Be the first to receive exciting updates and early-access invites to our events.

We are Hackers for Good <br /> Join the community

Calendar

Mark your calendars for the 7th edition of the Hackathon for Good, taking place from 31 January till 2 February, 2025. During a dynamic 48-hour period. Hosted by the city of The Hague and organised by WorldStartup together with The Hague Tech, this edition promises to be an immersive experience. Join us in close collaboration with The Hague's innovation ecosystems as we gather passionate minds and innovative spirits to tackle challenges that make a positive impact on our world.

Got questions?

The Hague 7

Hackathon Programme

Is coming back in 2025

Hackathon for Good #7

During the weekend between the 1st and 3rd of December 2023, the sixth edition of the Hackathon for Good will occur. This edition is hosted by the city of The Hague and organized by The Hague Tech and WorldStartup, in close collaboration with the Hague’s innovation ecosystems.

We got you covered.

The Hague 6

Hackathon Main Prize

Hackathon programme

Registration is open!

We are returning to The Hague this year!

Mark your calendar 
for The Hague 6

Timetable

Mandatory

All activities of this year's hackathon

During the week between 19th and 27th of November, the fifth edition of the Hackathon for Good will occur. This edition is hosted by the city of The Hague and organized by The Hague Tech and WorldStartup, in close collaboration with the Hague’s innovation ecosystems.

The Hague 5

Meanwhile join our newsletter to get the latest updates about the program and upcoming events.

Register

Overall winner

First round

Fast track

Full track

Hackathon for Good is back

Welcome to The Hague 5!

See what happens when!

Timeline

Congratulations!

North Sea sharks win The Hague 5!

During the weekend of 26, 27, and 28 November, the fourth edition of the Hackathon for Good will occur. This edition is hosted by the city of The Hague and organized by The Hague Tech and WorldStartup, in close collaboration with the Hague’s innovation ecosystems.

The Hague 4

Thank you all for joining the 4th edition of Hackathon for Good - The Hague! See you in 2022!

The Hague 4 was a succes!

New Designers win The Hague 4!

During the weekend of 27, 28 and 29 November 2020 the third edition of the Hackathon for Good will take place. This edition will be the first online edition. The Hackathon for Good is hosted by the city of The Hague.

The Hague 3

1st prize

Look back how the first fully online Hackathon for Good went!

Look back at The Hague 3

Bootleg Hackers wins!

During the weekend of the 1st of December 2019, the second edition of the Hackathon for Good will take place. This edition will be the first online edition. The Hackathon for Good is hosted by the city of The Hague.

The Hague 2

Per challenge

See what happened during the 2nd edition of Hackathon for Good in The Hague

Look back at The Hague 2

During the weekend of the 17th November 2018, the first edition of the Hackathon for Good will take place. This edition will be the first online edition. The Hackathon for Good is hosted by the city of The Hague.

The Hague 1

See what happened during the 1st edition of Hackathon for Good in The Hague

Look back on the 1st edtion of Hackathon for Good

The Hague

For 2022, we plan to host the second edition of Hackathon for Good in India as a week-long event while keeping the tone of the event the same with the right blend of technology, innovation, entrepreneurship, and policy-making. The event will include keynote speakers and panel discussions on Applying Data Science and AI for the SDGs during the opening and closing ceremony. Technical, Domain-specific, and Business Development Mentoring will be provided for the teams who participate in the hackathon. We want to encourage teams to prototype with Data and AI by providing access to data, tools, challenges, team members, training, and mentoring.

India 2

India 2 is coming this spring!

In November 2020, the first edition of the Hackathon for Good - India will take place, where teams over the whole world will develop innovative solutions for CLIMATE RESILIENT FOOD SECURITY, using data as part of Indo Data Week 2020

India 1

See what happened during the 1st edition of Hackathon for Good in India

Look back on the 1st edition in India

India

HFG The Hague 5 Count Down

Challenges for Good #2

HFG The Hague 5 Pitch Event

Data for Good

Kick off The Hague 5

Hackers for Good

HFG The Hague 5 Kick off

Friends for Good

Tech for Good

Media Kit

Privacy Policy

Cookie Policy

Terms and Conditions

Do you want to work on interesting challenges, become part of an amazing community of motivated hackers that love to work on solutions for good? Join our community of hackers.

