If you’re a lover of interactive storytelling, then you’re probably familiar with the idea of a “Hackathon.” It’s pretty simple.  A Hackathon is an event that brings together a talented group of artists, storytellers, developers and designers to create new kinds of works. Over the years, the Tribeca Film Institute has employed this concept to bring about a series of intensive and highly successful workshops all over the world. And this energy inevitably spilled over into the past two Festivals in the form of Tribeca Hacks, hosted by TFI and AT&T, through which the best multi-creator/multi-media collaborative projects were recognized.

This year, we’re changing things up to encourage greater creative participation. For the first time ever, teams will be able to propose their ideas online!  From there a jury will select one project for further mentorship and financial support to launch a prototype by the start of the Tribeca Film Festival, which will take place in New York from April 15-26, 2015.

The theme of the 2015 Tribeca Hacks Mobile Challenge will be to explore how mobile storytelling speaks to our environment and the spaces around us. The sky’s the limit (with a few technical exceptions, of course!). To get started, you content creators should think about how a story could be enhanced by the objects and people that are part of your everyday environment. Combine your creative storytelling skills with the possibilities offered by hardware like smart homes or geo-locative apps and you’ll get what we’re thinking! 

While you can use multiple platforms and devices like wearables, virtual reality devices, and robots, your project must involve smartphones and/or tablets as part of the storytelling process. Submissions open January 14, and creators will have until February 18 to enter the challenge. All creators must have a team in place and be able to fully develop and launch by the start of the Tribeca Film Festival. While all projects will be reviewed by TFI, the selected team will be determined by an Interactive Jury consisting of three experts in their fields by March 2. Then, the real work begins!

The Project Criteria:

• The project has to have a narrative component
• The project has to integrate mobile technology
• The project has to interact with other devices
• The project must offer a compelling user experience
• The project must have a geo-locative element

What The Selected Team Receives:

• The sum of $10,000, which is to be used to create the project and cover labor costs and all materials.
• A mentorship in story development, user experience and technology integration to further support your creative work
• A showcase for the team/project at TFI Interactive Event at the 2015 Tribeca Film Festival

What the Winning Team Must Commit to:

• Meeting project milestones set by the Tribeca Film Institute team
• Working with the Tribeca team to create two videos and/or written pieces discussing the project

Submissions open January 14 and close on February 18. Click here to view the application form.