It’s innovative, intense and a shot at fame and fortune. It’s the Ideas of March Hackathon, a mobile app programming competition open to college students with basic programming skills.

The event, which kicks off the afternoon of Friday, March 13, is sponsored by CSUMB’s College of Business and its Institute for Innovation and Economic Development, the university’s School of Computing and Design, and the Monterey County Business Council.

Teams of students and software professionals will work through the weekend to develop prototype mobile applications for local nonprofits, community organizationas and small businesses and then present their work – real, working prototypes – at 2 p.m., March 15, with winners chosen in several categories.

There is no cost to participate, but prospective participants must apply by March 6. Food and beverages will be provided during event hours. Apply here.

The event will be held in the Media Learning Center on the CSUMBcampus. Find driving directions and a campus map.

Ideas for apps must be submitted by March 9. Submit an idea here. For information, call the institute at 582-3230.

Prospective competitors should note that all code created during the competition will be published as open source code.

Anyone new to developing Android apps can learn the basics at a three-hour workshop set for March 6 at CSUMB.