Join as a Hacker

Do you want to support Hackathon for Good? And help hackers to prove the value of tinkering and experimenting with data and AI? There are plenty of ways to support our hackathons. Provide challenges, access to data and technology, sponsorships or expertise. Request the brochure with more info.

Join as a Partner

For all questions about the hackathon you can visit the FAQ page. If you can't find the answer you are looking for, feel free to get in touch!

The 7th edition of The Hackathon for Good takes place from 31 January till 2 February, 2025. This year's Hackathon will be on location only. Join us at The Hague Tech in The Hague.

Teams will compete in solving today’s biggest challenges. The winners will get a generous cash prize and further support in developing their ideas with our partners.

The registration opens in the fall of 2024.

For all questions about the hackathon you can visit the FAQ page. I'f you can't find the answer you are looking for feel free to get in touch!

The 5th edition of The Hackathon for Good takes place from November 19 to 27, 2022. The hybrid hackathon allows you to join virtual, or in-person at our hackathon hub in The Hague.

Teams will compete in solving today’s biggest challenges. The winners will get a generous cash prize and further support in developing their idea with our partners.

The hackathon registration is officially open! Join 130+ developers, data scientists and engineers and use data and AI to solve things that truly matter in the world. Sign up now and to be among the first to choose your hackathon challenge.

For the fifth year in a row, teams from all over the world gathered at the Hackathon for Good to work on projects related to sustainability, privacy, open government and corruption. This year the winning team North Sea sharks impressed our jury with their policy-making tool that gathers and presents information from administrative, specialised sources, social channels, and the public internet to help policy creators make informed decisions.

But how did the team come up with their prizewinning solution? ‘’

We had a great line-up of mentors to choose from, who helped us to really understand the challenge through their expertise and enabled us to test our assumptions in such a short amount of time.’’

We would also like to thank Amir Niknam of the Dutch Police. His infectious enthusiasm motivated us during the duration of the Hackathon.’’

For all questions about the hackathon, you can visit the FAQ page. If you can't find the answer you are looking for feel free to get in touch!

The 6th edition of The Hackathon for Good takes place from December 1st to 3rd, 2023. The hybrid hackathon allows you to join virtual, or in-person at our hackathon hub in The Hague.

The hackathon registration is officially open! Join 130+ developers, data scientists and engineers and use data and AI to solve things that truly matter in the world. Sign up now.

Congratulations to New Designers, the winner of #HackathonforGood #TheHague4! The challenge they worked on was combating horizontal fraud and their focus was on the problem of student housing scamming. What was their concept behind? This is what they said:

Meet the jury members who will select the winners for each challenge, as well as the overall hackathon winner this year.

Challenge: Detecting AI-Generated Child Sexual Abuse Material

Challenge: Streamline The Sheltered Housing Process in The Hague

Challenge: Rapid Bias Identification and Correction in AI

Challenge: Shortage of Water Professionals in The Global South

Jury Members HFG The Hague #6

This year's mentors, who are industry leaders in data science, business development, design, and development will help our hackers create the best solutions for the challenges.

Mentors HFG The Hague 6

Take a look at the mentors in data science, business development, design and development who are here to help our hackers build the best possible solutions for our challenges.

What does the perfect hackathon team consist of? For the Hackathon for Good, this is a team of three to five people. When creating your team it is not enough to only look at a person’s skillset, you also have to keep their personality in mind. Good communication is a crucial aspect in any successful and balanced team and don’t forget to adapt to each other’s working styles in order to benefit the most from everyone’s knowledge and experience.

Here are the three main types of personalities you want in your team to have a smooth work flow and a good balance.

