Hyderabad, Jan 27 (IANS): The US Consulate General in Hyderabad on Wednesday announced that it is supporting the Covid-19 Gameathon, beginning on February 12.

One of the largest pan-India hackathons aimed at developing innovative games for social good, the Covid-19 Gameathon's focus is to raise awareness about the challenges caused by the recent pandemic, and at the same time, offer solutions that help people stay safe.

The Gameathon is hosted by St. Francis College for Women, Hyderabad and HEART Hyderabad, a US Consulate alumni organisation with the support of the US Consulate General Hyderabad's "COVID-19 Small Grants Program."

The month-long virtual event includes virtual webinars and weekly interactions with expert mentors. At the end of the event, participants will submit their games to a panel of industry stalwarts who will determine the top entries, the Consulate General said in a statement.

Those selected as winners stand a chance to win multiple prizes up to Rs 1 lakh, with special recognition for women in STEM. Subsequently, the winning submissions will be selected for incubation and official publication.

The event will invite more than 5,000 game developers from leading universities and gaming industries, over 100 game prototypes and 10,000 game downloads post-incubation. It offers an extraordinary opportunity for all participants to create tremendous value and impact.