[Partner Challenge] Small AI for Development Hackathon Challenge by World Bank

Over 2 billion people are still offline. 1.2 billion young people in the Global South will reach working age in the next decade- with far too few jobs to meet them. AI can help close that gap, but only if it's built for the real world.

 

That's the challenge. Can you build something that works with limited connectivity, local data, and familiar tools like SMS and voice?

 

The World Bank Group's Small AI for Development Hackathon Challenge — organized by the Digital and AI Vice Presidency, in partnership with the World Bank Group Youth Summit, Development Economics Vice Presidency, and Information and Technology Solutions — is an open call to young innovators aged 18–35 across 150+ countries.

 

The hackathon itself is run by Hack-Nation, our competition partner bringing the platform, the process, and the energy to make it happen. Spend one weekend — October 3–4, 2026 — building a small AI solution in health, agriculture, or tourism. The three winners will travel to Seoul to present at the Global AI and Digital Summit in October.