NMAD Announces the Winners of ImpactHack 2020

On September 15, 2020, the National Museum of American Diplomacy (NMAD) held an online awards ceremony, broadcast over its website and social media accounts, to recognize the winners of ImpactHack 2020, a contest that helped develop future museum exhibits. 

This hackathon was a way to work closely with the public to develop ideas for two future museum exhibits:

  • Interactive World Map: Using publicly available data, participants created an interactive world map that explores where, when, and why American diplomacy happens and the topics addressed by multilateral efforts
  • Creating a Diverse Diplomatic Corps: Using State Department career information, participants created an interactive site where users match their skills and interests to careers in diplomacy. 

The winners are:

  • Overall Grand Prize: John Ferguson (U.S. Army) & Andrew Ferguson (Harvard University)
  • Best Creating a Diverse Diplomatic Corps Interactive: Michelle D’Souza (University of California, Berkeley) 
  • Best World Map Interactive: Ranjan Biswas (Georgetown University)
  • Honorable Mention: Sherry Fan (University of California, Berkeley)

NMAD is very grateful to the nearly 400 participants who competed in this virtual hackathon from July 15 to August 24, 2020. Participants used their tech skills and creativity to enhance the general public’s understanding of diplomacy and its related skills. These projects will serve as prototypes for future interactive exhibits in the museum.

Please contact NMAD@state.gov for more information.