Frequently Asked Questions 

Created by the United Nation in 2015 to be achieved by 2030. The 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agreed upon by all 193 United Nations Member States aim to end poverty, ensure prosperity and protect the planet. More information about the 17 SDGs can be found here.  

For Solution Challenge 2021, we require your submitted solution to solve for at least one or more of the 17 SDGs. When you have submitted your solution, please review all the 17 SDGs to understand which SDG your solution is focused on and what SDG targets you are looking to solve for.

The Terms and Conditions state “LIMIT ONE (1) ENTRY PER PERSON,” so each student can only be a part of one submission.

Yes, as a student you can still participate as long as you team up with at least one student at an existing DSC university near you. You must join that DSC community through the DSC event platform. We recommend you to then reach out to the DSC lead for guidance on how to join or form a team with their community.

The demonstration video is your time to show us the most important part of your application. When evaluating, our judges will use the demonstration video to understand how a user will interact with the application.  

As stated in the Terms and Conditions, “[The Video] cannot be longer than 120 seconds. If it is longer than this, only the first 120 seconds will be evaluated.”

In short, we recommend focusing on what’s important.

From the video, we want to understand how the user interacts with the solutions and it's features. We don’t need to know about every little feature, we care far more about the core value your solution is adding. So focus on the most important features and functionalities for the user.

The Terms and Conditions states:

Link should direct the judges to a repository containing your code, which can be hosted on a Version Control System, such as Github or Bitbucket. In that repository, you should include a README.txt or README.md file in the root directory. This file should contain clear instructions on how to run your code for us to be able to test out the solution.

So, if you’re running a public repository on Github, Bitbucket, or similar version control system, you can simply give us the link. But, if you want to keep your repo private, you have two options:

1. You can host your code in a private google drive folder and submit a share link.
2. In your Version Control System, you can give read access to the following email address: solutionchallengesubmissions@google.com

Yes. As per the Terms and Conditions, we require that your submissions “Use of one or more Google products or platforms including.” In addition to that, however, you can also use developer tools that Google did not develop.

No, it does not have to be deployed. If the project is deployed, this will help our judges get a better understanding of what you’ve built, but it is not required.  

Our judges will surely be mindful of the limitations that have been added by COVID-19. This includes but is not limited to:

• Ability to meet as a team
• Ability to have users test the solution
• Lack of internet access or proper developer environments due to displacement from your college campus.

In short, we recommend getting creative within your means. To test your solution with users, it is always best to meet them face-to-face. This allows you to ask for real-time feedback, see upfront how they use your application, and pick up on subtle reactions. However, that is not possible, so we recommend getting creative in finding solutions as close to that as possible. Here are some potential solutions:

• Conduct the interview over a video call.
• Conduct the interview over a phone call, asking the potential user to constantly speak their thoughts out loud, so you can pick up on all of their feedback.
• Write up a series of questions and ask your potential user to record themselves as they answer the questions and use your solution.
• Simply ask for written feedback from your users.

Yes -- it would be eligible for submission as long as it was built after May 1, 2020.  

• Winner teams of the hackathons will get the chance to join the Acceleration Program.
• You will improve your project for Solution Challenge 2021, thanks to technical support along with specialized training and mentorship, social impact measurement, and leadership that SCIP* provides. 

SCIP: Solution Challenge Incubation Program

• You can apply individually or with your team. SCIP is a free program for university students.
• You should develop your project during the hackathons.
• Find a DSC near you! You must fill the related form to join the hackathons according to what your ideas are based on improving (planet/prosperity/peace&people).
• If you want to apply with a team: Choose up to 4 teammates, with at least one student from the university of the Google Developer Student Club.
• If you apply individually: Don't worry! We will make proper teams from individual applications.
• You can join as many hackathons as you want. BUT each student can only be a part of one submission on the SOLUTION CHALLENGE 2021.

• There will be mentorships and training about the related topics during the hackathons.
• 50$ Google Cloud credits.
• You can meet with other participants and expand your network.
• Hackathons will be arranged on Discord.
• We require that your submissions “Use of one or more Google products or platforms including.” In addition to that, you can also use developer tools that Google did not develop. Also, you are free to use any programming language you wish.