First the hustler, this is the business savvy person who makes sure that the company makes money; this is usually the manager of the group. The hustler ignites passion, manages projects, updates the business model, forms partnerships, and guides the team along the journey. The hustler has a keen eye for numbers, such as financials, cost structure and user metrics, can speak to the long and short-term vision of the company, and can make investor pitches and tough decisions. They usually have these kind of personality traits:

Secondly, the hacker who eats, sleeps and breathes technology. This is the person who builds the actual product. The hacker is the one who creates the algorithms, intellectual property and resulting technology that forms the building blocks of your business. The hacker is instrumental in choosing the coding environment and platform. As an added bonus, if he or she can hustle — that is, get out and talk with customers — you’ve got it made. They usually have these kind of personality traits:

The hipster eats, sleeps and breathes design. This is the designer that makes sure the product is delivering the best customer experience. The designer sets best practices in marketing, brand identity building, user experience, and the look and feel of the product. In most cases, the hipster is the copywriter as well. They usually have these kind of personality traits:

But that’s only three people Hackathon for Good. Depending on your challenge of preference we would advise to either find another “Hacker” or “Hipster”. If you are not sure in which category you are, try 

We asked Shravan Shah, last year’s Hackathon for Good winner, for his experiences and advice when creating a winning team. Shravan was “The Hustler”, he managed the project, did the business strategy and led the scrum sessions.

How was the distribution of the roles in your team?

We had four people. I had the lead on business strategy and managed the project. We had a product manager, a designer and a coder.

The product manager and I did the pitch at the end.

What was positive about this distribution of roles and what would you do differently?

This distribution worked really well, because everyone understood their own strengths and could focus on those parts of the project without losing time on the small things.

I wouldn’t do anything different because it was the perfect combination, we had great time management, a clean schedule and we slept well (which is more important than you might think).

Do you have any advice for the candidates this year?

, if you miss one personality it’s not the end of the world but someone has to take over that role.

 if you are stuck with the software or certain data sets. The support team is there for a reason.

, you don’t have an infinite amount of time for this challenge. Part of your time management is also getting enough sleep during the hackathon.

 Be short, direct and clear so you don’t get stuck on issues for a long time during a session.

. That way you focus on the most important criteria of the project and you get a higher score at the end.

. So it is easy to grasp during the pitch. You should be able to explain it to someone that has no knowledge on the subject, try pitching your family or friends first.

Good luck with your challenge and see you on the 19th of November!

The Perfect Hackathon Team

What does the perfect hackathon team consist of? For the Hackathon for Good, this is a team of three to five people. When creating your team it is not enough to only look at a person’s skillset, you also have to keep their personality in mind.

During the hackathon, teams work collaboratively to develop compelling solutions to address specific challenges. Often, at the start of the hackathon, teams may find themselves unfamiliar with the concept development process or working with newly assembled teammates. Consequently, it becomes crucial for teams to quickly determine the most efficient way to collaborate. This is where a tailor-made support programme for hackers proves invaluable.

The support programme is designed to equip hackers with a range of tools and methods that facilitate the design of their solutions. It encompasses all stages of the design development process, from defining the problem to presenting their ideas. As an added bonus, hackers are introduced to data sponsors, offering them the opportunity to ask questions and become familiar with advanced tools.

If you're eager to immerse yourself in the world of concept development, learn about data tools, and more, the full track is the way to go, complete with numerous additional benefits, including a comprehensive support programme that includes:

1. Miro Board: A dedicated Miro board featuring step-by-step instructions and explanations that are accessible at all times.

2. Skill Sessions: These sessions cover various aspects, including data tools and other guidance provided by our mentors.

All the methods essential for the hackathon are readily available to teams on their personal Miro boards. Here's a sneak peek into how it works. Teams also receive detailed explanations for each method, along with tips and tricks to enhance the power of their concepts.

To view a demonstration video, click 

Support Programme – What's It About?

The support programme is designed to equip hackers with a range of tools and methods that facilitate the design of their solutions. It encompasses all stages of the design development process, from defining the problem to presenting their ideas.

Join the Hackathon for Good as an expert by becoming a Mentor or Jury member

So you’re interested in being a mentor or jury member? Help us enable the hackers to do good with data and AI. Share your expertise by giving them feedback on their solutions.

