In March 2018 Nottingham City Council again pledges support for the return of Hack24 – a 24 hour coding competition in Nottingham city centre.

The annual event which is in its fourth year sees the Council House main Ballroom transformed into a temporary home for vibrant, hi-tech and often caffeine-fuelled activity as coders from Nottingham and across the UK pit their collective skills against coding challenges and compete to see their innovative and brilliant concepts become recognised as tech solutions which can benefit everyone.

During this year’s non-stop 24 hour Hack which takes place on 10 and 11 March, more than 136 “hackers” will be bunked down in the Council House where up to 40 teams of software engineers and developers will collaborate and battle to tackle a series of coding challenges set by sponsors including MHR, Esendex, Experian, Thomson Reuters, eLife, Microsoft and UNiDAYS.

Other IT sector companies including Cordius, GitHub, Capital One, Starling Bank, Startup Stickers, Liberis and Heart Internet also sponsor the event but don’t set the coders challenges.

Councillor Sam Webster, Portfolio Holder for Business, Education and Skills at Nottingham City Council, said; “Nottingham City Council is again proud to be supporting businesses and young people in the city by hosting Tech Nottingham’s hugely popular and high-profile Hack24 event.

“The success of large events like Hack24 and the smaller, regular activities run by Tech Nottingham in the city are a real source of support for young people and small local businesses who have an interest in developing their own innovative digital-tech ideas.

“A thriving tech community in Nottingham not only incubates and supports emerging talent, it is a key driver in making the city an attractive place which sustains vital local businesses and continues to attract strong inward investment

“Nottingham is an ambitious city; we are committed to making the most of our talented, home-grown digital-tech communities and to attracting the very best digital businesses.”

Event organiser Andrew Seward, of Tech Nottingham, said: “Hack24 is a great opportunity for us to bring together Nottingham’s tech community and celebrate their talent. Now we are in our fourth year here in Nottingham, we’re really starting to see the benefits of the event as many people who have met through Hack24 and other Tech Nottingham events have found jobs, started businesses, made business connections and become lifelong friends.

“As well as the technical challenges and providing opportunities for innovations to be recognised by industry leaders, we can see that the event is also about bringing people together and forming a community.

“With the ongoing support of Nottingham City Council and our sponsors, we are confident that this years “Hack” will build on our previous successes and once again showcase Nottingham’s thriving tech industry and how the city really is a hub for digital skills and innovation.”