Code to Connect: Women in Tech Hackathon 2026

about this event

Code to Connect — a 54-hour hackathon by Women in Technology, running 4–8 September 2026.

We're surrounded by more entertainment than ever, and somehow it's easier than ever to be bored, lonely, and passively scrolling. Code to Connect challenges you to do something about that. Over one weekend, build something that brings more joy, creativity and connection into everyday life — online or off. You don't need to have hackathoned before. You don't need to be a developer. You need three or four people and one weekend.

The tracks — pick one. Your project is judged against the track you choose.

Track 1 — Connect Online: Reimagining how we spend our time on screens. Digital entertainment is more available than ever, yet it can feel repetitive, passive, expensive, or overwhelming. Build digital experiences that replace mindless consumption with curiosity, creativity, play, and genuine enjoyment. Think: new forms of interactive entertainment, tools for discovering meaningful content, affordable alternatives to existing platforms, creative communities, games, or technology that makes people active participants rather than passive consumers. How might we make digital entertainment more joyful, engaging, accessible, and intentional?

Track 2 — Connect Outside: Creating more reasons to explore and experience life together. Finding something fun to do — and people to do it with — is harder than it should be. Loneliness, busy schedules, cost, accessibility barriers and the sheer effort of organising plans all get in the way. Think: helping people organise activities with friends, meet others through shared interests, discover affordable local experiences, explore their surroundings, or turn ordinary moments into opportunities for play. How might we make it easier for people to step beyond their routines and experience more joy together?

Not sure which? Ask where the value lands for the user, not where the code runs. An app that gets four friends to a park on Sunday is Connect Outside.

Schedule: - Fri 4 Sept, 5:30pm — Opening Ceremony: briefing, team formation, pizza. At least one member per team required. - Sat 5 Sept, 9am–4pm — Hub Day + Mentors: tech support, food. - Sun 6 Sept, 9am–4pm — Hub Day: mentors, food. - Sun 6 Sept, 11:59pm — Submissions close. - Mon 7 Sept, 3pm — Finalists announced on Discord and email. - Tue 8 Sept, 5:30pm — Closing Ceremony: finalist pitches, judging, winners, networking.

Try to make it to the hub days to get valuable feedback from our mentors!

Mentors: Industry professionals and experienced students are at the hub on Saturday to help you — free, and genuinely worth using. They'll help you scope an idea that's too big, unblock you on the technical stuff, and tell you where your demo loses people. Every team checks in with a mentor on Saturday. It takes fifteen minutes, it's in person at the hub. You will be scored on how well you have iterated on your ideas and responded to feedback.

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