Impacthon is a 12-hour student challenge organized by PLNT Leiden and PLNT Students. As a participant, you’ll work in various teams and take part in a hands-on, interdisciplinary experience in which you’ll explore one of the three available themes.
During Impacthon, you will:
Identify and define a realistic problem of your choice
Examining and Exploring the Context
Coming up with a solution and creating prototypes
Collaborating Across Disciplines and Perspectives
Pitching your own concept to peers and partners (as a pretotype)
The final output may consist of (virtual) concepts, prototypes, or frameworks that address real-life challenges.
In our previous edition, the winning team was awarded a €2,000 scholarship. Our next prize will be announced shortly.
Curious about the details? Read on!
What is the theme?
The world needs heroes. You could very well be one of them.
Every great story begins the same way: an ordinary person sees a problem that others have learned to ignore, and decides he or she can no longer turn a blind eye to it.
On September 26, you’ll be that person.
You’re thrown into a world facing a real, urgent threat. Three villains are lurking, and they’re not fictional. They show up in our hospitals, our climate, our news feeds, our classrooms, and our daily lives. You choose the villain that matters most to you—the problem that keeps you up at night, the one you wish someone would finally do something about.
Along the way, you’ll sharpen your instincts, identify the problem, and find your footing. You’ll cross the threshold into uncharted territory: speed-dating with experts who’ll become your mentors, and testing your ideas against reality. Then comes the final showdown: building something real, pitching it to the world, and finding out if your solution really holds up.
Because that’s what entrepreneurs are—they don’t wait for someone else to make the world a better place. They are the solution, the heroes. The magical story is just an extra layer on top of the real-world impact, which will unfold with the utmost professionalism on the day itself.
Your quest begins now. Which villain will you take on?
Which villains can you challenge?
During this edition, participants can define their own problem and challenge one of the following three villains:
- The Wellbeing Wrecker: What does it take to build a world where mental and physical health are truly within everyone’s reach?
The Planet Destroyer: The climate, the environment, and all living things are under pressure. So who’s really going to take action?
- The Curiosity Crusher: Education, culture, and curiosity should be available to everyone. So why isn’t that the case?
Can you already picture your arch-enemy of the day? Great!
Will you be there?
Are you coming to the latest edition of the Impacthon? Sign up now using the button on the right.
We’ll keep you updated on everything that’s coming up (and we promise to make our emails super exciting 😉).
