UNESCO Youth Hackathon 2026
UNESCO
📌About the Event
The UNESCO Youth Hackathon 2026 is a global innovation challenge that invites young people to design practical and creative solutions for improving Media and Information Literacy (MIL). Conducted under the theme “Play Your Part: Youth Designing the Future of Media and Information Literacy,” the hackathon encourages teams to address challenges connected with artificial intelligence, misinformation, digital education, youth participation and community empowerment. Winning teams will be invited to present their projects at the Voices European Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom in Thessaloniki, Greece.
ℹ️ Event Details
- Theme: Play Your Part: Youth Designing the Future of Media and Information Literacy
- Mode of conduct: Primarily online and virtual
- Participation format: Team-based competition with teams comprising 2–6 members
- Geographical scope: Open to young people from all countries, including participants from India
- Mentoring: Registered participants can attend a free online mentoring programme led by international experts.
- Submission language: English
- Final showcase: Winning teams will be invited to Thessaloniki, Greece, for the Voices European Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom.
- Main objective: To develop innovative and scalable Media and Information Literacy solutions for a safer, more inclusive and better-informed digital society.
📅 Important Dates
- Call for participation opens: June 15, 2026
- Online mentoring programme: July 1–2, 2026
- Project submission period: July 6–August 16, 2026
- Global evaluation period: August 18–September 13, 2026
- Winner announcement: September 13–18, 2026
- Winners’ ceremony and project showcase in Greece: November 26–28, 2026
🎯 Eligibility & Rules
- Eligibility
- Participants must apply in teams of 2–6 members.
- Every team member must be between 18 and 30 years old.
- Teams may be national, regional or international.
- Young people from India are eligible because the event is open globally.
- No previous hackathon, coding or professional experience is required.
- Teams should support UNESCO’s values, including peace, diversity, inclusion and freedom of expression.
- Gender-balanced and inclusive teams are strongly encouraged.
- Submission Rules
- Each team must submit a proposal document in PDF or Word format.
- The proposal should include:
- Names and details of team members
- Problem statement
- Project objectives
- Target audience
- Prototype or project concept
- Sustainability plan
- Creativity and originality
- Feasibility of implementation
- Teams must also submit a pitch video of up to three minutes.
🏆 Benefits for the Participants
- Winning teams will be invited to attend the Voices European Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom in Thessaloniki, Greece.
- Winners will showcase their projects before international experts and stakeholders from November 26 to 28, 2026.
- Registered participants will receive access to a free online mentoring programme conducted by international experts.
- Teams that successfully submit their projects will receive a UNESCO participation certificate.
- Participants can gain international exposure and connect with young innovators from different countries.
- Winning projects may receive global visibility and opportunities to connect with organizations working in Media and Information Literacy.