger to children.
Sensory stimulation: Use of bright, contrasting colors to stimulate toddlers’ vision; Integration of various textures to promote the development of the sense of touch.
Motor development: Games/toys encouraging the development of fine and gross motor skills, i.e. allowing small and large movements; Easy handling for children with or without disabilities, with shapes adapted to babies’ grip.

Socio-cognitive development: Integration of simple shapes, numbers, letters or patterns to stimulate cognition adapted to the context of the region. The game/toy should provide a stimulating challenge likely to arouse the interest of the child/community and promote their progress.
Environmental protection: favor local materials, natural materials, from the plant world and little or not transformed to limit the use of polluting energies; capitalize on the creation of a game (including a toy as a support) that is durable both in its manufacturing (simple assembly) but also durable over time (solidity and quality of the materials used); toy/game easily repairable and/or recyclable, scalable and transformable.
Ease of maintenance: Toys must be easy to clean to ensure optimal hygiene.
Durability and low cost: Use of resistant materials to guarantee a long lifespan of the toy.
Cultural relevance: the game must be imbued with the cultural specificities in which it will be implemented in order to offer a respectful, relevant and enriching learning experience.
Community integration/mobilization: Innovation must consider a strategy to engage families and community members to support the play-based approach to childhood development.
Disability inclusion: innovation must be sensitive to the specificities of children with disabilities.

Do you have an idea for a toy suitable for the development of children under 3 years old?

The hackathon is open to talents aged 18 to 40, originating from a country in West Africa or Central Africa, and who reside in a country in one of these regions.

The project which will offer a social vocation (for example encouraging the empowerment of girls and women) will be a plus and will be taken into account in the selection of projects. Participants must ensure they can present a prototype.

So take part in this Hackathon now!

The Prize: 20,000 USD (in total for 3 winners) will be paid to the winners of the ranges of prototypes developed and/or to project leaders whose detailed creative intentions have been retained.

Deadline for submitting projects: July 31, 2024

How to submit your project?

All candidates must submit their project before July 31, 2024 (midnight) on this platform.
Only correctly completed proposals will be admissible.
Acceptable formats: paper and/or video
Videos must be 3 minutes maximum
You must download the attached form and complete it completely
To send us your project: complete the questionnaire (below) and upload your documents (paper and videos).
The proposals will be reviewed by a panel of experts to select a top 10 proposals. The pre-selected projects will be presented to the jury of experts for selection of the winners.

Download the form

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How and who can participate?

WHO CAN PARTICIPATE?

The hackathon is open to young people aged 18 to 40, from a country in West Africa or Central Africa, and who reside in a country in one of these regions.
The project with a social vocation (for example encouraging the empowerment of girls and women) will be a plus and will be taken into account in the selection of projects. Participants must ensure they can present a prototype.