Disaster Hackathon
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Innovation Towards an Open Humanitarian Space
The third FOREWARN Disaster Hackathon brings youth, experts, government and humanitarian partners together to turn forecasts into timely decisions. Teams will build open, affordable and locally relevant tools for early warning and anticipatory action, and the strongest will be piloted and owned by partners.
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Theme
Open Humanitarian Space
Stages
5, from COMMIT to CULTURE
Shortlisted for mentoring
20 to 25 teams
Finalists
5 teams, all ranked and awarded
Prize pool
BDT 200,000 in cash awards
[ Why 3.0 ]
Bangladesh is moving from reactive response towards impact-based forecasting, anticipatory action and disaster risk financing. Gaps remain, though: forecasts are not always local, impact-based or actionable, warnings do not always reach the last mile, and risk information is fragmented.
Experts, decision makers and humanitarian actors also often work in silos, and young people, energetic and keen to engage, are still largely left out of early warning and anticipatory action. Hackathon 3.0 is designed to close that gap, with a clear pathway from a young team's idea to a tool that partners adopt.
Vision
Disaster-prone communities in Bangladesh are protected by accessible, impact-based early warning and timely anticipatory action, driven by youth-led, open innovation that humanitarian and government partners own and sustain.
Mission
To bring youth, experts, government and humanitarian partners together through a five-stage innovation pipeline that turns ideas into open, affordable and locally relevant tools, tested, piloted and adopted so that forecasts become timely decisions.
[ The C5 model ]
Select a stage to see what happens in it. COMMIT and CULTURE are new in 3.0, added after Start Network's 2025 evaluation of the first two editions.
The ground rules. Partners commit to challenges, the Jury and mentors come on board, and the Handbook is published at the official launch.
Open COMMITActivities
Who is involved
Outputs
CREATE
All
registered teams get knowledge modules
CHECK
20–25
teams shortlisted for mentoring
CULTIVATE
5
teams build prototypes
Awards
5
teams ranked and awarded
[ Theory of change ]
Core problem
Bangladesh's early warning and anticipatory action systems struggle to turn forecasts into timely, usable decisions, while youth, experts, government and humanitarian decision makers work in silos to build solutions.
Decision-ready tools lacking
Forecasts and risk information are not turned into usable, open, local tools.
Limited youth and expert pathways
Few routes to contribute to early warning, anticipatory action and risk management.
Fragmented collaboration, weak adoption
Forecasters, scientists, government and humanitarian actors rarely co-develop or take up tools.
Outcome 01
Tools and models are prototyped and tested.
Outcome 02
Youth gain skills and a route into early warning and anticipatory action.
Outcome 03
Tools and models are piloted and adopted by partners.
Goal
Disaster-prone communities in Bangladesh are better protected through accessible, impact-based early warning systems and timely anticipatory action, strengthened by youth-led innovation owned by humanitarian and government partners and supported by experts.
[ Objectives ]
Select a card to see the outcome it leads to and how Hackathon 3.0 gets there.
[ Priority areas ]
Any suitable technology is welcome, whether space-based, AI, data-driven or rooted in local knowledge, as long as it is open, transparent and low-cost. Partners may turn these areas into specific challenge statements, and teams may propose other relevant challenges.
[ Jury lens ]
Across every priority area, the Jury looks for tools that real people can use when a hazard is coming.
Practical, affordable and easy to use
Shaped with the communities it serves
Works with weak phone coverage and low literacy, not only on smartphones
Connects with Union and Upazila Disaster Management Committees, the National Disaster Management Information System and Start Network's early action plans
Represents communities with dignity
Follows safeguarding, do-no-harm and data protection principles
[ Awards ]
All five teams that reach CULTIVATE are ranked by the Jury and receive a cash award.
4th place
BDT
10,000
1st runner-up
BDT
50,000
Winner
BDT
100,000
2nd runner-up
BDT
30,000
5th place
BDT
10,000
Beyond the awards: in the CULTURE stage, partners may offer six-month fellowships or internships to develop and pilot promising tools. These depend on partner interest and the fit of the solution, so they are not limited to the top-ranked teams.
[ Governance ]
Three groups with separate roles stay independent of one another. No one serves in more than one group, and everyone declares any conflict of interest with participating teams.
Jury
Evaluation Board
Assesses CREATE submissions, CHECK proposals and CULTIVATE presentations against published criteria, and shortlists, selects and ranks teams.
Never: Does not mentor teams or run the process.
Mentors
CHECK and CULTIVATE
Provide module-wise virtual mentoring in CHECK and hands-on technical mentoring in CULTIVATE.
Never: Do not score or select teams.
Organising Team
FOREWARN Bangladesh and partners
Coordinates partners, knowledge modules, logistics, communication and follow-up, and applies the rules consistently.
Never: Does not score, rank or mentor teams.
[ Partners ]
Partners shape the hackathon, from defining the challenges to piloting the winning tools. Roles are flexible, and a partner can take on more than one, except for the Jury.
Expected 01
Youth teams prototype and test tools and models
Expected 02
Young people gain skills and a route into early warning and anticipatory action
Expected 03
Partners pilot and adopt tools, with sustainability plans in place
Expected 04
Stronger collaboration between youth, experts, government and humanitarian actors
[ Ready to take part? ]
Registration opens with the official launch. Form an interdisciplinary team, pick a priority area and get ready for the CREATE stage.
