Watch the 2022 Solution Challenge Demo Day on July 28. See it here.
Ready to get started? Here's an overview of the program timeline and how to start your journey with this year’s Solution Challenge.

Get started

If there is no club at your college or university, you can join the closest one through the community event platform.
Form a 4-person team, with at least one student from the university of the Google Developer Student Club, and ideally with a varied set of technical and soft skills. Have a conversation early about causes you care about most. Register for the Solution Challenge by submitting this form (each team member must register).
Select a goal that aligns with personal interests and/or needs in your community that you would like to solve with technology. Watch this video to learn more.

Learn and build

One way to identify a solution is by using a Design Sprint, a flexible framework for solving problems through designing, prototyping, and testing ideas with users over a 5-day sprint.
This is where your solution’s user interface and user experience comes in. Start thinking about how a user will interact with the solution. Watch this video to learn more about designing an interface.
Follow the learning pathways on the Resources page to help you plan and design the backend.

Finalize and submit your solution

Collect feedback by showcasing your project to other students, family, and friends.
Using the feedback you received, start iterating on your design and technology until it’s polished and ready for a final demo.
Put your solution into action. Record a video of a successful demo (maximum 2 minutes long) and submit it using this form. The submission form will open on March 15, 2022. Watch this video for examples of demos from last year's contest.

Evaluation criteria

  • Does the entry establish a clear problem or challenge drawn from one or more of the United Nations 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), and is it clearly explained which specific SDG targets the entry is solving for? (10 points)
  • How effectively does the solution address the challenge identified by the team? (20 points)
  • Is there evidence of a next step? Does the team display a plan for future extension if they were to continue? (10 points)
  • Is there evidence that the solution has been thoroughly tested with real users? (10 points)
  • Is there evidence that the solution was iterated upon based on user feedback? (10 points)
  • Does the solution implement all the technical components needed to solve the challenge? (10 points)
  • Has the team clearly explained what Google technology they used, why, and included guidance on how to run their code? (10 points)
  • Does the video demonstration show the working solution and how a user will interact with the solution? Does the demonstration highlight how Google's technologies are implemented, and also mention the value the technology provides the users? (10 points)
  • Has the team made effective product and technical decisions for their solution? (10 points)

Decision timeline

Top 50 teams selected

After judges review all submissions against the evaluation criteria, the top 50 Solution Challenge teams will be announced.

Mentoring for top 50 teams

The top 50 teams receive mentorship from Google and Google Developer Experts to improve their solution and resubmit it for the top prize.

Top 10 finalists announced

Finalist teams will be announced and begin to prepare for the 2022 Solution Challenge Demo Day.

3 winning teams announced live on YouTube

All 10 finalists will showcase their solutions during the 2022 Solution Challenge Demo Day, and the 3 winning teams will be announced!