WFEO Hackathon 2027Win €7,000 for Sustainable Engineering Innovation
€7,000 prize for engineering innovators under 30.
Apply for the 2027 WFEO Hackathon on Sustainable Transport Engineering, an international engineering competition organised by the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO).
- Host
- WFEO
- Mode
- Online participation
- Age limit
- The team leader must be an engineering student or young engineer under 30. Other participants may come from different disciplines; participants under 18 require parental or legal guardian consent
- Degree
- No specific degree
- Experience
- No general minimum work experience requirement stated
Can you apply?
1. Engineering Students
Engineering students can participate and may lead a team if they satisfy the organisers’ requirements.
The official page encourages students to apply their technical knowledge and collaborate with participants from other disciplines.
2. Young Engineers
Young engineers under 30 can lead teams, subject to the competition’s requirements.
The hackathon provides an opportunity for early-career engineers to demonstrate their ability to develop practical, innovative and sustainable engineering solutions.
3. Multidisciplinary Participants
Participants from other disciplines are welcome to join teams led by an eligible engineering student or young engineer under 30.
This allows teams to combine engineering expertise with other skills and perspectives relevant to sustainable transport.
4. International Participants
The competition welcomes participants from different countries and institutions. The official page does not specify a general nationality restriction.
Applicants should review the official registration instructions for any additional participation conditions.
5. Participants Under 18
High school students and other participants under 18 may participate as team members if they have the consent of a parent or legal guardian.
The organisers require parental or guardian consent, and teams containing under-18 participants must be led by an eligible engineering student or young engineer under 30.
What you get
1. €7,000 Total Prize Pool
The competition offers cash prizes to the three highest-ranked teams.
| Winning position | Total team prize |
|---|---|
| First place | €4,000 |
| Second place | €2,000 |
| Third place | €1,000 |
| Total prize pool | €7,000 |
The prize money is divided equally among the members of each winning team. The advertised amounts are team prizes, not individual awards.
For example, if a five-member team wins first place, the €4,000 prize would be divided equally among its five members.
2. Free Participation
Registration is completely free. Participants do not need to pay an entry fee to join the competition or submit their ideas.
This makes the hackathon accessible to students and young professionals who want to demonstrate their engineering and problem-solving skills without paying to participate.
3. International Collaboration
Teams can include participants from different universities, institutions, locations and academic disciplines.
Multidisciplinary collaboration is encouraged because sustainable transport challenges can require engineering, technology, environmental knowledge, design, economics and other perspectives.
4. Opportunity to Present an Innovative Solution
Participants can research a real-world problem, develop a proposed solution and present their idea to an international judging panel.
The competition provides an opportunity to demonstrate technical ability, teamwork, innovation and an understanding of sustainability challenges.
5. International Recognition
The winning teams will be announced during the WFEO’s main World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development celebration in Rome, Italy, on 4 March 2027.
The competition gives shortlisted participants and winners an opportunity to have their work recognised in an international engineering setting.
However, travel and accommodation expenses for attending the Rome announcement have not been confirmed as covered.
Applying
Step 1: Register Individually
Visit the official WFEO Hackathon website and complete the registration process.
Official registration and information: https://worldengineeringday.net/hackathon/
Step 2: Form a Team
Create a team of three to five participants, ensuring that it is led by an eligible engineering student or young engineer under 30.
You can collaborate with participants from different universities, countries and academic backgrounds.
Step 3: Connect with Other Participants if Needed
If you do not have a team, use the participant community group linked by the organisers to connect with potential teammates.
Step 4: Review the Official Challenge
The challenge will be released on 20 November 2026. Read the full brief and identify the problem your team needs to address.
Step 5: Develop Your Solution
Research the problem, collaborate with your team and develop an innovative solution that considers technical merit, sustainability, inclusion and potential impact.
Step 6: Prepare the Submission
Prepare the five-minute video, written submission in English and team photo. Include English subtitles if your video is recorded in another language.
Follow the detailed requirements supplied with the official challenge.
Step 7: Submit Before the Deadline
Submit your team’s solution by 12 December 2026, 23:59 UTC.
The organisers will provide submission links and instructions when the challenges are released.
