Moonhack is a free, international coding challenge for young people run online every year by Code Club Australia, powered by our partner the Telstra Foundation. The yearly challenge is open to young people worldwide, and in 2023, over 44,500 young people registered to take part.
Moonhack 2024 runs from 14 to 31 October. This year’s theme is taken from World Space Week 2024: climate change. As always, the projects cater for everyone from brand-new beginners to more experienced coders. And young people have a chance to win a prize for their submitted project!
We caught up with Kaye North, Community and Engagement Manager at Code Club Australia, to find out more.
What to expect from Moonhack in 2024
For this year’s projects, Kaye told us that she collaborated with farmers, scientists, and young people from across Australia to cover diverse topics related to climate change and space. The projects will help participants learn about topics from how people who work in agriculture use climate data to increase crop yields and practise sustainable farming, to the impact of rising global temperatures on sea life populations.
Kaye also hopes to help young people understand the role of satellite data related to climate change, such as the data NASA collects and shares via satellite. Satellite data on rising sea levels, called out in United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 13, forms the basis of one of the Moonhack projects this year.
Moonhack participants will be able to code with Scratch, micro:bit, or Python. They can also take on a project brief where they may choose their favourite programming language and even include physical computing if they wish.
All six projects will be available from 1 September when registration opens, and projects can be submitted until 30 November.
Inspiring young people to create a better future
Climate change is an issue that affects everyone, and for many young people it’s a source of concern. Kaye’s aim this year is to show small changes young people can make to contribute to a big, global impact.
“Moonhack’s question this year is ‘Can we create calls to action through our coding to influence others to make better choices, or even inform them of things that they didn’t know that they can share with others?’” – Kaye North, Code Club Australia
Moonhack support for volunteers, teachers and parents
This year’s Moonhack includes new resources to help educators and mentors who are supporting young people to take part:
Get your young coders involved: Key info
- Registration for Moonhack 2024 opens on 1 September
- The challenge runs from 14 to 31 October, and projects can be submitted until 30 November
- Participation is free and open to any young coder worldwide, whether they are part of a Code Club or not
- Everyone from beginners to advanced coders can participate
- The six projects for Moonhack 2024 will be available in around 30 languages
To find out more, visit the Moonhack website and sign up to the Moonhack newsletter.
Code Club Australia is powered by the Telstra Foundation as part of a strategic partnership with us at the Raspberry Pi Foundation.
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