A hackathon is the fastest way to test an idea, find a co-founder and get in front of the companies that set the challenges. These are the ten best hackathons of 2027 for founders and future founders, from Winterthur, Rust, St. Gallen, Athens, Vienna and Prague to Stanford, Singapore and online.
We picked hackathons with a reason for founders to go: prizes, a path into an incubator or venture track, a free conference pass, or investors in the room, and Europe first when quality is equal. We checked every date on the organiser's own website and mark each one as Confirmed (date on the official site), Announced (reliable second source only) or Expected (based on past editions only). All ten below are Confirmed for 2027, and seven of them are free.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
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Top 10 Hackathons Startup Events of 2027 at a Glance
The 10 best hackathons of 2027
1. TreeHacks: 12–14 February 2027, Stanford
TreeHacks is Stanford's student hackathon, and it pays for admitted hackers' flights up to regional caps. That makes it the cheapest way for a student founder from Europe to spend a weekend in Silicon Valley, in front of Bay Area sponsors and recruiters. It is for students only. See our list of startup events in San Francisco.
2. Hack Winterthur: 12–14 February 2027, Winterthur
Hack Winterthur is small, but it is one of the few hackathons with a published path to a startup: the best teams win prizes and the chance to join the Launch Control Incubator. It is run by Entrepreneur Club Winterthur with ZHAW Entrepreneurship, and food and drinks are free. See our list of startup events in Zurich.
3. Hack-Nation Global AI Hackathon: 27–28 February 2027, online and hubs
Hack-Nation names founders in its audience and has the clearest hackathon-to-company path on this list: $30k+ in cash and credits, $200k+ in API credits during the event, and a 3-month Venture Track for selected teams. About half of the participants join solo, so you can come without a team. See our list of Top 10 Startup Events on AI in 2027.
4. CloudFest Hackathon: 12–14 March 2027, Rust
The CloudFest Hackathon works on open source projects for three days, right before CloudFest Global 2027 (15–18 March) in the same resort. For a founder selling infrastructure or web tools, it is a way into Europe's big hosting and cloud industry event. See our lists of Top 10 Startup Events on Cloud Computing in 2027 and Top 10 Startup Events on Open Source in 2027.
5. START Hack: 17–19 March 2027, St. Gallen
START Hack is run by START Global, the student group behind START Summit, and calls itself Europe's premier student hackathon. Companies set the cases, and there is a CHF 10,000 prize. Go if you are a student who wants to meet corporate partners and other student founders. See our guide to startup events in Switzerland.
6. AI Hackathon Greece: 19–21 March 2027, Athens
AI Hackathon Greece is run by ACE, the incubator and accelerator of the Athens University of Economics and Business. Teams bring their own idea or take a sponsor challenge; past editions had 350+ hackers and 90+ ideas. Travel and accommodation are not covered. See our guide to startup events in Greece.
7. Europe Tech Hackathon: 7–8 May 2027, Vienna
The Europe Tech Hackathon by Sustainista opens ViennaUP, the city's startup festival, so you can build a prototype on Friday and stay for the festival events. Partners set the challenges, the presenting partner runs a follow-up workshop with a winning team, and teams keep the rights to their prototypes. See our list of startup events in Vienna.
8. ETHPrague: 28–30 May 2027, Prague
ETHPrague has run every year since 2022 and is Central Europe's main Ethereum hackathon. The 2027 theme is Ethereum plus AI: formal verification, smarter wallets and agents. See our lists of startup events in Prague and Top 10 Startup Events on Web3 and Blockchain in 2027.
9. NEXT Hackathon at SuperAI: 7–9 September 2027, Singapore
The NEXT Hackathon runs inside SuperAI Singapore, so builders work in the same building as the conference's founders, investors and enterprise leaders. The 2026 edition had a USD 200,000 prize pool for five winners; the 2027 prizes are not published yet. You must attend all 36 hours in person. See our list of startup events in Singapore.
10. TOKEN2049 Origins Hackathon: 5–7 October 2027, Singapore
Origins is free and comes with a full TOKEN2049 conference pass, which makes it the cheapest way for a Web3 founder into one of the biggest crypto weeks of the year. Teams demo on the TOKEN2049 stage. Travel and accommodation are not covered.
Also worth a look
- Global Game Jam, 25–31 January 2027, at 800+ sites worldwide: open to anyone, jammer registration opens on 1 December 2026. globalgamejam.org See our list of Top 10 Startup Events on Gaming in 2027.
- Music Technology Hackathon Paris, 20–21 February 2027, by Music Hackspace with Radio France: adults 18+, and you don't need to code. musichackspace.org
- DeltaHacks 13, McMaster University, Hamilton, Canada, 9–10 January 2027: student hackathon for change. deltahacks.com
- Hacklytics, Georgia Tech, Atlanta, 26–28 February 2027: 36-hour data science and AI hackathon for students. hacklytics2027.web.app
- UNIHACK, Australia, hybrid, 12–14 March 2027: 48 hours, 1,000+ university students. unihack.net
- Hackathons for women and non-binary students in North America, Announced on the MLH 2027 season list: ElleHacks (Toronto, 29–31 January), InnovateHer (West Lafayette, 6–7 February), HackHERS (Rutgers, 27–28 February), WiCHacks (RIT, 27–28 February) and WEHack (UT Dallas, 10–11 April).