Provide support and guidance on the development of the teams' innovative solutions

Mentoring sessions of approx. 30 min per team on Friday 1st and Saturday 2nd of December

Being available to mentor different hackathon groups which requires 3 to 4 hours. You will be able to select your preferred time slots from a mentoring schedule. The teams will be responsible for reaching out to you.

Opportunity to support and share experience with the participants

Publicity on our (and partners') social media channels

Introduction on the Kick-Off Event on Friday 1st of December

Be part of solutions for Good that truly can make a difference

 incl. skills and interests that teams can reach out to you about, current 

 for Friday 1st and Saturday 3rd of December 
DEADLINE 31st of October

account in the Hackathon for Good platform

 (you will receive an email invite to the platform where you can interact with teams and have an overview of the activities)

Attend Mentor check-in on Thursday 9th of November 17:30 - 18:00 CET (you will receive an invite upon approval of your application)

Mentor schedule time slots options: Friday 1st & Saturday 2nd of December 2023

Participate in the decision-making process for choosing winners per challenge or for the overall hackathon.

Attend the Pitch event on Sunday 3rd of December (12:00 - 17:00 CET)

Making use of the scoring card and criteria of the Hackathon for Good

Opportunity to see all teams' ideas and evaluate who should be the winners

Introduction at the Kick-Off Event on Friday 1st of December (16:00-17:00)

Take part in solutions for Good that truly can make a difference

Get practical experience and be supported by us and fellow jury members during a jury check-in

(optional) Get onboarded on our Hackathon for Good platform with more future opportunities

Access to the Data for Good event if you want to know more about the tools available for participants

Opportunity to see all teams' ideas and evaluate who should win

 for the Pitch event on Sunday 3rd of December

 on Thursday the 16th of November 17:30 -18:00 CET for introduction to scorecard format and Hackathon for Good criteria

Attend the Kick-off event 1st of December (optional)

the Pitch event 3rd of December from 12:00-17:00

Join as a mentor or a jury member

We’ll be back! The Hackathon for Good is returning to The Hague next year. Make sure to mark your calendar for The Hague Tech 6, happening from November 18 to 26, 2023. See you there!

It's a wrap! Hackathon will be back next year!

We’ll be back! The Hackathon for Good is returning to The Hague next year. 

The fifth edition of the Hackathon for Good has a new winner! Teams from all over the world worked for 48 hours straight to tackle today’s biggest challenges related to sustainability, privacy, open government and corruption.

Jan van Zanen, mayor of The Hague officially opened the Hackathon for Good on Friday November 25 with the words: “

The programmers at this event will be looking at real questions, dilemmas, and challenges, and the aim is to arrive at practical solutions. (…) There are 48 hours to exchange knowledge and ideas, to be inspired, to find ways of applying digital technologies that will make the world just a little bit better.

The Hackathon for Good started in 2018 as a collaborative project between governments, universities, entrepreneurs and knowledge institutes committed to peace, justice and security. The Hague was the evident place to host the hackathon due to its leading position in international law and human rights. The Hague Tech, in collaboration with WorldStartup are organizing the hackathon to: “accelerate innovation and entrepreneurship, but also adopt innovation for building a better world” as Olga Wielders, Co-Founder of The Hague Tech explained.

5 teams were competing in the finals and presented their solutions to a renowned jury. The jury included:

“It was inspiring to see all of the hackers contributing towards the overall goal of creating positive change. Tech absolutely can be a means for good, and events like this, and those who attend, are proof of this.”

 Rebecca Jurgens – Tenth Revolution Group

The jury took up the challenge to select a winner out of 5 amazing concepts.

1. Business Intelligence for Sustainable Flower Production

The Poppys team designed and built a dashboard to provide all information to flower growers, enabling them to make more sustainable decisions. Information includes weather data, energy costs, flower prices, Google trends and market price forecasts.

