National EU Code Week Hackathon Ukraine: Hello, Future!
26/01/26
National EU Code Week Hackathon Ukraine buildup in Ukraine: “Hello, Future!” Technical Solutions for a Changing World
From 14–22 January 2026, the online hackathon “Hello, Future! Technical Solutions for a Changing World” took place as part of EU Code Week. This year, 27 teams from across Ukraine joined the hackathon to develop digital solutions with real social impact.
Participants represented 13 regions of Ukraine and worked under highly challenging conditions — across different schedules of power outages, with unstable internet connections, forced breaks due to lack of electricity, and a constant need to adapt.
Power outages became part of the hackathon reality: teams worked from laptops and power banks, rescheduled meetings, adjusted their workflows, coded at night, and made the most of the hours when electricity was available.
Despite these challenges, 21 teams successfully completed their projects and presented them to the jury during the first round. On 22 January, 12 finalist teams presented their solutions in the final pitching session, where the winners were announced.
What happened: key highlights
- Online format hosted via Google Meet and Eventornado
- Participation of teams from 13 regions of Ukraine
- Three trainings for participants
- Work under real-life constraints caused by power outages and unstable connectivity
- Trainer-led practical sessions on programming opportunities, teamwork, and pitching
- Independent team work over several days
- Final pitching session with 12 finalist teams and announcement of winners
The hackathon combined trainer-led practical sessions with intensive independent team work. Overall, the event fostered creativity, collaboration, resilience, and the practical application of digital and entrepreneurial skills.
Participants and teams at a glance
| Category | Total | Breakdown |
|---|---|---|
| Participants | 147 | 87 male / 60 female |
| Teams registered | 27 | From 13 regions of Ukraine |
| Teams completing projects | 21 | Presented in the first round |
| Finalist teams | 12 | Pitched on 22 January |
Winning teams
Following the final pitching session, the jury selected three winning teams:
- Fast & Curious — Dnipro Industrial Vocational College
- NODEs — Khmelnytskyi National University
- CodeSix — V. N. Karazin Kharkiv National University
Team selected to represent Ukraine at the European EU Code Week Hackathon: Fast & Curious.
Project highlight: BitBorn – Interactive Learning Through Play (Fast & Curious)
Team: Fast & Curious
Solution: BitBorn – Interactive Learning Through Play
BitBorn is an educational web-based game designed to make learning electronics and technical thinking engaging, practical, and motivating for teenagers and students. The project combines interactive storytelling, problem-solving, and hands-on simulation, allowing learners to acquire knowledge through action rather than passive theory.
Set in a retro-futuristic, post-apocalyptic narrative, learners take on the role of a “Seed Program” restoring broken systems step by step. The learning process is built around real-world tasks such as understanding basic electricity, diagnostics, soldering, and robotics repair — encouraging learning through experimentation and reflection.
Voices from the hackathon
“We are sincerely grateful for this hackathon and the incredible organisation 💙 This experience was extremely valuable for us, as we worked closely together on a truly meaningful project and became even more united as a team. Despite challenges such as power outages and unstable conditions, these obstacles only strengthened us and made the result even more valuable.”
— NODEs team
“Today I had the opportunity to be a member of the jury at a student hackathon. The teams presented very strong and creative ideas. I was especially impressed by how confidently students use artificial intelligence in their projects. It is inspiring to see young people apply AI technologies to solve real problems and think innovatively. Such initiatives clearly demonstrate the importance of developing digital skills in Ukraine and show the strong potential of future European innovators.”
— Nataliia Perekhryst, jury member
“This hackathon is not only a story about technology, but also about resilience, adaptability, and responsibility of young people who continue to create meaningful solutions for society even under difficult circumstances.”
— Natalia Honcharova, organiser and project manager, Junior Achievement Ukraine
Resilience, creativity and future-ready skills
“Hello, Future!” was more than an online competition — it was a powerful demonstration of what young people can achieve when they are supported to build, collaborate and keep going, even when conditions are unpredictable.
Congratulations to all participating teams, mentors, trainers, judges, and organisers — and best of luck to Fast & Curious as they represent Ukraine at the European EU Code Week Hackathon.
Want to join the EU Code Week movement? Explore activities, resources, and ways to take part at codeweek.eu.
