mission = "Accelerate climate action in cities with bold data-driven digital solutions."; bonusActions = "Receive bonus points for solutions that directly address our three priority actions."; perks = [ "Expert mentorship", "Exclusive networking opportunities", "Six month city pilot support" ];
finale = "Pitch at the University of Cambridge hosted by the CHIA (in-person or online)"; prize = "Attend the UTM Global Innovation Summit in Viladecans, Spain + Direct city partnership for real-world testing"; callToAction = "Help cities advance their city climate journey to build a sustainable future.";
In its third and most ambitious edition, the 2026 AI x City Climate Action Hackathon is expanding our scope to more wider and cross-cutting themes with greater opportunities for city pairing for improved implementation. This year presents an enhanced three-phase journey across three different cities designed to amplify impact while also building a strong ecosystem of partnerships involving city networks, AI-experts, and innovators to support innovation:
Our expanded theme aims to remove silos and capture diverse, intersectional innovations and is an open call for innovators to create AI-driven solutions to accelerate city climate action.
While we welcome innovation across the city climate landscape, solutions that tackle any of our three priority actions will receive additional points:
Register now to stay up to date with the latest information!
Got ideas for a more sustainable, climate-resilient future? Be part of a global movement turning data into action. Join fellow innovators, students, and experts to build real solutions that help cities thrive.
Cities are at the forefront of the climate crisis—and you can help them lead the way. The AI x City Climate Action Hackathon 2026 invites innovators, students, researchers, and technologists to co-create solutions that empower cities to reduce emissions, expand energy access, and build resilience.
This year’s edition builds on the momentum of 2024 and 2025 with an expanded theme to remove silos and widen the funnel for capturing diverse, intersectional innovations. There will also be deeper collaboration opportunities offered in a hybrid format to open up participation from all corners of the globe. Participants will gain access to expert mentorship from leading voices in climate science, artificial intelligence, and urban innovation.
Throughout the hackathon, you’ll be supported by expert-led workshops and Q&A sessions designed to sharpen your skills and help you develop impactful, actionable solutions. Whether you’re a student team or a seasoned innovator, you’ll be part of a collaborative learning experience focused on real-world implementation.
The AI x City Climate Action Hackathon 2025 is organized by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM) in partnership with the Urban Transitions Mission (UTM) and the Center for Human Inspired Artificial Intelligence (CHIA), University of Cambridge and other leading organizations committed to advancing innovative, people-centered climate solutions.
This year invites innovators of all backgrounds to create an AI-driven solution to accelerate city climate action.
All solutions supporting the advancement of the city climate action are welcome and solutions that tackle any of our three priority actions below will receive additional points:
● Transportation
● Informal or Marginalised Settlements
● Misinformation and Disinformation
More information will be provided after our launch in I4C26.
The AI x CCA Hackathon 2026 roadmap provides more opportunities than ever to take your AI innovation from a spark of idea to real-world climate impact. Spanning three countries, each phase of this year’s journey offers unique activities to engage with a global ecosystem of city leaders, researchers, and tech pioneers. Explore how our multi-phase framework below to see how you can join this journey and turn your vision into measurable climate action.
❗ First things first – please register for the Hackathon using the Registration Form or through I4C26. All members of the team must have completed the registration form in order for your submission to be eligible.
IDEATE
🇰🇪 Attend the launch live at the I4C26 Conference in-person or online by registering for I4C26.
💡 OPTIONAL ACTIVITY: Attending I4C26? Take your participation a step further by joining our exclusive Ideation Sprint, a hands-on opportunity to brainstorm before the hacking begins. Winners stand a chance to be fast-tracked to the Finale in Cambridge.
📺 Watch the session recording later at your convenience if you can’t make it live. Be sure to register for the Hackathon to get all the latest updates!
HACK
👩🏻💻 Join our live webinars to find out more about the themes, key resources, and get insights directly from our experts.
📥 Submit your solution by the 31st of August, 2026 at 11.59pm GMT.
🇬🇧 Selected finalists will pitch their solution in September either online or in-person at our Finale at the University of Cambridge in partnership with the Center for Human-Inspired AI (CHIA).
PILOT
🇪🇸 Selected winners of the AI x City Climate Action Hackathon 2026 will receive support to attend the Urban Transitions Mission (UTM) Global Innovation Summit “Accelerating Urban Transitions: Scaling Impact with AI and Digital Innovation” on Nov 3rd at Viladecans, Spain in-person and to further develop their solution.
The hackathon is open to students, professionals, or a combination of both.
All participants must be 18 years of age or older, and must have registered to the Hackathon using the Registration Form above or through I4C26 to be considered eligible.
Participants will then have until the 31st of August, 2026 at 11.59pm GMT to submit their solution.
Participants must develop a methodology to tackle the challenge statement that must be demonstrated totally or partially by an AI application, by using geospatial tools or data, through dashboards or other data science applications or by providing case studies.
More information will be provided after our launch in I4C26.
Our jury of experts will be assessing submissions based on four key areas: innovation, impact, feasibility, and presentation. Bonus points will be given to solutions that directly address our priority actions:
● Transportation
● Informal or Marginalised Settlements
● Misinformation and Disinformation
More information will be provided after our launch in I4C26.
PARTICIPATION
🏅 Certificate of Participation for participants that meet all the submission guidelines.
MAIN PRIZE
📢 Opportunity for up to 10 finalists to pitch their solutions at the University of Cambridge online or in-person.
🇪🇸 Travel and accommodation support for a representative from the top three teams to attend the Urban Transitions Mission (UTM) Global Innovation Summit in Spain.
⭐ Receive expert support to further develop and refine your climate solutions.
🤝 If the proposed solution of the winners would benefit from working closely with a city, we commit to identifying a city to be paired with to explore implementation on the ground, delivered with the Urban Transitions Mission.
More information will be provided after our launch at I4C26.
All work produced as part of this Hackathon are made available under an Attribution-ShareAlike creative commons licence. Find out more here
How to win a hackathon! (19 Aug)
Office Hours – August (13 Aug)
Tech to the Rescue session! (11 Aug)
What does it really mean to be matched with impact-driven tech companies providing pro bono support?
Deep-dive session in Cordoba, Argentina (03 July)
listen to Angel Hsu presenting AI opportunities for city climate action
City-led climate action expert session (17 June)
with C40, JRC and Open Earth Foundation experts
Energy access and poverty expert session (10 June)
with Marco Pittalis from the European Commission JRC
Check out the last edition of our hackathon at Innovate4Cities 2024.
The Cooling Singapore, Brazil! were the winners of our last hackathon.
Submissions will open after our launch at I4C26. Please check back again on 23rd June 2026 for more information.
