ThinkYoung

ThinkYoung Hackathons is a dynamic platform dedicated to organizing hackathons that leverage technology to address pressing societal challenges, particularly focusing on combating election disinformation and reducing barriers to voting. By bringing together young innovators, ThinkYoung Hackathons fosters the development of tech-driven solutions aimed at enhancing democratic processes and civic engagement. Over the past year, ThinkYoung Hackathons has conducted a series of events across Europe, including in Paris, Brussels, Palermo, and Hamburg. These hackathons attracted 31 teams and over 100 participants who collaborated to devise innovative solutions to election-related issues. The culmination of these efforts was the Grand Final held in Brussels on October 20, 2025, where Europe's top teams presented their final pitches. The hackathons were made possible through the support of 27 partners, 36 experts, and a dedicated group of mentors and judges who guided participants in refining their solutions. The selection criteria for proposals included significance, innovation, technological aspects, team collaboration, and scalability, with each category evaluated on a five-point scale. Awards were distributed at both the individual hackathons and the Grand Final. At each of the four hackathons, two nonprofits or social enterprises were awarded €5,000 each, totaling €40,000. In the Grand Final, the first-place winner received €150,000 in cash and a €50,000 Acceleration Programme lasting eight months. The second and third-place winners were each awarded €20,000 in cash and a €10,000 Acceleration Programme. Notably, 70% of the grants were assigned before the Acceleration Programme, with the remaining 30% allocated at the end. ThinkYoung, the organization behind these hackathons, is a not-for-profit entity committed to improving the world for young people by involving them in decision-making processes and providing decision-makers with high-quality research on youth conditions. Since its inception, ThinkYoung has reached over 800,000 young people through studies, surveys, advocacy campaigns, policy proposals, and educational programs. With offices in Brussels, Geneva, Hong Kong, and Nairobi, ThinkYoung boasts 12 years of experience in empowering students worldwide through tailored programs such as the ThinkYoung Coding School and the ThinkYoung Entrepreneurship School. The hackathons were supported by Google.org, Google's philanthropic arm, which backs nonprofits addressing humanitarian issues and applying scalable, data-driven innovation to solve global challenges. Google.org accelerates progress by providing funding, products, and technical expertise from Google volunteers, focusing on areas such as education, economic opportunity, inclusion, and crisis response. ThinkYoung Hackathons continues to invite organizations with solutions to fight election disinformation to participate in their events, aiming to empower youth through coding, innovation, and technology competitions.