2. Combat International Corruption using Open Data

The The Innocents team created a corruption monitor that shows relevant data combined with valuable insights, making it easy for corruption investigators, legal experts, and journalists to identify complex corruption schemes quickly.

3. Future of Greenhouse Energy & Heat Efficiency

The M3 team created a platform called GreenNet to support greenhouse growers transition to a more sustainable way of managing their heating, energy, and cooling demands.

4. Anonymisation of Sensitive Data on Social Media

by 510: an initiative of the Netherlands Red Cross

What-the-Hack supports the Red Cross teams with a smart tool to translate written language, highlight information which is potentially sensitive, and remove these sensitive data.

5. Assess The Impact of Governmental Policies Before They Get Introduced

 to facilitate the collaboration between governments and local enterprises by implementing open-source principles.

After a long discussion, the jury eventually choose The North Sea Sharks with their solution OPEN STAD as the winner of the 5th edition of the Hackathon for Good! Congratulations to: Alexey Budiak, Alexey Udalov, Sergey Kim & Uladzimir Mihura.

Mark the dates for next year’s hackathon

The Hackathon for Good announced its winner!

As of today, 130 hackers from 20 nationalities joined the 5th edition of the Hackathon for Good. The hackathon aims at being a force for good by introducing pressing societal, humanitarian and sustainable problems to developers, data scientists and designers. This weekend, a talented community of hackers is committed to use their technical skills for the betterment of the world we live in today.

The Hackathon for Good started in 2018 as a collaborative project between governments, universities, entrepreneurs and knowledge institutes committed to peace, justice and security. The Hague was the evident place to host the hackathon due to its leading position in international law and human rights.

The fifth edition of the hackathon draws a large international audience with people joining from all around the world, including people from the UK, United States, India, Switzerland, Japan, Singapore, Denmark, Brazil, Ethiopia and many more. Indicating that Tech for Good is a global theme that drives a new generation of developers and engineers.

On Friday November 25th Jan van Zanen, the Mayor of The Hague, officially kicked-off the 48 hour hack period at 12:00 PM CET sharp. After the signal, 35 teams started full-heartedly digging through large amounts of data to tackle the challenges at hand.

5 challenges will be worked on throughout this hackathon using big data, ML and talent:

Future of Greenhouse Energy & Heat Efficiency

The energy transition within the greenhouse sector is necessary. Their negative impact on the environment is based on their inefficient use of energy and heat. Enable greenhouse growers to make calculated decisions by providing insights into their options and enabling them to cooperate.

Combat International Corruption using Open Data

Grand corruption is when leaders use their power to benefit themselves. The main challenge in fighting corruption internationally is that information and legal actions are handled per country. Data is not transparent and easily accessible.

Anonymisation of Sensitive Data on Social Media

During the conflict in Ukraine, a need for fast communication and security became a priority. 510, the Data & Digital team of the Netherlands Red Cross, is monitoring the information on group chats to provide help. Anonymisation of data is important to protect vulnerable groups. That’s why potential further improvement of anonymisation of sensitive data is always welcomed by the team.

Business Intelligence for Sustainable Flower Production

Mark your calendar for Hackathon for Good The Hague #7

Relive The Hague 6

Rewatch the pitch finals

Coming up

Join our events and learn more about our community.

Calendar

2024

31

The Hague 7

We are Hackers for Good
Join the community

Latest news

Updates from the Hackathon for Good world

Jury Members HFG The Hague #6

Mentors HFG The Hague 6

We hack for good

Learn more about the who, why and how.

About us

Community

Community

Want to join our mission?

Join as a Hacker

Join as a Partner

Mark your calendar for Hackathon for Good The Hague #7

Relive The Hague 6

Rewatch the pitch finals

Coming up

Join our events and learn more about our community.

Calendar

2024

31

The Hague 7

We are Hackers for Good Join the community

Latest news

Updates from the Hackathon for Good world

Jury Members HFG The Hague #6

Mentors HFG The Hague 6

We hack for good

Learn more about the who, why and how.

About us

Community

Community

Want to join our mission?

Join as a Hacker

Join as a Partner

We are Hackers for Good
Join the community