Calling all young designers: Facebook wants you for its first Africa hackathon

Facebook is really gearing up its activities in Africa. The social network will host its first Creative Shop Hackathon in Africa as part of Loeries Creative Week Cape Town.

The hackathon is designed specifically for young creative designers with under two years of experience. The idea is to offers the designers an opportunity to work on a real creative brief for the Loeries Creative Future Scholarship.

The Hackathon will be overseen by Rob Newlan, Head of Facebook Creative Shop Europe, Middle East and Africa. The winners will not only receive free credit to bring their idea to life, but Facebook will also provide an educational session showcasing award winning work as well as the latest developments from Facebook HQ on tools and systems being developed specifically for Africa.

“Facebook is a platform that works best when creatives market for people, rather than at them,” says Newlan. “In this workshop, we hope to show how social media allows brands and creatives to play a powerful and positive role in people’s lives by engaging with them in imaginative ways. We’ll also explore some of the great ways Facebook enables brands to forge close relationships with consumers.”

The hackathon also follows the announcement of five finalists for the Loeries Creative Future Scholarship and a pan-African tour by Loeries CEO Andrew Human to share some of the best work from the continent’s creatives, the event is an example of the growing opportunities available in the region’s Creative Economy.

“On our visit to five African countries we heard from locals about their desire to be recognized for their creative output and potential,” adds Andrew Human, CEO of The Loeries. “The Hackathon hosted by Facebook is one of many opportunities emerging for young people to excel in the brand communications industry.”

Limited to 40 participants and will take place on Thursday 18 September between 10am and 4pm at Southern Sun The Cullinan Hotel in Cape Town.