About the challenge: 

Technology plays a powerful role in shaping our cities, schools, justice systems and environment. When designed responsibly it can expand access, strengthen communities and promote equity, but when built without care it can deepen existing disparities. CivicHacks 2026 invites students to think critically about the impact of the tools they create and to focus on ethical innovation in their solutions. We challenge participants to approach their projects with intention, considering the broader consequences of their design choices and the responsibility that comes with building technology for the public. Participants will tackle real challenges in public life, policy and community well-being while reflecting on how their solutions influence trust, access and opportunity. Students of all experience levels are welcome, whether you are an experienced coder or simply passionate about social impact. No prior coding experience is required.

Participants will compete across four tracks: CityHack, EduHack, EcoHack and JusticeHack. One team will be recognized as the overall winner, alongside winners in each individual track. We encourage teams to build solutions that are thoughtful, inclusive and rooted in community needs. Projects should not only demonstrate creativity but also show awareness of their social impact and a commitment to building technology that serves the public good.

Get started: 

1. Assemble Your Team: Form teams of 4–5 individuals who share your passion for civic tech.

2. Brainstorm Ideas: Explore challenges within your chosen track that excite you and that you want to solve.

3. Develop Your Solution: You are free to use any programming language, framework, or library. Make sure to check in with our Ethics Genius Bar throughout the process to ensure your project is ethical and aligns with the principles of civic tech.

4. Document Your Work: Keep your code, designs, or documentation updated on GitHub. All teams should have a visual showcase to present their solution.

5. Prepare Your Presentation: Create a clear and engaging presentation to communicate your project, its features, and the impact it can have.

6. Demo Your Project: Present your solution to the judges and showcase your project live during the demo session.

• Relevance & Impact (25%)
  Evaluates how clearly the project addresses a meaningful civic problem and user need. Considers the strength of the value proposition, differentiation, and potential for real-world impact, scalability, or long-term benefit.
• Technical Execution (20%)
  Assesses the functionality, technical quality, and complexity of the solution. Considers whether appropriate technologies were used effectively and whether the system is stable, well-engineered, and demonstrates technical ambition.
• Ethics & Responsibility (20%)
  Evaluates how well the project protects users and promotes fairness. Considers privacy, transparency, inclusion, and whether the team anticipates harms and designs responsibly for real-world civic use.
• Design (15%)
  Measures usability and user experience. Evaluates whether the interface is intuitive, visually consistent, and easy to navigate, with clear user flows and thoughtful interaction design that supports the project’s goals.
• Problem Understanding & Research Effort (10%)
  Evaluates the team's commitment to truly understanding the problem they are seeking to solve through direct stakeholder engagement (this could be with mentors with expertise in the problem) or through primary research and/or data collection.
• Presentation (10%)
  Assesses how clearly and effectively the team communicates their project. Considers clarity of the problem, explanation of the solution, and how well the presentation conveys impact, purpose, and overall value.