Deadline: 22 September 2025
Description
The Digital Democracy Hackathon is an innovative program designed to empower civil society in Eastern Europe and Central Asia. More than just a coding event, it’s a design challenge focused on prototyping practical solutions to pressing digital democracy issues. Organized by the Metamorphosis Foundation and the Civic Literacy Initiative in partnership with CIVICUS, this hackathon is part of the global Digital Democracy Initiative (DDI) aimed at strengthening civic space and promoting inclusive democracy. The program focuses on turning ideas into actionable prototypes that address real-world challenges faced by activists and organizations, such as combating disinformation, enhancing digital security, and supporting youth-led campaigning. The goal is not to create perfect tools but to develop working prototypes that can be tested and refined with real user communities.
Eligibility
This opportunity is specifically for civil society organizations (CSOs) and informal activist teams based in one of the target countries in the Eastern Europe and Central Asia region. The eligible countries include Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Moldova, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Turkey. Applications must be submitted by teams of at least two committed members. The hackathon seeks teams with diverse and complementary skills, including developers, designers, researchers, project managers, and advocates who are passionate about using technology to strengthen democracy and address the outlined scenarios.
Benefits
Selected teams will receive a comprehensive support package to develop their ideas:
- A $8,000 sub-grant to fund the development and piloting of their solution.
- An all-expenses-paid trip for team members to participate in the in-person hackathon in Bangkok, Thailand, from 1-5 November 2025.
- Expert mentorship before, during, and after the hackathon to provide technical, design, and strategic guidance.
- An opportunity to join a vibrant regional network of changemakers and civic tech innovators working on similar issues.
How to Apply
Applications must be submitted online via the official application form available on the hackathon website before the deadline of September 22, 2025. Applicants are required to select one of the provided scenarios and pitch their initial solution proposal within the form. The application also includes a series of questions about the team’s eligibility and capacity. It is highly recommended that applicants review the detailed application guide and scenario descriptions on the website before applying. Only complete applications submitted before the deadline will be considered for review.
Contact Information
For any questions or doubts, interested applicants can contact the support team by email at ddi-hackathon-2025@civicliteraci.es. It is also encouraged to sign up for and attend the online Info Session on September 12, 2025, to learn more about the open call and ask questions directly.
For more information, visit the official website.
