Calling all developers! The small business community needs your help right now more than ever. They’re looking for solutions to help them adjust their businesses in this new environment. They need to adapt to a new world of contactless commerce, and many are struggling to make the transition or innovate. 

This is where you come in. We’re excited to announce The Square Small Business Hackathon, where we invite developers to create applications for small businesses to help them adapt and grow through this moment.

Choose from any of the four categories: Retail, Food & Beverage, Healthcare, Services & Other, and build for web or mobile, using any language you prefer and one of Square’s APIs and/or SDKs (Australia | Canada | Japan | United Kingdom | United States). First place winners in each category receive $3,000 for themselves, $3,000 to donate to a small business of their choice, a Google Home device, Square Swag, and promotion on Square’s Twitter and YouTube channel. 

Eligibility

Individuals, teams of individuals who are at least 18 years of age at the time of entry who reside or are incorporated in the U.S., U.K., Australia, Japan, or Canada (excluding Quebec). See rules for details.

Get access to the developer tools for your specific location:

Requirements

What to Build: Build (or update) apps using Square developer tools to help sellers grow and adapt in one of the following categories:

  1. Retail
    Such as clothing shops, hardware stores, toy stores, and book stores
  2. Food & Beverage
    Such as restaurants, bars, delis, liquor stores, bodegas, grocery stores, and food trucks
  3. Healthcare
    Such as independent healthcare providers, mental health therapists, veterinary clinics, nutrition and wellness consultants
  4. Services & Other Use Cases
    Such as house cleaners, plumbers, drivers, fitness trainers, barbers, nail technicians, spa operators, other independent contractors, or any other type of business that doesn’t fall in the other categories

What to Submit:

  • A demo video (hosted on YouTube, Facebook Video, Vimeo, or Youku). Your video should include a demo of your working application. 
  • Access to your working application for judging and testing  
  • A complete submission form on Devpost before the deadline

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$36,000 in prizes

First Place - Retail

$3,000 USD
$3,000 USD donation directed to seller of choice
one Google Home device
Social promotion by Square
60 min. meeting with Square product team (or other to discuss the winning app)
Square swag for up to 5 teammates

Second Place - Retail

$1,500 USD
$1,500 USD donation directed to seller of choice
one Google Home device
Social promotion by Square
Square swag for up to 5 teammates

First Place - Food & Beverage

$3,000 USD
$3,000 USD donation directed to seller of choice
one Google Home device
Social promotion by Square
60 min. meeting with Square product team (or other to discuss the winning app)
Square swag for up to 5 teammates

Second Place - Food & Beverage

$1,500 USD
$1,500 USD donation directed to seller of choice
one Google Home device
Social promotion by Square
Square swag for up to 5 teammates

First Place - Healthcare

$3,000 USD
$3,000 USD donation directed to seller of choice
one Google Home device
Social promotion by Square
60 min. meeting with Square product team (or other to discuss the winning app)
Square swag for up to 5 teammates

Second Place - Healthcare

$1,500 USD
$1,500 USD donation directed to seller of choice
one Google Home device
Social promotion by Square
Square swag for up to 5 teammates

First Place - Services & Other Use Cases

$3,000 USD
$3,000 USD donation directed to seller of choice
one Google Home device
Social promotion by Square
60 min. meeting with Square product team (or other to discuss the winning app)
Square swag for up to 5 teammates

Second Place - Services & Other Use Cases

$1,500 USD
$1,500 USD donation directed to seller of choice
one Google Home device
Social promotion by Square
Square swag for up to 5 teammates

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Alyssa Henry

Alyssa Henry
Seller Lead, Square

Cyndy Lobb

Cyndy Lobb
General Manager, Commerce Platform, Square

Krishnan Seshadrinathan

Krishnan Seshadrinathan
Engineering Lead, Square Developer Platform

Marylise Tauzia

Marylise Tauzia
Developer Engagement Lead, Square

Richard Moot

Richard Moot
Developer Evangelist, Square

Alex Jacque

Alex Jacque
Product Designer, Square

Soc Sieng

Soc Sieng
Developer Advocate, Payments, Google

Sarah Schuster

Sarah Schuster
Attendee Relations Manager, Outdoor Retailer

Daniel Kivatinos

Daniel Kivatinos
COO and Co-Founder, Dr Chrono

Rich Shank

Rich Shank
Vice President, Research and Analytics at Technomic, Inc.

Judging Criteria

  • Quality of the Idea
    Includes creativity and originality of the idea.
  • Implementation of the Idea
    Includes how well the idea was executed by the developer.
  • Potential Value to Small Businesses
    Includes the extent to which the solution can help small businesses grow and adapt.

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