mission = "Build bold, data-driven solutions for cities."; perks = [ "Expert mentorship", "Curated datasets", "Hands-on tech sessions" ];
finale = "Pitch at New York Climate Week (in-person or online)"; prize = "Seed funding + city partnership for real-world testing"; callToAction = "Help cities track progress, drive impact, and build a sustainable future.";
To spark even more diverse and impactful solutions, this year’s Hackathon will feature two expanded themes — welcoming experts, students, and innovators from a wide range of fields.
Theme 1: Expanding energy access and alleviating energy poverty
Design bold solutions to help cities deliver reliable, affordable, and sustainable energy for all — with a special focus on supporting vulnerable communities.
Theme 2: Identifying actions and tracking implementation
Develop tools to identify, monitor, and accelerate the actions cities are taking to cut greenhouse gas emissions and strengthen their resilience to climate change.
Cities are at the forefront of the climate crisis—and you can help them lead the way. The AI x City Climate Action Hackathon 2025 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, with a broader scope, deeper collaboration opportunities, and a unique hybrid format. Participants will gain access to expert mentorship from leading voices in climate science, artificial intelligence, and urban innovation. You’ll also work with curated datasets provided by city networks and partners to bring your ideas to life.
Throughout the hackathon, you’ll be supported by technical 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.
Check out our session recordings on our webinar section to the left.
PRIZES
Up to 10 finalists per theme will have the opportunity to pitch their solutions during New York Climate Week 2025, either live on stage or virtually.
Up to 10 teams will be invited to participate in a deep dive hybrid workshop at University of Cambridge, delivered in collaboration with the climaTRACES Lab.
The winning team from each theme will receive $15,000 dollars in seed funding to further develop and pilot their 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.
The winners will be invited to join the Build for Earth Acceleration Program, delivered in collaboration with the Hack for Earth Foundation.
Check out the prizes section to the left to learn more.
The AI x City Climate Action Hackathon 2025 is organized by the Global Covenant of Mayors for Climate and Energy (GCoM), Urban Transitions Mission (UTM), C40 Cities, ICLEI, Open Earth Foundation, Hack for Earth Foundation, University of Cambridge climaTRACES Lab and other leading organizations committed to advancing innovative, people-centered climate solutions.
The hackathon is open to students, professionals, or a combination of both.
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.
Up to ten submissions will be selected to pitch in person or virtually at New York Climate Week 2025. No costs will be covered to participants.
The winners will be selected at New York Climate Week and will receive support to develop their solution.
Submissions should have the following components:
Presentation: Create a comprehensive presentation that explains your solution in detail. This should cover the key features, benefits and challenges of your methodology.
Demonstration: Use the methodology to analyze one or more cities for demonstration as case studies, apply the methodology or a fragment of it on an AI tool or any other technology you are familiar with.
Our jury of experts will be assessing submissions based on four key areas: innovation, impact, feasibility, and presentation.
1. Innovation. Originality and creativity of the solution
2. Impact. Potential to positively impact cities’ climate action efforts
3. Feasibility. Practicality and scalability of the solution
4. Presentation. Clarity and effectiveness of the project presentation
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.
All work produced as part of this Hackathon are made available under an Attribution-ShareAlike creative commons licence. Find out more here
Energy access and poverty expert session (10 June)
with Marco Pittalis from the European Commission JRC
We had our Kick off session! (22 May)
Check out the last edition of our hackathon at Innovate4Cities 2024.
The Cooling Singapore, Brazil! were the winners of our last hackathon.
Please send us an email at innovate4cities@gcomsupport.org with the subject “Hackathon 2025 Submission [NAME]” including in the email body (1) name, (2) organization (if any) and (3) country of you and any other team members. Please give your (4) submission a name, (5) explain what the content of any attached files is and (6) choose one of the two themes.
We will be expecting at least two files attached: (7) a methodology or process flow and (8) a demonstration of your methodology or process flow.
For further information please refer to the ‘rules and guidelines’ and ‘FAQ’ sections above or send us an email.
