Create the next breakthrough app. The 2021 Appathon Challenge is here!
All SF State students are invited to submit an entry. Participants may submit a wide variety of innovative app ideas and prototypes to address a practical problem of personal, business, environmental, philanthropy, health or social significance.
Best of luck, and we look forward to seeing your Appathon ideas!
Registration and PowerPoint Submission Deadine:
Tuesday, May 18, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. PST
Specifications and Evaluation of Entries
Your entry is evaluated by a panel of industry experts. Both individual and team entries (up to four students per team) are allowed. Winners receive an award certificate and cash prizes in gift cards. In addition, after the SAP AppHaus campus reopens, winners will be invited to present their app ideas at SAP AppHaus Palo Alto.
This contest is about exploring innovative ideas for shaping tomorrow’s business, environmental, civic and social landscapes through application and mobile technology. The winning idea should be realistic within the technology and economic landscape over the next one to three years. You may provide a business analysis to accompany the core app idea and prototype you submit. In addition, you are encouraged to integrate design-thinking methods as part of the innovation process.
Your presentation should include a brief with the following subsections:
Description of the Idea
- Problem Statement: What problems are you solving, why is it important?
- Target Audience: Who is your target audience (or persona)?
- Key Features/Services: What is your key solution to the problem?
Technical Design
- Technology Platform: Explain which platform is used and why the technology platform is feasible for implementing your app solution.
- Wireframe Design: Low fidelity and high fidelity prototype or mockup of key screens of your app, please include screenshots or links.
- Core Functionality Demo: You are required to develop and implement the core features of your app, i.e., at least part of your app should be functional and working. Provide links to demonstrate the part of your application that is up and running, include the username and password if login is required.
Business Case
- Business Model and Value Proposition: What is your business model? How can you create value for your partners and customers?
- Cost and Benefits Analysis: How can you be financially viable from developing this application?
- YouTube Video (Optional): a short video to demo or market your app could be a powerful complement to your presentation.
Our reviewers evaluate submissions based on multiple criteria, approximately equally weighted, and roughly summarized as:
- Ideation Creativity
- User Experience Design Excellence
- Technical Feasibility / Core Functionality Implementation Effectiveness
- Business Viability
- First Prize Award: $400 Amazon Gift Card and “First Prize” Winner Award
- Most Innovative App Award: for the team that proposes the most innovative app idea that has the potential to disrupt the traditional business model
- Best Business App Award: for the team that proposes the most viable business idea that is practical and most likely to be developed into a profitable business
- Best Community App Award: for the team that proposes the most meaningful app idea that delivers social, environmental, philanthropy, health, and education values
- Best UX Design Award: for the team that prototypes the best user experience through interface design
- Best Technical Implementation Award: for the team that delivers the most impressive implementation of the core functionality through cutting edge technology
Besides the first prize award, the Appathon Challenge Committee reserves the right to select and modify the award categories based on the nature and variety of submitted app entries.
Registration and PowerPoint Submission Deadine
Tuesday, May 18, 2021, at 11:59 p.m. PST
Appathon team presentation
Thursday, May 20, 2021, from 5 to 7 p.m. through Zoom; judges present at the presentations
Appathon Challenge winner announcement (by email)
Friday, May 21, 2021
The competition is now closed.
SAP AppHaus
The Appathon Contest is co-sponsored by SAP AppHaus and the Lam Family College of Business.
The customer-facing SAP AppHaus is the next step in SAP's evolution of innovating with customers by putting human experience first.
Their goal is to make innovation real and help their customers transform into an intelligent enterprise by:
- applying SAP’s Human-Centered Approach to Innovation
- leveraging the power of SAP technologies, including SAP Business Technology Platform
- fostering a culture of innovation
SAP runs five AppHaus locations in Heidelberg, Berlin, New York, Palo Alto and Seoul. Moreover, SAP franchised the successful AppHaus concept and offer SAP partners in selected regions to become a member of the SAP AppHaus Network. The AppHaus Network is a community of creative spaces run by SAP or like-minded SAP partners ensuring that innovation based on SAP's technologies gets into the hands of people. It ensures that creative spaces and innovation services can be leveraged by SAP’s customers in all regions.