Explore the Categories

SDG Innovation Hackathon defines 3 primary categories: Observation and Discovery, Problem Study, and Innovative Solution.
Once a team picks a Hack, they can move on to select a Category.
Please be aware that each team is permitted to select 1 category per year.

3 Categories

What kind of research do you need to conduct to answer some of your questions?
How will you identify relevant and trustworthy sources of information?
Who could support you in this project as a mentor?
Explore the Categories for inspiration.
The indicated difficulty levels are for reference only.

C1. Observation and Discovery
（Moderate）

This category focuses on assisting learners in documenting a broad array of occurrences and specifics connected to the yearly theme by means of careful observation. Students are motivated to investigate scenarios pertaining to the theme from various perspectives within detailed contexts, apply reliable observational techniques to gather information, and deliver thorough and nuanced explanations and evaluations of their findings to acquire meaningful understanding.
Topic Examples:

"Observational Analysis of Pet Dog Waste Disposal in Different Urban Areas." This topic falls under the Observation and Discovery category within the "Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development" Hack. It involves observing the disposal of pet dog waste in various urban areas such as commercial districts, residential areas, and parks, including the owner's disposal methods, public facility provisions, and sanitation conditions, analyzing the differences and reasons for disposal effects in different areas, and providing a basis for improving urban environmental sanitation.
"Observation of the Inheritance and Changes of Traditional Ethnic Costumes in Modern Society: A Case Study of a Specific Ethnic Minority." This topic is within the Observation and Discovery category under the "Heritage Preservation and Inheritance" Hack. It involves a specific ethnic minority area to observe the inheritance methods, occasions of use, and style changes of traditional ethnic costumes in modern society, exploring the factors affecting inheritance and change, and providing references for the protection and inheritance of traditional ethnic costume cultures.

Counterexample:

"Observation of Public Transportation Conditions in All Cities." This topic is too broad and difficult to observe in detail and depth. It should be modified to "Observation of Public Transportation Optimization Schemes in a Specific Type of City (e.g., Tourist Cities): A Case Study of a Specific City."

C2. Problem Study
(Challenging)

This categor necessitates that student teams concentrate on a particular problem within the selected Hack, carry out investigations linked to natural or social sciences, and utilize suitable research techniques to uncover the fundamental trends, contributing elements, or reasons behind the issue, thus deepening our comprehension of the matter.
Topic Examples:

"Study on the Present Condition and Factors Contributing to Social Anxiety Among High School Students." This subject is categorized under the Problem Study in the "Medical Health and Food" Hack. To begin with, social anxiety is a prevalent mental health concern among today's youth. This is a real "genuine" problem. Second, this issue is very relevant to the participants' lives and experiences. In daily campus life, participants can easily access the relevant population. In the conduct of the research, whether using quantitative research methods such as surveys or qualitative research methods such as interviews, participants can obtain first-hand information effectively. This helps us deepen our understanding of the causes or related factors of adolescent social phobia. Therefore, this is a very suitable research topic for high school students.
" Education of Left-Behind Children Under the Background of Double Reduction: A Case Study of XX County XX Village." This topic falls under the Problem Study category within the "Diverse and Inclusive Equal Society" Hack. Participants conduct actual research in XX county XX village to deeply understand the current state of education for left-behind children and its relationship with the double reduction policy. The choice of problem is very specific, and through fieldwork (referring to the working method in social sciences), real first-hand information can be obtained, making it highly researchable. Therefore, this is also a very appropriate topic.

Counterexample:

"Research on Improving the Living Standards of Farmers and Narrowing the Urban-Rural Gap Through Technological Innovation." This topic falls under the Problem Study category within the "Rural Revitalization and Urban-Rural Integration" Hack. This is a typical counterexample for two reasons: First, the topic is too broad, and the undefined scope makes it difficult to further effectively explore the problem. Second, the title includes clear conclusive and tendentious words: "improving," "narrowing." It is important to clarify that in the Problem Study category, our overall goal is to explore or induce a problem, expecting to gain some new insights. The title can be improved to: "Research on the Relationship Between Technological Innovation and the Living Standards of Farmers: A Case Study of XX County XX Township."

C3. Innovative Solution
(High Challenging)

This category concentrates on a particular challenge within the yearly thematic domain, suggesting innovative approaches grounded in a precise identification of the issue to aid in its resolution. The suggested methods can vary from business strategies and frameworks to the use of emerging technologies addressing the challenge, or even outreach tactics to improve public consciousness and comprehension of the issue.
Topic Examples:

"IoT-Based Water Quality Monitoring System." This topic falls under the Innovative Solution category within the "Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development" Hack. Participants, through learning about new IoT technologies, designed a functional prototype of a water quality monitoring system and achieved preliminary functionality. This system can continuously monitor water quality and upload data to an IoT server, enabling long-term water quality monitoring research on a specific water body. The problem is very real and specific, and the adopted technology aligns well with high school students' capabilities, making it an excellent innovative solution that leverages technology to solve a real-world problem.
"Cultural Creative Product Design Based on Yunnan Yi Ethnic Group's Embroidery Patterns." This topic is within the Innovative Solution category under the "Heritage Protection and Inheritance" Hack. Participants conducted research on the embroidery patterns of the Yi ethnic group in a certain region of Yunnan and further designed new cultural creative products based on this research, aiming to contribute to the protection of this intangible cultural heritage through creative design. This topic is equally real and specific, utilizing skills that high school students possess to enhance intangible cultural heritage. The practical work carried out is highly demonstrative, making it an excellent choice for an innovative solution topic.

Counterexample:

"Designing a Plan to Improve Mental Health for All." which falls under the Innovative Solution category within the "Medical Health and Food" Hack. Mental health issues are highly complex and currently a key focus of society. Due to their complexity and broad scope, it is almost impossible to find a universal, innovative solution that can improve everyone's mental health. Therefore, high school students choosing such a topic are likely to fall into the trap of "generalization." This topic is a typical example of a poor choice: the problem is too large and undefined, leading to unexplorable and ineffective solutions. To make the topic researchable and solvable, it should be narrowed down and necessary conditions should be added. For instance, the topic could be refined to: "Designing a Campus Activity Plan to Enhance Self-Efficacy among 10th to 12th Grade High School Students."