And the Democracy Hackathon winner is!
Strasbourg, Friday, 19 June 2026 — The energy at the Palais de l’Europe was pure electric. Doors opened at 8:00 AM sharp, and teams flooded in, fueled by caffeine and pure adrenaline. This was it—the final sprint to polish the Proofs of Concept (PoCs) they’d been building non-stop since Wednesday. Code was flying, slides were being tweaked, and dry runs were happening in every corner. Nerve-wracking? Absolutely. But the hype was real.
While the hackers slammed energy drinks, the Kreativdistrikt and Council of Europe’s crews were briefing the four fierce jury panels—our “Lions”—setting the stage for an epic Lion’s Den battle across four critical challenge tracks:
Challenge 1: Privacy-Preserving Hate Speech Detection (PrivHSD)
- ContextSafe-HSD
- TruthShield
- AVANTAGE DIGITAL
- Non-Observable, Bias-Safe Sensemaking (NoBS)
- ALL FOR ONE 👑
Challenge 2: Coordinated Inauthentic Behaviour (CIB) Identification
- Project VILAG
- Murmur
- The Line
- LUMEN 👑
- Erun
Challenge 3: From Reporting to Response: Addressing Online Hate & Gender-Based Violence
- SafeRoute
- Roma for Democracy
- QUORUM 👑
- Minority Reporters
- Althouse
Challenge 4: Think Out of the Box
- Ctrl+Alt+ Dialogue
- EEO – Center for Equity, Environment and Open Innovation
- BULLE 👑
- Hate No More
- InfoShield
Welcome to the Lion’s Den
The rules of the Den were brutal but fair: a strict 5-minute pitch to demo the PoC, followed by a rapid-fire 2-minute Q&A. The Lions showed some mercy—if a team ran over time, they were allowed to finish their slides, sacrificing their Q&A buffer.
It was a total battle of talent. From each track, only one squad survived to advance to the ultimate stage:
- All for One
- Lumen
- Quorum
- Bulle
The Dragon’s Den: The Grand Finale
The top four squads stepped into the main arena at the Council of Europe to face the ultimate boss: The Dragons. And this jury panel was absolutely stacked with heavyweight tech, policy, and human rights leaders:
- Alain Berset – Secretary General of the Council of Europe
- Ayisha Piotti – Global Expert & Strategic AI Governance Advisor
- Maya Lahav – Cybercriminologist, Oxford University
- Lisa Yasko – Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Ukraine Delegation
- Rares Voicu – European Youth Forum
Ayisha Piotti
Global Expert & Strategic AI Governance Advisor
Maya Lahav
Cybercriminologist, Oxford University
Alain Berset
Secretary General of the Council of Europe
Lisa Yasko
Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Ukraine Delegation
Rares Voicu
European Youth Forum
The Protocol
Each finalist had 5 minutes to pitch on stage in front of the Dragons and a live international audience, followed by a 3-minute grill session. The Dragons didn’t hold back, evaluating the projects strictly on:
- Problem Understanding
- Human Rights-Centered Innovation
- Execution and Feasibility
- Impact and Alignment
The atmosphere was intense. High stakes, high pressure, but flawless execution. The pitches were professional, the tech was robust, and the air was buzzing. The Dragons fired scorching questions that pushed the teams to their absolute limits, but every single hacker stood tall against online hate and disinformation.
And the Winner Is…
The Dragons retreated to their cave to deliberate. The schedule called for a quick decision, but the sheer quality of the builds forced a 20-minute deadlock. The support crew confirmed the tension: the builds were just too good, and the margin between victory and defeat was razor-thin.
Finally, Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset stepped up to the mic, flanked by the Dragons:
“The Winner of the second edition of the 2026 Democracy Hackathon is…”
🎉 QUORUM! 🎉
The room absolutely exploded. Shouts, cheers, and massive smiles as Team Quorum rushed the stage! But honestly? Every single finalist crushed it.
The team Quorum is represented by a team representing by residents of the United Kingdom, but all of them are Turkish Nationals:
Gencer Sarp Mert
Akif Yahya Dirican
Dora Evirgen
Lara Yanc
The Development Prize
Here is how the development prize pool shook out:
1st Place Grand Winner recived €15,000 development grant from the Council of Europe and $20,000 in “Azure” grant from Microsoft.
All the other Finalists receive $10,000 in “Azure” grant from Microsoft.
Thank you all once again for your remarkable commitment, hard work, and collaborative spirit throughout this process.
We extend our deepest gratitude to every participant, mentor, and organiser who dedicated their time and expertise to making this event a success.
See you next year, and remember: Hack the hate, and Renew Democracy!
Learn more on the New Democratic Pact for Europe website
Get ready for the Hackathon in June!
- Date: 17–19 June 2026
- Location: Palais de l'Europe, Strasbourg, France
- Costs: Travel and accommodation covered for all selected teams
- Eligibility: Open to residents of any of the 46 Council of Europe member states
- Language: English
- A €50,000 Microsoft grant to be shared amongst the winning teams, and post-event mentoring and implementation support will be provided.
Come to the heart of Europe and build the tools that will protect democracy!
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