WELCOME TO HACK THE CITY 2026!
Your application has been accepted. Welcome to Hack The City!
Hack The City is a 48-hour, in-person innovation challenge bringing together people from different backgrounds to develop practical solutions to real-world urban mobility challenges.
During the hackathon, your team will explore data and technology, test ideas, build a prototype or proof of concept, and present your solution to a jury.
WHAT TO EXPECT
• Real urban mobility challenges
• Multidisciplinary teams
• Support from mentors and experts
• Access to relevant data and technological resources
• Prototype development and testing
• A final presentation to the jury
TEAMS
Hack The City is a team-based competition. Teams must consist of 3 to 5 members.
Participants who applied individually may be matched with other accepted participants.
Each participant must register individually on Devpost. However, each team should create and submit only one Devpost project.
Be curious. Work together. Build, test and iterate.
Requirements
WHAT YOUR TEAM MUST SUBMIT
Develop a solution to a real-world urban mobility challenge using data and technology.
Your team should produce a working prototype or convincing proof of concept that demonstrates how the proposed solution could work in practice.
DEVPOST SUBMISSION
Each team must submit one project through https://hackthecity2026.devpost.com/ by 10:00 AM on Friday, 25 September 2026.
Your Devpost submission must include:
• Project name
• Selected challenge
• All team members
• The problem being addressed
• The proposed solution
• The target user or beneficiary
• A description or demonstration of the prototype
• The technology and data used
• The expected impact
• Implementation and scalability potential
• Access, testing or demonstration instructions
• Relevant repository and demo links, where applicable
• Final presentation slides in PDF format
The presentation PDF is mandatory.
Relevant files and links may include:
• GitHub repository
• Working prototype
• Product demo
• YouTube video
• Testing or access instructions
All team members must be added to the same Devpost project before submission.
Do not include confidential partner datasets, credentials, personal information or restricted data in public repositories, demonstrations or submission files.
FIRST-ROUND PRESENTATION
After submitting on Devpost, every team will deliver a 3-minute pitch at its table, followed by 2 minutes of questions and answers with the jury.
The jury will select the top three teams to proceed to the final round.
Prizes
First Place
Second Place
Third Place
Judges
Hack The City Judging Panel
To be announced
Judging Criteria
-
Value & Impact — 30%
Does the project solve a meaningful real-world problem or unlock a valuable opportunity? Is the target user clear, and could the solution create measurable social, environmental or economic impact? -
Working Demo Quality — 25%
Does the prototype work as presented? Is it clear, usable and effective in demonstrating the proposed solution? -
Technical Differentiation — 20%
What makes the solution technically distinctive or better than existing approaches? Does the team use data and technology in a meaningful and appropriate way? -
Creative Storytelling — 15%
Is the problem, solution and impact communicated through a clear, memorable and compelling presentation? -
Team Execution & Production Potential — 10%
Did the team execute effectively during the hackathon? Could the prototype realistically become a deployable product or service with further development?
Questions? Email the hackathon manager