About the challenge
***At this stage, the judging panel has been carefully selected and finalized, and we are not seeking additional judges****
**Please register to receive regular updates and access upcoming sessions listed under the Rules section, which are essential for building a successful project**
The IEEE OneAquaHealth Global Hackathon 2026 focuses on improving the sustainability and health of urban freshwater ecosystems by combining technology, citizen science, and the One Health approach. Urban aquatic environments are critical to biodiversity and human well-being but face increasing challenges due to urbanization, climate change, and limited monitoring capabilities.
This challenge invites participants to build solutions that empower citizens and communities to actively contribute to environmental monitoring through intuitive tools and engaging experiences. Teams will explore ways to transform citizen-generated and environmental data into actionable insights that support researchers, policymakers, and local communities in making informed decisions.
Participants are encouraged to leverage AI, data platforms, and digital health standards to improve the accuracy, reliability, and interoperability of ecosystem data while maintaining a human-centered approach. The hackathon also emphasizes raising awareness, fostering community engagement, and promoting long-term stewardship of urban water ecosystems through storytelling, gamification, and participatory design.
By integrating environmental, climate, and citizen data, teams will help build early-warning systems, resilience tools, and decision-support platforms that strengthen ecosystem sustainability. Ultimately, this hackathon aims to advance the OneAquaHealth mission of connecting ecosystem health, biodiversity, and human well-being, driving innovation toward healthier communities and a more sustainable future.
The hackathon aligns closely with the OneAquaHealth project, which is funded by the European Union. OneAquaHealth connects ecosystem health and human well-being through innovative tools for early detection of environmental risks. By combining biodiversity indicators, digital monitoring technologies, and community participation, OneAquaHealth helps identify how urban aquatic ecosystems respond to stressors. This holistic One Health approach supports evidence-based decisions for healthier, more resilient cities.
Get started
- Register on Devpost before the deadline
- Form a team or participate individually
- Choose a track aligned with your interests
- Understand the problem and define your impact
- Build a prototype using AI, data, or citizen science approaches
- Follow OneAquaHealth project on LinkedIn, X and Facebook to make hackathon announcements, engage with the community in Europe and receive ideas that may support your project.
- Join the OneAquaHealth Community to connect with researchers, innovators, and citizen scientists and access domain knowledge relevant to your hackathon solution.
- Download and use the OneAquaHealth Citizen Science App to explore real environmental data, contribute your own observations, and gain hands‑on experience with the types of inputs your hackathon prototype may build upon.
- Join sessions & mentorship for guidance
- Submit your project with demo, code, and description
Focus on building solutions that are impactful, practical, and scalable.
Requirements
What to Build
Build solutions that improve urban freshwater ecosystem monitoring and support the One Health vision.
Your Project should belong to one of the tracks
| 🎯 Track | 🚩 Challenge | 🧩 Problem | 🔧 Build |
|---|---|---|---|
| Track 1: Citizen Science UX | Improve citizen science app experience for stream assessments | Complex tools, confusing terminology, and low participation reduce usability and impact | Guided workflows, simplified ecological terms, improved data accuracy, and repeat engagement features |
| Track 2: Data-to-Insight | Turn citizen-collected data into actionable stream health and One Health insights | Stream data is hard to interpret and does not clearly show patterns, risks, or health impact | Dashboards, maps, trend analysis, and One Health insight summaries |
| Track 3: AI-Supported Assessment | Use AI responsibly to support stream assessment without replacing human judgment | Citizen observations can be inconsistent and error-prone | AI prompts, validation checks, explainable AI, and human-in-the-loop workflows |
| Track 4: Awareness & Storytelling | Make One Health understandable and engaging | Low awareness and lack of engaging formats | Educational modules, storytelling, and personalized insights |
| Track 5: Community & Gamification | Drive sustained participation | Low repeat engagement | Gamification, dashboards, challenges, and social features |
| Track 6: Resilience Informatics | Enable early warning & resilience planning | Lack of predictive environmental tools | Predictive dashboards, alerts, and resilience tools |
| Track 7: Digital Health Standards | Enable interoperability across systems | Fragmented data and lack of standards | FHIR models, AI agents, and integration frameworks |
💡 Tagline: From streams to systems: turning citizen science into actionable One Health intelligence.
What to Submit
- Track Alignment: Clearly state the track you’ve chosen and how your project addresses the challenge.
- Project Description: Explain the problem, your solution, target users, and expected impact on ecosystem and human health.
- Demo Video (3–5 mins): Showcase your project in action, highlighting key features and functionality.
- Code Repository: Provide a public GitHub (or equivalent) link with source code and documentation.
- Prototype / Demo: Share a working prototype, mockup, or proof-of-concept.
- Submission Deadline: Ensure your project is submitted before the official deadline to be eligible for judging.
All results, outputs, and winning solutions from the hackathon will be showcased on the OneAquaHealth Open Information Hub, helping to raise visibility across Europe for the event’s activities and celebrating the achievements of participating teams.
Prizes
IEEE Merit Award
Prizes TBD
1st Prize
2nd Prize
3rd Prize
Prizes will include a combination of cash and in-kind awards. Full details will be announced soon.
In case of a tie, both teams will receive the higher prize, and the lower prize will not be awarded
Certificates of Merit
IEEE Certificate of Merit for the top 3 winning teams
IEEE Certificate of Participation
IEEE Certificate of Participation for all eligible participants
IEEE Senior Member
Eligible winners who are IEEE members may be nominated for IEEE Senior Member elevation
Devpost Achievements
Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:
Judges
Alexander Nikolov
Research Manager, SYNYO GmbH
Maria João Feio, PhD
One Aqua Health Program Coordinator
Pradyumna Kodgi
Product Manager, Oracle
Gora Datta
FHL7,SMIEEE, SMACM
David E. González
IEEE Blockchain Technical Community Treasurer
Vinay Sharma
Program Manager, Persistent Systems
Sreekanth Reddy Panyam
Senior Member, IEEE
George Koutalieris
Chief Business & Innovation Officer, ENORA Innovation
Harm op den Akker
Project Manager, SHINE 2Europe, Lda.
Ângela Freitas
Project Manager | Researcher,SHINE 2Europe, Lda
Judging Criteria
-
Impact & Alignment with OneAquaHealth project Mission
How well the solution improves monitoring, protection, awareness, or sustainability of water ecosystems and their connection to human, animal, and environmental health -
Innovation & Creativity
Originality of the idea and creative use of technology to address ecosystem and citizen science challenges -
Architecture
Quality of prototype, architecture, functionality, and effective use of tools, APIs, or data sources -
UX
Ease of use, clarity of interface, and accessibility for intended users -
Scale
Potential for real-world implementation, scalability, and integration with existing systems
Questions? Email the hackathon manager
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