Deadline: September 26, 2026
Applications are open for the World Bank Group Small AI for Development Hackathon Challenge 2026. As of 2025, more than 2 billion people remained offline. Over the next decade, 1.2 billion young people in the Global South will reach working age yet current trends point to only 420 million new jobs being created to meet them.
Artificial intelligence is changing what is possible in development. But most AI tools have been built for a world with reliable connectivity, a smartphone in hand, and a user already fluent in how to interact with AI. The Small AI for Development Hackathon Challenge is an open call to young innovators worldwide to build AI solutions that work in the real conditions facing developing economies, where the people with the most to gain are the furthest from the tools being built.
Benefits
- Three winners will be selected from the entries generated at the hack-a-thon, one from each of the categories – Agriculture, Health, and Tourism. The winners will be invited to Seoul, South Korea to present at the Global AI and Digital Summit 2026, co-hosted by the World Bank Group and the Government of Korea from 19 to 22 October 2026.
- Travel expenses will be covered in full subject to reasonable travel costs, accommodation, and designated event-related expenses, as determined by the Organizers in accordance with internal logistics guidelines.
Eligibility
- Open to applicants aged 18 to 35, in line with the UN definition of youth, across the World Bank member countries.
- Applicants from emerging economies are strongly encouraged to apply.
- Applications may be submitted either by an individual or by a team of up to 4 members.
- Applications to participate and hack-a-thon submissions must be all submitted in English.
- Each team member must register individually, satisfy all eligibility requirements, and be identified as part of the same team before the registration deadline. An individual may participate in only one competition entry.
- Team membership may not be changed after the Hackathon begins. Entries submitted by teams will be judged as a single entry. If a team entry is selected as a winner, the award will be made to the team collectively and will count as one of the three winning entries. Winning Teams will nominate their representative who will be best suited to represent them at the Summit in person, and the World Bank Group judging panel will make the final determination.
Application
Register now via the Application form and click “Request to Join” and use WBGSmallAIGADS for your referral code.
For more information, visit Small AI for Development Hackathon Challenge.