Dates not announced yet
- Junction (Espoo; the 2026 edition runs on 13–15 November 2026), HackZurich, the TUM.ai Makeathon (Munich), HackUPC (Barcelona), Hack Kosice and IC Hack (London): no 2027 dates yet.
- The CASSINI Hackathon on EU space data (12th edition 27–29 November 2026) and the NASA Space Apps Challenge: no 2027 dates yet.
- ETHDenver has dated its 2027 festival (24–25 March, Denver) but not its BUIDLathon hackathon; ETHGlobal lists no 2027 hackathons yet.
- Hack the North, HackMIT, CalHacks and PennApps: no 2027 dates yet.
- Women-focused hackathons in Europe, such as Hack4Her (Netherlands), herHACK (Switzerland) and HerTechVenture (Warsaw), have no 2027 dates yet. If you run one, send it to us.
Why hackathons matter for founders: the numbers
- GroupMe was founded at the TechCrunch Disrupt Hackathon in 2010, and Skype bought it about a year later for a reported $85 million, according to NBC News.
- Junction 2016 in Helsinki had more than 3,300 applications from over 110 countries for 1,300 places, according to Aalto University.
- Women were 24% of participants at MLH hackathons, against 73% men and 3% other or non-binary, according to Major League Hacking (2019 data, the latest it has published).
Going to a hackathon as a student? See our list of Top 10 Startup Events on Pitch Competitions in 2027, and our Top 10 Startup Events on Developer Tools in 2027 list.
How to choose a hackathon
- Read who it is for. TreeHacks is for students only and START Hack is a student hackathon; Hack-Nation, CloudFest, AI Hackathon Greece and TOKEN2049 Origins also take professionals and founders.
- Pick one with a next step. Hack-Nation has a 3-month Venture Track, Hack Winterthur a path into the Launch Control Incubator, and the Europe Tech Hackathon a follow-up workshop with its presenting partner.
- Use the free passes. CloudFest gives eligible hackers a CloudFest pass, Origins includes a full TOKEN2049 pass, and the NEXT Hackathon runs inside SuperAI.
- Check who owns the code. The Europe Tech Hackathon says teams keep the rights to their prototypes; read the rules of every other hackathon before you build something you want to turn into a company.
- Apply early. AI Hackathon Greece takes applications in December 2026, Hack Winterthur closes registration on 5 February 2027, and NEXT and Origins already have 2027 waitlists.
List your event
Do you organise a hackathon, makeathon or game jam in 2027, especially one for women founders? Send us the name, dates, city and official link, and we'll check whether it fits this list.
This article is regularly updated with new events. Do you know about an event that needs to be added? Send us some info and we will see if it's a fit.
🔗 Add an awesome event
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FAQ
What are the best hackathons for startups in 2027?
Our top picks are TreeHacks at Stanford, Hack Winterthur, the Hack-Nation Global AI Hackathon, the CloudFest Hackathon, START Hack in St. Gallen, AI Hackathon Greece, the Europe Tech Hackathon in Vienna, ETHPrague, the NEXT Hackathon at SuperAI and the TOKEN2049 Origins Hackathon in Singapore.
Which hackathons in 2027 are free?
TreeHacks, Hack Winterthur, the Hack-Nation Global AI Hackathon, the NEXT Hackathon at SuperAI and the TOKEN2049 Origins Hackathon are free, and AI Hackathon Greece is free for selected participants.
When is START Hack 2027?
START Hack 2027 runs on 17–19 March 2027 in St. Gallen, Switzerland. Applications are not open yet.
Can founders who are not students join a hackathon?
Yes. Hack-Nation, the CloudFest Hackathon, AI Hackathon Greece, the Europe Tech Hackathon, ETHPrague, NEXT and TOKEN2049 Origins are open to professionals and founders. TreeHacks is for students only.
Which hackathon can lead to an incubator or accelerator?
Hack-Nation offers selected teams a 3-month Venture Track, and the best teams at Hack Winterthur get the chance to join the Launch Control Incubator.
When is Junction 2027?
Junction has not announced its 2027 dates yet. The 2026 edition runs on 13–15 November 2026 in Espoo, Finland.
Are there hackathons for women in 2027?
ElleHacks, InnovateHer, HackHERS, WiCHacks and WEHack are announced for early 2027 in North America for women and non-binary students. No women-focused hackathon in Europe has a 2027 date yet.
About the Author
Violetta Bonenkamp, also known as MeanCEO, is an experienced startup founder with an impressive educational background including an MBA and four other higher education degrees. She has over 20 years of work experience across multiple countries, including 5 years as a solopreneur and serial entrepreneur. Throughout her startup experience she has applied for multiple startup grants at the EU level, in the Netherlands and Malta, and her startups received quite a few of those. She’s been living, studying and working in many countries around the globe and her extensive multicultural experience has influenced her immensely.
