BeeActive: Programmers and designers wanted to support bee survival

WWF Romania, Code4Romania, and Design Thinking Society have launched a competition to develop a mobile app that brings together the world of plants, pollinators, and gastronomy.

The Innovate for Bees competition aims to create a unique mobile app in Romania for the identification of plant species and their pollinators, including a platform for citizen engagement and a recipe area for non-alcoholic drinks and plant-based culinary delights.

Mixed teams of programmers and UX designers/experts from around the country are invited to apply with prototypes of an app capable of doing the above.

"What do technology and bees have in common? Both do great good for communities everywhere. It's time to put digital to work so we can build sustainable solutions for the environment and those who care for it," says Olivia Vereha, co-founder of Code for Romania.

The competition runs from September 20 to November 5. Registration can be done in mixed teams of 2 or maximum 3 members until September 29, by filling in the registration form. After that, registered teams have 3 weeks to design a prototype. The organizers will provide all the necessary content for the technical and graphical development of the application.

The prototypes will be evaluated by a jury made up of representatives of the competition organisers: WWF, Code4Romania, and Design Thinking Society, together with partners from the Botanical Garden D. Brândză in Bucharest, Ierburi Uitate - the botanical bar, and café FIX/Artichoke, as well as the communication agency Kooperativa.

Following the evaluation, 5 finalist solutions will be selected and the teams that proposed them will be invited to present their solution live at an event, where the winning team will be announced. The prize consists of a budget of EUR 8,000 where the winning team will have to develop the full version of the application.

Participants will have access to mentoring sessions provided by Code4Romania and Design Thinking Society, as well as webinars on various topics offered by our partners mentioned above.

The aim of the app is to bring people closer to the fascinating world of plants and insects in Romania and to put at their fingertips a tool to get involved in saving them at a critical moment - the manifestation of climate change and biodiversity loss.

The app is developed within the BeeActive project - Mobilizing citizens for the conservation of bees and other pollinating insects in Romania, developed by WWF Romania in partnership with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA), with the financial support of Active Citizens Fund Romania.