Step 8: Wait for the Results
The highest-scoring submissions will progress to the finalist stage. Winning teams will be announced on 4 March 2027 during the main WFEO World Engineering Day for Sustainable Development celebration in Rome, Italy.
Common questions
Is the WFEO Hackathon 2027 free to enter?
Yes. The organisers explicitly state that registration and participation are completely free.
Is the WFEO Hackathon fully funded?
No. It is a free-entry competition with a €7,000 total prize pool. It does not provide guaranteed funding for every participant, and travel, accommodation, equipment and other personal or project expenses are not universally confirmed as covered.
How much prize money can a team win?
The first-place team receives €4,000, the second-place team receives €2,000 and the third-place team receives €1,000. Each prize is divided equally among the members of the winning team.
Can Indian students participate?
The official page does not specify a nationality restriction, so Indian applicants can consider participating if they meet the competition’s team and eligibility requirements.
Do I need to be an engineering student?
The team must be led by an eligible engineering student or young engineer under 30. Other participants from different disciplines are encouraged to join the team.
Can I participate without an existing team?
Yes. You can register individually and use the organisers’ designated community group to connect with potential teammates.
Can participants under 18 join?
Yes. Participants under 18 may take part as team members with parental or legal guardian consent. Their team must be led by an eligible engineering student or young engineer under 30.
What is the application deadline?
The submission deadline is 12 December 2026 at 23:59 UTC. Registration opened on 14 September 2026.
Full description
Apply for the 2027 WFEO Hackathon on Sustainable Transport Engineering, an international engineering competition organised by the World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO). The hackathon invites engineering students, young engineers and multidisciplinary teams to develop innovative solutions for sustainable transport and mobility.
The competition offers a total prize pool of €7,000, with €4,000 for the first-place team, €2,000 for the second-place team and €1,000 for the third-place team. Prizes are divided equally among the members of each winning team.
Registration is completely free, and participants can develop and submit their solutions online. Teams must consist of 3–5 participants and be led by an eligible engineering student or young engineer under 30.
Application deadline: 12 December 2026, 23:59 UTC.
What Is the WFEO Hackathon 2027?
The WFEO Hackathon 2027 is an international engineering innovation competition focused on sustainable transport. It brings together engineering students, young engineers and participants from different academic and professional backgrounds to develop solutions to real-world transportation challenges.
The theme is “Engineering Sustainable Transport Solutions for People, Planet and Prosperity.”
The competition aims to encourage innovative approaches to mobility that are environmentally sustainable, inclusive, affordable and resilient. It supports the broader objectives of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, including SDGs 3, 7, 9 and 11, and connects with the UN Decade of Sustainable Transport 2026–2035.
Participants can collaborate with people from different universities, institutions and countries. You do not need to be part of an existing team before registering, as individual registrants can connect with other participants through the organisers’ designated community group.
What Is the Challenge About?
The 2027 hackathon focuses on sustainable transport engineering.
Participants will be required to develop a solution to the official challenge released by the organisers on 20 November 2026.
The challenge is intended to encourage engineering solutions that contribute to more sustainable, inclusive and resilient transportation systems.
The complete challenge details and submission instructions will be provided when the challenges are released. Participants should wait for the official brief before finalising their project approach.
How Will the Solutions Be Judged?
The organisers identify five main judging criteria.
1. Relevance and Problem Definition
Judges will assess how well the team understands the challenge and defines the problem it intends to solve.
2. Innovation and Technical Merit
The solution should demonstrate originality, technical strength and a clear engineering approach.
3. Impact and Scalability
Judges will consider whether the proposed solution could create meaningful environmental, social or economic impact and whether it could be scaled beyond the initial concept.
4. Inclusion and Sustainability
The proposed solution should consider accessibility, affordability, inclusiveness and long-term sustainability.
5. Presentation and Partnership Potential
Teams should communicate their ideas clearly and demonstrate the potential for future collaboration or development.
Applicants should consider these criteria while researching the challenge, developing their solution and preparing the final submission.
Are There Any Hidden Charges?
The official WFEO Hackathon website confirms that participation is completely free. No registration or participation fee is required.
