That’s why MasterCard created its own global hackathon series, Masters of Code, and challenged developers to leverage our services and solutions to propel the development of the next big thing. But we also want to reach developers beyond our own events, as one cannot predict where the next great idea, or app, will come from. As such, we are excited to announce our sponsorship of the international Smart City App Hack.

Smart City App Hack was created to help discover the best digital and mobile solutions for smart cities that meet the needs of citizens and improve overall living conditions. The program focuses on five major themes: urban mobility, energy and emissions, collaborative city, culture & tourism, and retail & shopping. As the lead sponsor of the Retail & Shopping track, MasterCard will award the winning team (who needs to use at least one MasterCard API), an all-expenses paid trip to Silicon Valley in December to compete in the Grand Finale of the MasterCard Masters of Code Competition.

The Smart City App Hack competition lasts seven months, during which developers, entrepreneurs and local activists will develop mobile solutions for the various host cities. The series kicks off this weekend in Barcelona, and will continue in Dubai, Helsinki, Ghent and multiple other cities to be announced in the coming months. It then closes with a gala awards ceremony during the Smart City Expo in Barcelona on November 17-19.

We’re looking forward to watching this series unfold and seeing what innovations for urban living may come out of the competition. Watch this space for future updates.