Hackathon format & key facts
Organized detailsOverview
The World Bank Group's Small AI for Development Hackathon Challenge invites young innovators aged 18–35 across World Bank member countries to build small AI solutions for constrained environments in health, agriculture or tourism.
Complete hackathon details
Eligible applicants first apply for the Hackathon by 26 September 2026, then accepted participants build and submit their solution during the 3–4 October competition weekend. Applications and entries must be in English. Three winners—one each for agriculture, health and tourism—will be invited to Seoul for the Global AI & Digital Summit. The organizers state reasonable travel, accommodation and designated event expenses for selected winner representatives will be covered. Visa guidance and a support letter are provided, but winners remain responsible for obtaining and paying for their visa unless otherwise approved in writing.
Eligibility requirements
Individuals aged 18–35 at application time from World Bank member countries. Applicants may enter individually or in teams of up to four; every team member must register individually and satisfy eligibility. Active World Bank Group staff, consultants and interns are not eligible.
Tips for this hackathon
Practical Job and Scholarship guidance. These tips do not replace official rules or create new eligibility requirements.
- Choose one of the official health, agriculture or tourism sector challenges and design for constrained connectivity and accessible devices.
- Read the rules, eligibility, judging criteria, required technologies and intellectual-property terms before forming your submission plan.
- Build a complementary team early and assign product, engineering, design, research and presentation responsibilities clearly.
- Optimize for the published judging rubric: demonstrate a real problem, working solution, measurable impact and a concise live demo.
- Prepare the repository, pitch deck, demo video and submission links before the final hours so upload or platform problems do not invalidate the entry.
- Check whether travel, finalist presentations, team-size limits or mandatory attendance apply before committing.
Verification notes
Verified on the World Bank Group's official Global AI & Digital Summit page and challenge terms. The official page states applications are due 26 September 2026 but does not provide an exact closing time, so deadline_date is used.
Job and Scholarship is the discovery and verification layer. Confirm eligibility, dates, salary/funding and application instructions on the original source before submitting anything.
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