However, participants should distinguish between the cost of entering the competition and expenses they may choose or need to incur while developing their solutions.
| Expense | Coverage |
|---|---|
| Registration fee | Free |
| Participation fee | Free |
| Online submission | No participation charge listed |
| Team formation | Free registration; no paid team-matching service required by the published instructions |
| Software and equipment | No universal reimbursement confirmed |
| Prototype development | No universal project-expense reimbursement confirmed |
| Internet and personal expenses | Participants may need to cover their own costs |
| Travel to Rome for the winners’ announcement | Coverage not confirmed |
| Accommodation in Rome | Coverage not confirmed |
| Cash prizes | Available only to the winning teams, divided equally among team members |
Important Financial Considerations
No application fee: Participants can register without paying an entry fee.
Online participation: The hackathon is conducted online, so participants do not need to travel to a physical venue to develop and submit their solutions.
Project costs: If a team chooses to build a physical prototype or purchase software, components or equipment, those expenses are not confirmed as reimbursable by the organisers.
Travel to Rome: The winners’ announcement will take place in Rome on 4 March 2027. The official information reviewed does not confirm that flights, accommodation or other travel expenses will be covered.
Prize money: The €7,000 is a total prize pool. Participants should not treat it as guaranteed funding or assume that every participant will receive money.
Bottom line: This is a free-entry international competition with cash prizes. It is not a fully funded travel programme, scholarship or guaranteed project grant.
Minimum Degree Required
Minimum Degree Required: No universal degree level is specified on the official hackathon page.
Eligibility is based primarily on team composition and leadership. Each team must contain 3–5 participants and be led by an eligible engineering student or young engineer under 30.
Applicants should not assume that every team member must hold an engineering degree. Participants from other disciplines are encouraged to contribute their expertise.
Required Application Documents and Submission Materials
The organisers specify three main submission components.
1. Five-Minute Video
Teams must submit a video of approximately five minutes presenting their solution.
The video may be recorded in a language other than English, but English subtitles must be included.
2. Written Submission
The written submission must be in English. It should explain the proposed solution and address the official challenge.
The complete written-submission requirements will be provided when the challenges are released on 20 November 2026.
3. Team Photo
Teams must also submit a team photo as part of their submission.
The organisers will provide the relevant submission links and instructions when the challenge is released.
Application Timeline for 2026–27
| Event | Date |
|---|---|
| Registrations open | 14 September 2026 |
| Official challenges released | 20 November 2026 |
| Submission deadline | 12 December 2026, 23:59 UTC |
| Winners announced | 4 March 2027 |
| Winners’ announcement location | Rome, Italy |
Important: Registration is already open, but the official challenges will be released later. Participants can register and form teams before the challenge brief becomes available.
Final Note
The WFEO Hackathon 2027 is an international opportunity for engineering students, young engineers and multidisciplinary teams to develop innovative solutions for sustainable transport.
With free registration and €7,000 in total prizes, the competition offers an accessible way to demonstrate engineering skills, collaborate internationally and gain recognition for a promising idea.
However, this is a competition rather than a scholarship or fully funded internship. Prize money is awarded only to the top three teams, and travel or accommodation for the Rome announcement is not confirmed as covered.
Registrations are open, and the official challenges will be released on 20 November 2026. Eligible participants should register through the official website and prepare to submit their solutions before 12 December 2026, 23:59 UTC.
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All quick facts
- Opportunity Type
- International engineering hackathon / innovation competition
- Organising Organisation
- World Federation of Engineering Organizations (WFEO)
- Location
- Online; winners will be announced in Rome, Italy
- Duration
- The challenge is released on 20 November 2026, with submissions due on 12 December 2026
- Mode
- Online participation
- Nationality
- Worldwide
- Minimum Degree Required
- No specific degree
- Age Limit
- The team leader must be an engineering student or young engineer under 30. Other participants may come from different disciplines; participants under 18 require parental or legal guardian consent
- Work Experience
- No general minimum work experience requirement stated
- Application Deadline
- 12 December 2026, 23:59 UTC
- Application Fee
- Free
- Stipend / Salary / Financial Support
- €7,000 total prize pool, distributed as €4,000 for first place, €2,000 for second place and €1,000 for third place
- Team Size
- 3–5 participants
- Submission Requirements
- A five-minute video, a team photo and a written submission in English
