#NOMW26 Health Innovation Hackathon
“Those closest to the problem are closest to the solution, but furthest from power and resources.” -Ronald Bey-Simpson
This quote informs the why behind the inaugural #NOMW26 Hackathon. We are excited to provide a platform to amplify the innovative and creative minds of nurses, doulas, lactation consultants, community birth workers, and students. We invite everyone who is passionate about mitigating maternal and infant morbidity and mortality.
What You Will Experience
This Hackathon provides creative mindset applicants with tools and techniques to manage design thinking. This process is intended to hone and perfect a set of skills that will allow participants to become better at finding novel solutions based on the unmet needs of our patients and community. This will be a collaborative team-based endeavor that will culminate in a pitch presentation.
Format
Innovation Teams of four (4) people will be able to advance their projects through an active learning process. All intellectual property generated will be assigned to the innovation teams. Mentors will be assigned to each team to coach and direct.
Teams will choose to innovate within* one of the following Innovation Tracks:
Solutions Centering Pregnancy and Birth
Solutions Centering the 4th Trimester
Solutions Leveraging Technology/AI
Solutions Leveraging Legislation
Cost
The cost to participate in this Hackathon is $50.
Judging and Awards
The winning team will be awarded $5,000 to help move their project forward. All participants who complete a pitch will receive fun Hackathon swag, a $50 gift card and access to project and development support via Venture Studio-MIDST***
Dates
Applications open: June 29, 2026
Applications close: July 31, 2026
Participants notified of acceptance: August 3, 2026
Participants confirm acceptance: August 6, 2026
Notification of teams and first webinar: August 11, 2026, 2 PM ET
Second webinar, Creating a “Needs Statement”: September 10/14, 2026
Final webinar: October 15, 2026, 2 PM ET
Hackathon and Pitch Day: October 22, 2026, 9 AM - 3 PM ET
A note from Rose…
It is with immense gratitude and excitement that I introduce you to my coconspirator in this Hackathon project, Ty Hagler, Founder & CEO of Trig.
Trig is an award-winning innovation and design firm that offers clients guided experiences in building a culture of innovation, understanding their customer needs, designing successful products, and developing lasting brands. Their comprehensive innovation process includes insights and ideation, product design, brand and digital experiences for start-ups, mid-sized, and Fortune 500 companies. We teach the principles of design thinking to use safe-fail techniques help manage risk and uncertainty in navigating the complex domain of innovation.
As you can see above, we are not messing around, y’all! This is going to be an amazing opportunity for us to reimagine healthcare and be part of the solution. I can’t wait to experience Hope in Action with you. The NotOnMyWatch team looks forward to your applications.