On 18th May, the participants of the 24h By Webcup Maurice gathered to celebrate their achievements during the award ceremony. After having vibrated in unison during this 24-hour non-stop website creation hackathon, which took place on the weekend of 4th and 5th May simultaneously across 6 territories of the South-West Indian Ocean, it was time for the assessment. The Webcupers of Mauritius had the opportunity to receive valuable feedback on their projects from jury members and coaches. They were also awarded their participation certificates, testifying to their involvement. The ceremony was also a privileged occasion for the participants to network with partners and sponsors, discover inspiring career paths, and project themselves into their future professional careers.
- Hybrid Organisation in Mauritius with Online or In-Person Participation
This 11th edition of the 24h By Webcup Maurice was organised in a hybrid format, with the possibility to compete online or in-person on 4th and 5th May at Orange Business in Ebene. The originality of this organisation was that participants from all islands could communicate on a common online platform throughout the weekend. Moreover, the opening on Saturday, 4th May, was done live, allowing each territory, in turn, to present their local 24h By Webcup in terms of organisation, participant profiles, or partners, until the fateful moment of the subject kick-off at 11:15 am (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tFXeqa1Vm7M).
- An Innovative and Eco-Responsible Subject
True to tradition, the subject of the 24h By Webcup, jealously kept secret until the last moment, was revealed simultaneously on the 6 islands of the Indian Ocean. Like a starter, this unveiling kicked off this web development competition, where participants compete tirelessly for 24 hours non-stop, on the same weekend, at the same time, around a common theme.
This year, the 24h By Webcup 2024 challenged participants to create a website by diving into unknown universes. Chance was in the spotlight with a draw offering two subject choices, giving teams the freedom to select the one that would lead them to victory. For the most daring, the mystery subject added an extra dose of adrenaline. Were the participants ready to take on this challenge? On your marks, get set, code! The themes, detailed in Appendix 1 (or on the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_IWnr7XzU9Q)), gave birth to a variety of websites, each more creative than the last. It is important to note that the jury paid particular attention to the eco-design criterion in their evaluation, thus rewarding projects that combined technical performance and respect for the environment.
- A Record Participation at Both Regional and National Levels
The 2024 edition of the 24h By Webcup brought together a record number of 334 participants from across the Indian Ocean: Comoros, Madagascar, Mauritius, Mayotte, Reunion Island, and Rodrigues. No fewer than 111 teams threw themselves wholeheartedly into this challenge of creativity and technical skills, battling it out with lines of code and graphic prowess. The stakes were high: to win the local selection and secure their ticket to the grand international final, which will take place in a few months.
In Mauritius, 21 teams answered the call to take on this challenge. For 24 hours of rare intensity, they pushed their limits, forgetting sleep and drawing on their energy reserves to give their best. However, the organisers had a surprise in store for them: an additional constraint, in the form of a plot twist, spiced up the competition halfway through, adding unexpected technical and eco-design requirements. Far from being discouraged, our valiant competitors redoubled their efforts and ingenuity to meet this challenge, ignoring the accumulated fatigue. A true demonstration of passion, resilience, and talent!
- Team Puddle Pirates, winner of the 24h By Webcup Maurice 2024
After a long deliberation by the jury panel, the winning teams are finally announced:
The Grand Prize of the Jury is won by the Puddle Pirates team, composed of Omrawoo Hiranyadaa, Divankar Ramhit, Priyesh Latchooman, and Khemisha Gunesh: “During the competition, we did our best to approach the subject that was assigned to us by drawing lots with creativity. We had the task of creating a website concerning a “Site for the resale of Ken’s goods after his divorce from Barbie”. For the development of the website, we used Next.js, Tailwind CSS, Symfony, and MySQL technologies and frameworks. One of our innovative ideas to stand out from our competitors and from traditional e-commerce was to allow users to make their purchases according to the different parts of Barbie’s Dreamhouse. Despite the stress of the competition and the fact of not having slept for 24 hours, we had fun developing the site because the theme was out of the ordinary and very fun. The main thing is that despite the extreme fatigue at the end of the competition, we were very proud of our team and the work we had done. We encourage people to participate in the 24h By Webcup because it’s an opportunity to showcase their creativity and really test their potential. We can’t wait to represent our island at the Indian Ocean regional final,” says Divankar RAMHIT, captain of the Puddle Pirates team. Their website can be viewed at the following link: https://puddlepirates.maurice.webcup.hodi.host/ . They share prizes worth Rs80,000.
The 2nd Prize is won by the Dev Crew team composed of Yaasir Cheekoory, Narod Adel, Rouslan Chimeea (representatives of the Le Wagon Mauritius school). Their website, a restaurant for zombies and mummies, can be viewed at the following link: https://devcrew.maurice.webcup.hodi.host/. They win prizes worth Rs50,000.
The 3rd Prize is won by the Codewars team composed of Pravesh Gowreea, Rabill Madarboccus, Junaïd Edoo, and Ashfaaq Jowaheer. Their website, a training center for Superheroes, can be viewed at the following link: https://codewars.maurice.webcup.hodi.host/ . They win prizes worth Rs30,000.
The Jury’s Favorite, is awarded by the Web Wizards team composed of Mohammad Noor Patel, Ridwan Ghamy, Sanish Ramlal, and Mohammad Umar Ameerally (students from Middlesex University). Their website, a restaurant for zombies and mummies, can be accessed via the link on the right: https://webwizards.maurice.webcup.hodi.host/.
They share prizes worth Rs15,000.
The winners were rewarded with high-tech accessories and/or cash prizes.
- Bootcamps are organized before and after the 24h By Webcup in Mauritius
The 24h By Webcup Mauritius places the preparation of participants at the heart of its priorities, to offer them the best chances of success during this intense and demanding competition.
To support them in this process, the traditional preparation bootcamp was held on April 27 at the premises of Orange Business, the co-organizer hosting the event. This day brought together a panel of high-level speakers: former participants, experienced coaches, members of the jury from previous editions, the 24h By Webcup referent in Mauritius, as well as the president of the Webcup Réunion Association and the director of Hodi.host, a server specialist. Their mission: to provide sound advice on the organization methods to adopt during the 24 hours of competition, and to guide participants in the optimal use of the tools provided to them, while recalling the rules and the course of the event.
Beyond the technical aspects, this bootcamp allowed participants to familiarize themselves with the environment in which they would compete. The management and staff of Orange Business introduced the company and outlined the health and safety instructions to be followed, thus ensuring optimal competition conditions. This bootcamp was also an opportunity for participants to forge friendly ties with members of other teams, fostering a spirit of cohesion and mutual support. These meetings strengthened the participants’ motivation to give their best during this 24h By Webcup.
