DATES AND LOCATION
Hack The City takes place from 23 to 25 September 2026 at:
NOVA IMS — Colégio Almada Negreiros
Campus de Campolide
1070-312 Lisboa, Portugal
SCHEDULE
23 September
• 17:30 — Doors open
• 18:30 — Start of the event
• Welcome and event introduction
• Handbook presentation and event logistics
• Partner interaction and challenge contacts
24 September
• 10:00–12:00 — Progress check with data partners
• 16:00–18:00 — Progress check with data partners
25 September
• 10:00 — Devpost submission deadline
• 10:00 onward — First-round presentations and evaluation
• 13:00 — Finalist teams announced
• 16:30 — Conference and finalist pitches
TEAMS
• Teams must consist of 3 to 5 participants.
• Each participant may be part of only one team.
• Each team must create only one Devpost project.
• All team members must be listed on the project before submission.
• Participants who applied individually may be matched with other accepted participants.
• Teams may designate one member as their main point of contact.
ORIGINALITY
The submitted solution must be developed during Hack The City.
Participants may conduct research, learn relevant tools and prepare generic resources before the event.
Pre-existing generic libraries, frameworks, templates and code components may be used, provided that they do not constitute an already-developed solution to the selected challenge.
Significant use of pre-existing challenge-specific work, plagiarism or misleading information may result in disqualification.
TECHNOLOGY AND DATA
Teams may use the technologies, programming languages, platforms and tools they consider appropriate, subject to the conditions communicated by the organizers and challenge partners.
External datasets, software, APIs and third-party resources must be used in accordance with their applicable licences and terms of use.
Teams must follow all access, confidentiality and usage requirements communicated with partner-provided datasets and resources.
SUBMISSION DEADLINE
Each team must submit its project through https://hackthecity2026.devpost.com/ by 10:00 AM on Friday, 25 September 2026.
The submission must include all required project information, relevant links and the final presentation slides in PDF format.
Late or incomplete submissions may not be considered.
FIRST ROUND
After the submission deadline, jury members will visit each team’s table to evaluate its project.
Every team will deliver:
• A 3-minute pitch
• A 2-minute question-and-answer session with the jury
The jury will evaluate the project using the official judging criteria and select the top three teams for the final round.
FINAL ROUND
The top three teams will present their projects during the final conference.
Each finalist will deliver:
• A 5-minute final pitch
• A 2-minute question-and-answer session with the jury
The jury’s decision will be based on the official judging criteria and will be final.
EMEL DATASET CONFIDENTIALITY
Datasets provided by EMEL for specific challenges are strictly confidential and may only be used during Hack The City for the purpose of developing the team’s project.
Participants must not publish, upload, redistribute or share the EMEL datasets, or derivative parts of those datasets, through public repositories, platforms, social media or with third parties outside the hackathon.
Public GitHub repositories and Devpost submissions must not contain confidential EMEL data or derivative extracts.
Any breach may result in immediate disqualification and potential legal liability under EMEL’s applicable data-usage policies.
INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY
Participants retain ownership of the intellectual property created as part of their projects, subject to applicable third-party rights, licences and agreements.
Every team is responsible for ensuring that its submission does not infringe intellectual property, privacy or other third-party rights.
CODE OF CONDUCT
All participants are expected to:
• Treat participants, organizers, mentors, jury members and partners with respect
• Collaborate professionally and constructively
• Follow the instructions of the organizing team
• Respect the venue and equipment
• Use data, software and resources responsibly and lawfully
• Comply with applicable laws and regulations
Harassment, discrimination, intimidation, abusive conduct or behaviour that compromises a safe and inclusive environment will not be tolerated.
DISQUALIFICATION
A team or participant may be disqualified for:
• Failure to follow the competition rules
• False or misleading information
• Plagiarism or professional misconduct
• Violation of intellectual property or third-party rights
• Misuse or unauthorized disclosure of confidential data
• Missing required materials or deadlines
• Attempting to manipulate the evaluation process
• Inappropriate or disruptive conduct
The organizing team reserves the right to determine whether a violation has occurred.