The event will take place on January 20th-22nd, 2023, at the Google Campus in Warsaw, Poland and online. A pre-event and a conference will precede the hackathon. The events will bring together professionals from VoxСheck, AIN.UA and other experts in media and digitalization to share the most painful issues related to disinformation. NATO acts as a partner of the hackathon.

With the support of international donors, tech corporations, and governments, the winning projects will be developed further and receive professional mentorship support for one month after the hackathon. This includes access to the 1991 network of startups, investors, and experts, individual meetings and consultations, and tech support. ​​The best teams will also have the opportunity to work with leading specialists in the field and receive perks from tech partners.

On top of that, the launch of the European Ukrainian Digital Network, aimed at uniting all tech professionals and Ukrainians living in the European Union today, will be announced by the leading panel of speakers at the hackathon.

Why it’s important

Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine violated the state and the country's informational borders, drilling through the national and global media landscape with aggressive propaganda weapons. In addition to protecting state sovereignty, Ukrainians worldwide and residents of European countries that support Ukraine are forced to defend themselves against disinformation and propaganda.

1991 Hackathon: Media is an international opportunity open to CSOs, tech companies, startups, governments, and media professionals. The main focus of the hackathon is the development of digital and technological products that can be further used by the government, media, public, commercial organizations, new tech companies, and the public at large to consume, process, transmit, and create information as a fair product.

Denys Gursky, Head of Board and Co-Founder at SocialBoost believes that innovation can upgrade the media market and its tools, bringing the sphere to a fundamentally new level: “Our hackathon is created to help, through tech development, enhance the conscious use of media and develop critical thinking in the audience. The event will bring together specialists from both Ukraine and abroad to mobilize as many efforts as possible. In the end, we want to witness the birth of tech solutions that will have global potential”.

“With this project we want to actualize the problem of disinformation, cyber, media, and information security, mobilize the potential of Ukrainian and European digital professionals and activists who have certain expertise, and maintain Ukraine's reputation as a modern tech hub”, adds Viktor Gursky, CEO and Co-Founder at SocialBoost.

Format and details

Tech-savvy Ukrainians worldwide and residents of European countries supporting Ukraine are invited to come together and join the hackathon to share their experiences, contribute to resolving global information security challenges, and cooperate with leading government, market, and civil society experts and professionals.

Participants are invited to solve challenges in the following areas:

• Algorithms and Automation Tools
• Real-Time News and Data Monitoring
• User Education
• Strategic Communications
• Open Data and Transparency
• Big Tech and Responsible Advertising

1991 Hackathon: Media will empower those who want to make an impact and contribute to the creation of innovative digital solutions. The evaluation criteria are actuality, innovativeness, commercial potential, presentation, and implementation possibilities.

Admission is free. Registration for mentors and participants is open on the website until January 20, 2023. For more information, visit the website.

1991 Hackathon: Media has been made possible by the generous support of the American people through the United States Agency for International Development (USAID).

Partners are GovTech Polska, Fundacja Moje Państwo, Google for startups Campus, Centre for Strategic Communication, Kancelaria Prezesa Rady Ministrów.