The Council of Europe has launched a major call for applications for its “Hackathon for Democracy 2026”, an international initiative aimed at developing new technological tools to combat online hate speech and strengthen democratic resilience across Europe…
Held under Monaco’s Presidency of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe, the event will take place in Strasbourg from June 17 to 19, bringing together developers, researchers, journalists, designers, policy experts and civil society actors committed to democratic innovation.
Organised alongside the European Week Against Hate Speech, the hackathon is designed to contribute to the Council of Europe’s proposed New Democratic Pact for Europe. Twenty multidisciplinary teams will be selected, with all transport, accommodation and catering costs covered by organisers.
Participants will also receive mentoring from international experts linked to institutions including the Technical University of Munich, the University of Strasbourg, Democracy Reporting International and the Institute for Strategic Dialogue.
The competition will focus on four major challenges, including detecting hate speech while protecting privacy, identifying coordinated online manipulation campaigns, combating online gender-based violence during elections and creating innovative democratic technologies.
A €50,000 grant funded by Microsoft will be shared among the winning teams to help bring the most promising projects to life. Applications close on June 5.
Image: Stephan Danna