Raspberry Pi hack event sees Spooks team crowned winners

Team 'Spooks' have been crowned winners of a 24-hour hacking event focused solely on programming on the Raspberry Pi computer in Leeds, where 12 successful hacks were demonstrated.

The team developed a board game offering customisation abilities which encourages players to experiment with programming, making it ideal for educational use within schools.

The software was designed by husband and wife team Shi and Kriss Blanks alongside Chris Armitage and Rebecca Brannum, and included original artwork and musical composition.

In true hack spirit the team only came together for the event. They have been rewarded with a tour of the Raspberry Pi factory.

Also praised were three Yorkshire-based teams of under 18s, who with an average age of 15, worked independently of adult help.

Chris Leake, Adam Burnett, Scott Glossop and Ross Fletcher created a Pi operated synthesizer which used mathematical algorithms to generate music.

And Luke Horwell, Billy Beacroft and 13-year-old Harry Merckel, strangers until before the hack event, collaborated on a custom-built game in Java aimed at children under 11. Also, duo Yas Karunatissa and Jaspreet Dhajan developed a Pi operating system to replace the Pi's Linux.

Over 50 hackers took part in the event, which was hosted by UCLan, a partner of Raspberry Pi reseller CPC.

The judges included Gareth Halfacree, co-author of the Raspberry Pi User Guide; Alex Hudson, BBC Click interactive producer; and Dr Simon Monk, author of Programming the Raspberry Pi.

The other winners:

Best hardware hack: Semaphore to twitter converter - Martyn Raynard, Paul Brook and Neil Pilgrim.Best software hack: Web-enabled grab machine - Jon Davies and Chris Dick.Best individual hack: WiFi remote controlled car with webcam - Lee Barker

David Deventer, head of marketing at CPC, said: "We had 12 successful hacks produced within 24 hours, which is testament to the spirit of UK technology skills."