🌍 Global Youth Hackathon 💡 Design the Future of Media and Information Literacy with UNESCO 📱 (Win a trip to Greece)

If you are a young changemaker who wants to tackle some of today's biggest online challenges, from AI to disinformation and hate speech, this is your stage. The UNESCO Global Youth Hackathon invites young people worldwide to team up, get creative, and co-design solutions to advance Media and Information Literacy, with free expert mentoring, a UNESCO certificate, and the chance to win a trip to Greece.

About the Hackathon

Under the theme "Play Your Part: Youth Designing the Future of Media and Information Literacy", the UNESCO Global Youth Hackathon invites young people from all backgrounds to team up and brainstorm creative ideas to advance Media and Information Literacy (MIL) worldwide.

The record-breaking 2025 edition attracted over 1,200 teams from 138 countries, demonstrating the power of young people to drive innovation and create impactful solutions for today's rapidly evolving information environment. Building on this momentum, the 2026 edition recognises young people as key drivers of innovation and change, empowering them to contribute their creativity, leadership, and diverse perspectives to advance MIL globally.

The winning teams will be invited by UNESCO to participate in the Voices European Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom in Thessaloniki, Greece, from 26 to 28 November 2026, where they will showcase their projects and engage with other stakeholders.

Who Can Participate

UNESCO invites young changemakers from around the world to join this global event.

👥 Teams of 2 to 6 members (national, regional, or international)

🎂 All team members must be 18 to 30 years old

🕊️ Teams should align with UNESCO's values, including peace, respect for diversity, and freedom of expression

🌈 Gender balance and inclusion are highly encouraged

💡 No prior experience required, only passion and motivation

Challenge Tracks

Teams can choose one or more of the following focus areas:

🤖 AI and MIL: innovative solutions addressing challenges posed by AI through MIL

📚 MIL Education: creative approaches to MIL learning in the digital age

🤝 Community Impact: MIL-based interventions that empower communities

🚀 Youth Engagement: strategies to position youth organisations as MIL change agents

✨ Open Track: other MIL-related ideas aligned with this year's theme

What Kind of Proposals They Are Looking For

Your proposal can take one of many forms:

🎮 Games

💻 Applications or websites

🎙️ Radio programmes or podcasts

🎬 Artistic work such as comics, short videos, or documentaries

🧰 Educational toolkits

📣 Youth organisation campaigns

🌍 Community-based interventions

🧠 Other creative modalities for innovative interventions

What You Get

🎓 Free online training and mentoring with global experts, covering media literacy, technology, and how to launch a project

📜 A UNESCO certificate for all participants, great for your CV or LinkedIn

✈️ Top teams win a paid trip to Thessaloniki, Greece, to share their project at the Voices European Festival of Journalism and Media Freedom on 26 to 28 November 2026

Timeline

📢 Call for participation: from 15 June

🧭 Online mentoring programme: 1 to 2 July

📥 Submission: 6 July to 16 August

📊 Global evaluation: 18 August to 13 September

🏆 Winner announcement: 13 to 18 September

🎤 Winners ceremony: 26 to 28 November

How to Apply

🤝 Find your teammates and make your squad as diverse and inclusive as possible

💡 Work on innovative solutions addressing challenges posed by AI through MIL and other related topics, in any format, from a game or website to a podcast or documentary

📄 Submit your proposal document (PDF or Word), including team members, a problem statement, objective, and target audience, along with a pitch video (maximum 3 minutes) showcasing your project