National EU Code Week Hackathon Brings Together Young Innovators from Across Croatia

As part of EU Code Week, a national online hackathon for high school students was successfully held on
Saturday, 20 December 2025, bringing together talented young innovators from across Croatia.
The competition was organised by Profil Klett, acting as the regional EU Code Week Hub for Croatia and Slovenia.

The hackathon was open to students aged 15 to 19, who competed in teams with the guidance of their teachers as mentors.
The event was conducted fully online using Discord for communication and Eventornado for event management.

Turning real-world challenges into digital solutions

Throughout the hackathon, teams demonstrated outstanding teamwork, creativity, problem-solving skills, and programming knowledge.
Their task was to identify a real environmental or social challenge and develop a digital solution to address it.
The results impressed the jury, showcasing how young people can use technology to create positive change.

Among the proposed solutions were:

• A cinematic planner and goal-setting tool designed to help users structure their personal development
• A gamified recycling application aimed at motivating environmentally responsible behaviour
• An accessibility-focused app that helps people with disabilities navigate cities and maps more easily

Jury and evaluation criteria

The jury consisted of leading EU Code Week teachers Anita Čorak, Danijela Maurac, and
Sanja Pavlović Šijanović, who evaluated the projects based on innovation, impact,
technical execution, teamwork, and presentation.

Winners and prizes

First place was awarded to My Story Team for their cinematic planner and helper, earning them the opportunity
to represent Croatia at the EU Code Week Finals in March. Each team member received a €100 gift card for a tech store,
as well as additional prizes from sponsors, including a free escape room game at Elephant in the Escape Room and vouchers from escape rooms
The Old Lock Up and ClueGo.

Second place went to Recycle IT, who each received a €50 tech store gift card, along with vouchers provided by sponsors.

Third place was claimed by Junior Development, whose team members were awarded €20 tech store gift cards each,
in addition to vouchers from sponsors.

Why Code Week hackathons matter

This competition highlighted not only brilliant ideas and innovative solutions, but also the importance of collaboration, creativity,
and clear communication. It’s a strong reminder of what’s possible when young people are given the space and support to build with code.