About the Hackathon
The annual hackathon of the world's greatest city. Hosted by KCL and UCL
HackLondon 2026 is an overnight hackathon taking place 21–22 February 2026 at Bush House, London.We’re bringing together students, builders, designers, and developers from across the UK to create ambitious, high-impact projects in just 24 hours.Whether you’re passionate about AI, fintech, climate, web, hardware, health, or something completely unexpected, this is your opportunity to turn ideas into reality.Over one intense weekend, you will:🚀 Build a working prototype from scratch🤝 Form a team (or join one on the day)🧠 Learn from mentors and industry experts🏆 Compete for prizes across multiple tracks🎤 Demo your project to judges and sponsorsNo matter your experience level, HackLondon is about pushing boundaries, experimenting boldly, and shipping something you didn’t think you could build in 24 hours.Let’s get hacking.Tracks & PrizesYou may only choose one track per team.Hardware Track:“Unicorns Den”, sponsored by Qualcomm & eesocInvent a device that solves real problems for people in universities (students or professors). Your solution must demonstrate both technical feasibility and financial viability.PerksAccess to £5000 worth of hardware components (Arduino Unos, ESP32s, sensors, and more — yours to keep!)1000 HackCoins to spend in Hackspace D, featuring:Hardware lab3D printersSoldering stationsBeginner-friendly — no prior hardware experience required.Knowunity TrackBuild a daily learning companion designed specifically for university students. Go beyond tools like ChatGPT or Gemini — create something that genuinely helps students learn, stay on track, and succeed.Judging Criteria💡 Idea (solving a real problem)🎨 Execution (UX and flow)🧠 Technical ambitionPrizes🥇 1st Place: Sponsored trip to Berlin to visit Knowunity HQ + dinner with the founders🥈 2nd Place: DJI Neo 2 drones🥉 3rd Place: £100 gift voucher per team memberAutonomous Planning Intelligence Challenge, by Serac Group & IBexTechnology can reimagine how the built world works. Build solutions that shape the future of cities by:Predicting riskOptimising land useAutomating complianceBuilding digital twinsResourcesLive UK geospatial datasets (EPC, Flood Risk, Green Belt, etc.)Exclusive hackathon access to the IBex API for planning dataPrizes🥇 1st Place: Steam Deck OLEDs🥈 2nd Place: Sony XM5SAs🥉 3rd Place: Amazon Gift CardsSocieties Software TrackBuild for 2036.Don’t just solve today’s problems. Think about what society will struggle with in 10 years — and build software that addresses it.Judging CriteriaFeasibility (realism and viability)Creativity (authenticity and uniqueness)Clarity (understanding of knock-on effects)SustainabilityGeneral Rules👥 Team Size: Maximum 4 people⏳ Build Time: All projects must be built during the event (no pre-built work allowed)🤝 Code of Conduct: Be respectful and follow organiser instructions📤 Submission: Submit your project on Devpost before the Sunday deadlineBring curiosity. Bring ambition. Build something wild.Hackathons UK – Side Tracks & ActivitiesOur partners at Hackathons UK are running additional mini-challenges and activities throughout the weekend.Best Use of AI Agents on ArmBuild the most innovative project using AI agents running on Arm architecture.PrizeRaspberry Pi Zero 2 W KitHardware AvailableBorrow an 8GB Raspberry Pi 5 from the Arm Developer Labs.Hackiest HackShow us your most hilariously “hacky” workaround or project. Duct tape energy encouraged.PrizeShark plushies.Mini-Events & Networking🏆 Cup Stacking Mini-Event – Saturday at 20:00 GMT🎁 Swag & Networking – Visit the Hackathons UK table💼 Connect with sponsors actively recruiting for 2026 graduate & internship rolesHackLondon 2026 is where ambitious ideas meet execution.