The Inclusive & Secure AI For Everyone (iSAFE) Hackathon 2026 is a global, hybrid innovation challenge designed to harness the power of technology and generative artificial intelligence. Organized by the CyberPeace Institute and the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) Forum 2026, the event aims to address emerging threats in online environments, empower digital citizens, and strengthen trust in digital systems. The competition culminates in virtual presentations and the announcement of winners during the WSIS Forum 2026 in Geneva, Switzerland.
Program Overview
• Edition: 3rd
• Format: Hybrid, featuring a global online build, a finale in New Delhi, and an opportunity to showcase at Bharat Mandapam.
• Global Reach: Over 120 countries and 1500+ participants in previous editions.
• Alignment: The hackathon's objectives are aligned with the WSIS Action Lines, UN Sustainable Development Goals, and the Global Digital Compact (GDC), focusing on closing digital divides, expanding inclusion, fostering a safe digital space, and enhancing AI governance.
Challenge Tracks
• Track 1 - Detect the Deceptive: Tracing Synthetic Realities: Develop generative AI-powered tools to detect, authenticate, and trace the origin of synthetic content like deepfakes, AI-generated media, and fabricated text across platforms.
• Track 2 - Defend the Digital Citizen: AI for Protection and Empowerment: Create AI-powered systems that proactively educate, guide, and protect users from scams, fraud, misinformation, and other emerging online threats.
• Track 3 - Building the Guardrails of Trustworthy AI: Design testable safety mechanisms and frameworks to enhance transparency, reduce bias, and ensure generative AI systems align with human and societal values.
• Track 4 - Create for Peace: Generative AI for Social Good and Digital Civility: Build AI-driven solutions that foster empathy, positive behavior, and resilience against digital toxicity, polarization, and social fragmentation through creative applications like storytelling and immersive experiences.
• Track 5 - Enhancing the CyberPeace Chatbot with Generative & Agentic AI: Expand the capabilities of the existing CyberPeace chatbot into an intelligent, context-aware digital peace agent using generative and agentic AI frameworks.
Eligibility and Participation
• Who Can Apply: The hackathon is open to individuals and teams worldwide, including university students, AI researchers, developers, technologists, policy thinkers, social entrepreneurs, startups in Trust & Safety, Fintech or Media Tech, CyberPeace Corps volunteers, and participants from Defence & Police Academies.
• Team Formation: Participants are encouraged to form age-diverse teams of up to 3 members.
• Ideal Candidates: Applicants should be passionate about technology for social impact, motivated to develop their ideas, and able to create solutions that are useful and appealing.
Competition Process and Submissions
• Participation Process: The competition involves registration, solution proposal, a shortlisting phase, a mentorship period with experts from the UN system and industry, and final virtual presentations to an expert jury.
• Evaluation Rounds: The process includes an Ideation Round (top 50 ideas shortlisted), a Development Round (top 20 finalists selected), and a Grand Finale where the top 10 finalists pitch live.
• Submission Requirements: Submissions must include a clear problem definition, source code in a repository with an open-source license, a working demo (deployed app, video, or interactive environment), and supporting materials like a video walkthrough and documentation.
• Evaluation Criteria: Submissions are evaluated based on Innovation & Technical Depth (30%), Trust & Safety Integration (25%), Societal Impact & Usability (20%), Scalability & Localization (15%), and Presentation, Documentation & Ethics (10%).
Program Timeline
• Launch & Registrations: November 20, 2025 – March 31, 2026
• Shortlisting Phase: April 1, 2026 – April 30, 2026
• Finalists Announcement: May 5, 2026
• Mentorship Session: May 10, 2026
• Virtual Presentations: May 10, 2026 – May 22, 2026
• Winner Announcement: During the WSIS Forum 2026, July 6 – 10, 2026
Prizes and Opportunities
• Prize Pool: Over US$20,000 in prizes for winning teams.
• Internships: Exclusive internship opportunities at the International Telecommunication Union (ITU).
• Incubation and Support: Potential incubation support for standout ideas, fast-track pilots with CyberPeace, and fellowship opportunities.
• Technology Resources: Provision of software licenses, cloud credits, and technology support to accelerate project development.
• Global Exposure: Winners gain visibility and networking opportunities at the WSIS Forum 2026 and a showcase at the India AI Impact Summit 2026.
By focusing on the ethical deployment of generative technologies, the iSAFE Hackathon 2026 serves as a critical platform for innovation and cross-sector collaboration. It directly contributes to global priorities in digital policy and governance by inviting the global community to build practical, deployable tools that protect truth, safeguard citizens, and make AI accountable. The initiative stands as a policy incubator and collaboration engine, shaping the future of a safer and more trustworthy digital environment for all.