Amsterdam Policy Hackathon (2025)
170+ sign-ups, 80+ participants and 18 teams took on 4 policy challenges over 2.5 days.
Visit 2025 editionAmsterdam Policy Hackathon · November 2026Two events. Two weekends. One mission.
The Amsterdam Policy Hackathon is back – this time as two separate events, each tackling a complementary set of challenges facing Amsterdam. No coding required. Just curiosity, a willingness to collaborate, and a weekend to spare.
Event 16–8 NovemberAmsterdam Zuidoost HackathonRegistration closed
Two hackathons in Amsterdam this November
The Amsterdam Policy Hackathon runs as two free, in-person weekend hackathons in November 2026: the Amsterdam Zuidoost Hackathon (6–8 November, TASC High School) and the Amsterdam Circularity Hackathon (20–22 November, CRCL Park). Both are in English and open to students and young professionals. No coding required.
Event 1 · 6–8 November 2026
Amsterdam Zuidoost Hackathon
This edition focuses on a single challenge: how do we make Amsterdam Zuidoost a cleaner neighbourhood? The Municipality of Amsterdam is looking for a real intervention they can develop further with the winning team. If you want to go deep on a local issue and work directly with a city government, this is it.
Registration for this event is closed.
Stay in the loopCo-organised by
Event 2 · 20–22 November 2026
Amsterdam Circularity Hackathon
Four organisations, four challenges, all centred on circularity and sustainability in Amsterdam. Pick the challenge that fits your skills and interests.
Challenges include:
- Designing circular business models
- Helping a volunteer-run food waste foundation become financially sustainable
- Tackling non-sustainable everyday behaviours
Does a startup idea come out of the hackathon? We facilitate conversations with mentors and can connect you to startup support programmes.
Schedule
- Friday 20 NovKick-off at 17:30, hacking starts, networking and team formation
- Saturday 21 NovHacking 9:00–19:00, workshops and Q&A
- Sunday 22 NovPitches to the jury in the afternoon
Organised by
Partners
About
What is the Amsterdam Policy Hackathon?
Over 2.5 days, students and young professionals form multidisciplinary teams to develop real solutions to challenges submitted by the organisations and institutions that own them. Teams pitch to a jury, and the best solutions can get taken further.
You do not need to be a coder, a policy expert, or even know what you want to work on before you arrive. You need to be curious, collaborative, and ready to dedicate a weekend to something that matters.
What do you build?
Whatever the problem needs. Past teams have proposed policy frameworks, designed behaviour change campaigns, built data tools, and developed business models. The only requirement is that your solution is real, specific, and something the partner could actually use.
Our events usually run from Friday afternoon through Sunday evening:
- FridayKick-off, case presentations, team formation, networking
- SaturdayWorkshops relevant to the challenges, working time
- SundayFinal working session, solution pitches to a jury, award ceremony
Previous Editions
From the network
The Amsterdam Policy Hackathon builds on a strong first edition in Amsterdam, and sits alongside sister editions elsewhere in the network, where multidisciplinary teams turn data and evidence into practical policy proposals in a focused 2.5-day format.
Cambridge Policy Hackathon
Ran 14–16 May with 5 cases, centred on turning evidence into real policy impact.
Visit CambridgeThis November
Two events: the Amsterdam Zuidoost Hackathon (6–8 Nov) and the Amsterdam Circularity Hackathon (20–22 Nov).
See the eventsWhat Our Participants Say
Joining this hackathon was both fun and valuable. For me, the best part was experimenting with ideas, meeting new people, and testing skills in a fast-paced setting. (...) As the founder of a health tech consultancy company, I loved seeing how students approach innovation in healthcare and AI.”
Participating in the first Amsterdam Policy Hackathon was an exciting and rewarding experience. Even though I did not rely heavily on my technical skills, I actively used reasoning, creativity, and problem-solving throughout the competition.”
Hear directly from participants, partners, and organizers about their experience and the impact of the Amsterdam Policy Hackathon.
Join us this November
Want to tackle a real Amsterdam challenge with a multidisciplinary team of motivated peers? Registration is open for the Circularity Hackathon and has closed for the Zuidoost Hackathon. Questions first? Read the FAQ or what a policy hackathon is.
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