Save the Dates for Hacking4Humanity 2026!

February 6 - February 20, 2026

About H4H 2026

Hacking4Humanity (H4H) is a tech and policy hackathon that offers students a new way to engage with real-world social problems that can be improved with novel technical and policy solutions. Any undergraduate and graduate students currently enrolled at a college or university in the Pittsburgh region can participate! Students compete in teams of 1-4 people in either the Tech track or the Policy track - multiple cash prizes will be awarded in both tracks!

H4H 2026 will be held February 6 - February 20, 2026. The hackathon will begin with a Zoom Kickoff on February 6, and final Tech and Policy presentations will be held in person at Duquesne University on February 20.

Additionally, H4H 2026 finalists will have the unique opportunity to participate in a mini-hackathon competition at the PA Governor’s Residence in Harrisburg in the spring of 2026! Top H4H  finishers will travel to the state capital to present their policy and tech proposals to a panel of expert judges, including First Lady Lori Shapiro and other members of the Governor’s administration. 

Advisors Wanted

H4H participants are assigned an Advisor who can provide guidance and support as they craft their tech or policy solutions in the timeframe between the kickoff meeting on February 6 and the in-person presentations on February 20.  If you have knowledge and/or experience in computer science, coding, tech policy/law, media ethics, or a related field, sign up to be an advisor today!

Organizers

Hacking4Humanity is a collaborative effort sponsored by these organizations:
Grefenstette Center for Ethics in Science, Technology, and Law
Pitt Cyber: The Institute for Cyber Law, Policy, and Security
The Center for Informed Democracy and Social-cybersecurity Research Group
Center for Applied Research on Targeted Violence
The Sara Fine Institute
Community College of Allegheny County

The full details of H4H 2026 will be posted soon! In the meantime, browse the highlight reel from H4H 2025 below, and find information on all past years' hackathons on our News and Events page.

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Highlights from Hacking4Humanity 2025

H4H 2025 Finalists & Organizers with First Lady Lori Shapiro & Judges at Governor's Residence

H4H 2025 Finalists & Organizers with First Lady Lori Shapiro & Judges at Governor's Residence

Students prepare for their presentation at Hacking4Humanity 2025

Students Prepare for their Presentation at Hacking4Humanity 2025

Three students presenting at lectern

Student Presenters at Hacking4Humanity 2025

Two students present at lectern at Hacking4Humanity 2025

Student Presenters at Hacking4Humanity 2025

Three students in line for ice cream at Hacking4Humanity 2025

Break for Ice Cream and Networking at Hacking4Humanity 2025

Hacking4Humanity 2025 Judges Panel on the State of Online Hate

Hacking4Humanity 2025 Judges Panel on the State of Online Hate

A student asks a question during the judges panel discussion

Q&A During the State of Online Hate Panel Discussion

Hacking4Humanity 2025 Tech and Policy First Place and Honorable Mention Teams

Hacking4Humanity 2025 Tech and Policy First Place and Honorable Mention Teams

Hacking4Humanity 2025 Tech Honorable Mention Team

Hacking4Humanity 2025 Tech Honorable Mention Team

FAQ

Hacking4Humanity is a tech and policy hackathon for undergraduate and graduate students, which offers students a new way to engage with real-world social problems that can be improved with novel technical and policy solutions. 
Any undergraduate and graduate student currently enrolled at a college or university in the greater Pittsburgh area can participate! No experience needed!
Students can compete in teams of 1-4 people can compete in either the tech track or the policy track, with multiple CASH prizes available in both tracks! Prizes will be announced closer to the event.
The hackathon has two tracks, tech solutions and policy solutions in which teams addressed challenges under the general topic of online hate. When students register, they pick one of the tracks to compete. Each track has its own set of requirements, guidelines, and judges. Tech teams build or plan new tech, like websites, apps, robots, plugins, etc. Policy teams create and write new policies, either improving on old ones, or coming up with new policy guidelines.
Hybrid means that all the day-to-day work of the hackathon is done separately, and all the teams only come together for the day of competition. There is a kickoff virtual event at the beginning of the hackathon and an in-person competition at the end, with food, door prizes, and lots of fun!
Sign up anyway! Good tech requires people of lots of skills to come together--graphic designers, communicators, writers, scientists, and more. We'll be providing lots of resources to help people develop great projects.