CajunCodeFest 5.0 seeks competitors for annual “code-a-thon”

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The University of Louisiana at Lafayette’s Center for Business and Information Technologies is seeking innovative students, programmers, software developers, designers and entrepreneurs for its CajunCodeFest 5.0 competition.

The “code-a-thon” will be held Wednesday, March 29, to Saturday, April 1.

An opening ceremony will be held at 5:30 p.m. on March 29 at CBIT in Abdalla Hall, 635 Cajundome Blvd. Teams of competitors will receive technical data related to some aspect of local civic government. The exact topic related to this year’s challenge will be revealed at that event.

Teams will work to develop the most user-friendly software tool or app, based on the data they receive.

The competition will take place at the Cecil J. Picard Center for Child Development and Lifelong Learning in University Research Park. Teams will gather there at 3 p.m. on Friday, March 31; they will work on projects until noon on Saturday, April 1.

Lafayette Consolidated Government will have the option to implement the competition’s best app.

“CajunCodeFest taps Acadiana’s entrepreneurial spirit and enables Lafayette to be the test bed in the use of networked technologies and gigabit innovations,” said Matthew Delcambre, CBIT director.

The event also provides a forum for networking among students, business and technology professionals, and civic leaders.

CajunCodeFest began in 2012. Competitors at the yearly event have addressed a range of topics, including aging, childhood obesity, and diabetes.

The competition will be hosted by CBIT, with help from LCG; CGI, a Montreal-based company with a technology center in Lafayette; and INNOV8 Acadiana, a series of volunteer-led events focused on helping people achieve business goals.

Registration is free, but is required of all participants. Competitors can register as teams, or as individuals who will be placed on a team. Space is limited, so participants are encouraged to register as early as possible

To learn more or register, visit cajuncodefest.org