The AI x City Climate Action Hackathon returns for its third consecutive year, marking a significant milestone in the convergence of artificial intelligence and urban sustainability. Following the resounding success of the 2024 and 2025 editions, the 2026 Hackathon has evolved into our most ambitious initiative to date. This year’s program transcends traditional boundaries, expanding its scope to address cross-cutting themes and dismantling silos to foster diverse, intersectional innovations that redefine the future of city-level climate resilience.

This year’s challenge calls upon global innovators to create AI-driven solutions to accelerate city climate action. By bridging the gap between cutting-edge technological potential and practical, people-centered applications, the Hackathon empowers cities to meet their climate targets with greater efficiency.

While the initiative welcomes all AI innovations at the nexus of city and climate, projects that provide high-impact solutions for the following priority sectors will receive special commendation:

• Urban Transportation
• Informal or Marginalised Settlements in Cities
• Misinformation and Disinformation

The Hackathon features an enhanced three-phase journey spanning three continents. The journey began in Nairobi, Kenya, with a high-energy Ideation Sprint. FloodFact AI emerged as the winner as the most promising AI-driven concept for city-level impact with a focus on informal settlements and misinformation. Their solution for a community-based early warning system combining AI-powered satellite and meteorological data verification along with risk assessments and community alerts secured a place in the hybrid Finale in Cambridge, UK hosted by University of Cambridge’s Centre for Human-Inspired AI (CHIA). Finally, the winners of the 2026 AI x City Climate Action Hackathon will travel to Viladecans, Spain for the Urban Transitions Mission (UTM) Summit to showcase their solutions on a wider platform.