24-Hour Hackathon
October 24-25, 2025

The NextEra of Emergency Response:
A Hackathon to Transform how NextEra Energy Prepares for any Challenge

OCTOBER 24-25, 2025

4pm Friday to 3pm Saturday
@ the FSU Innovation Hub

*with 8-hour break for sleep at home

EVENT INFORMATION

Up to $1200 in cash prizes!

Three meals included!

Free event t-shirts & giveaways for all participants!

A great opportunity to make new connections, gain marketable skills, and make a difference in the world!!

THE CHALLENGE

The grid is under attack!

Hackers, hurricanes, natural and manmade disasters threaten our power and electric infrastructure. It is likely to get worse.

As we consider growing threats to our power infrastructure:  

How might we help NextEra Energy leverage game-changing technologies, breakthrough data insights and revolutionary processes to deliver solutions that can transform how we prepare for, respond to, and recover from emergencies today and in the future.

The future of emergency response lies in leveraging cutting-edge technologies and data-driven insights. We're looking for hackathon teams to develop breakthrough solutions that can transform how we prepare for, respond to and recover from emergencies, whether it's a hurricane, cyber attack or other event that requires rapid response to protect our customers, employees and stakeholders.

The Challenge Awaits: Break the mold of conventional emergency response. What game-changing technologies, breakthrough data insights or revolutionary processes could help NextEra Energy respond faster, smarter, and more effectively than ever before?

This event is open to ALL MAJORS!

Coding and programming skills NOT required!

Only 50 seats open!

REGISTER NOW!

TENTATIVE AGENDA

FRIDAY, OCT 25

Teaming, Planning, Ideation

4:00 PM - Welcome and Introductions

4:15 PM - Hackathon: Rules of Engagement

4:30 PM - Team Formation

4:45 PM - Design Thinking Workshop

5:15 PM – “The Hack” Background Information

  • Introduction to NextEra Energy and Florida Power & Light

  • Leveraging Technology & Innovation

  • Overview of Emergency Preparedness Events and Current Playbook

6:15 PM - Dinner & Getting to Know You

7:00 PM - Expert Panel Q&A

7:30 PM - Let the Hack Begin!

  • Experts available for consultation

Midnight - Hub Closes

Teams may work on their own at the Hub until midnight, or work elsewhere. Take some time to sleep so that you feel sharp and rested on Saturday.

SATURDAY, OCT 26

Ideation, Prototyping, and Pitching

8:00 AM - Check-in, Breakfast & Networking

8:30 AM - Expert Panel Q&A and Hackathon Tips and Tricks

11:00 AM- Hacker Interviews with the team

12:00 PM - Lunch & Networking

12:30 PM - Pitches Due & Team Photos

1:00 PM - Pitch Presentations Begin

  • Format: 3 minutes presentation, 6 slides maximum

  • Q&A: 2 minutes per team

2:30 PM - Awards Ceremony & Wrap up

LOGISTICS

Our Hackathon brings together students from all majors, with differing skills, creating 10 teams with five students each, and challenges them to solve the challenge above using Design Thinking. Solutions can take any form including apps, physical inventions, services, systems, or a combination of the above.

Design Thinking is an innovation framework that consists of

  • Empathy: Learning about the problem space

  • Reframing: Focussing in on a part of the problem to address

  • Ideation: Coming up with a unique and impactful solution by first exploring many solutions

  • Prototyping: Building a visual model of your solution to easily present it for feedback

  • Pitch: Selling your idea to a panel of judges

PRIZES!

1st Place: $100 per team member

2nd: $75 per team member

3rd: $50 per team member

Individual prizes and give aways!

  • Team members must have participated in the entire design sprint to win a prize

BENEFITS!

Career Opportunities with NextEra!

Learn Design Thinking Skills!

Make New Friends!

Have an Impact!

REGISTER NOW!

Judging Criteria

Scoring: Low 1 - Outstanding 10

PRESENTATION: Stage presence, storytelling, presentation materials (deck), mock-ups / POC, flow, information

Outstanding

  • Team produces a concise and compelling presentation. 

  • All team members were engaged in the project.  

  • Mock-up or POC included in presentation

  • Great job telling the story

Average

  • Some members not as engaged and/or team is unable to answer all questions.   

  • Partial mock-up or semi-functional POC

  • Opportunity for improvement telling the story

Low

  • Presentation missing a lot of information. 

  • Did not demonstrate a clear vision and it is clear that some members were left behind during the project.   

  • Need a lot of work telling the story

 

BUSINESS VALUE:  Idea will generate cost savings, revenue, or has potential for patent

Outstanding

  • Idea will generate significant cost savings and/or revenue. Potential for patent.

Average

  • Idea will contribute to a solution that will generate cost savings and/or revenue

Low

  • Business value not clearly communicated or produces minimal business value

 

FEASIBILITY:  Idea is realistic

Outstanding

  • The idea currently implements existing technologies or could easily use company’s existing resources.  

  • Tech which is implemented is inexpensive. 

  • They have a clear timeline and have planned how current resources can be implemented.  

Average

  • The idea uses existing technologies but would be expensive to implement. 

  • They have a rough timeline but have not thought about specific implementation of current resources.  

Low

  • The idea relies on technologies that have not been developed yet or are all hypothetical. 

  • Implementation would be too far away to consider.  

 

INNOVATION:  How innovative was the idea?

Outstanding

  • Game-changer with potential for high impact

Average

  • Moderately innovative idea 

Low

  • Not much innovation in this project

REGISTER NOW!

SPONSORED BY:

Planning Committee: