On June 27 and 28, coders from all Balkan countries will gather at Sofia Tech Park in Sofia to shape Europe's digital future. The Balkan Hackathon is under the official patronage of:
Mariya Gabriel, European Commissioner for Digital Economy and Society Lilyana Pavlova, Minister for the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, and Yordanka Fandakova, Mayor of Sofia.

The event is organized by the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria, Sofia Municipality, the State e-Government Agency, Sofia Development Association and Webit Foundation, and hosted by Sofia Tech Park.

The Balkan Hackathon gathers together the best coders – students, startups, designers, IT enthusiasts and professionals – from all Balkan countries to explore and prototype solutions to the challenges facing Europe's digital future and the digital connectedness of the Balkans. All those interested in improving online government tools, guaranteeing the security and privacy of citizens' data, and making technologies accessible regardless of location, age, gender, and occupation will be competing for considerable cash prizes provided by Mtel, Sofia Municipality, and the Representation of the European Commission in Bulgaria.

The winning team will receive a cash prize of 5000 EUR and an official invitation from Commissioner Mariya Gabriel to participate in Europe Code Week 2018 in Brussels.

The main challenge at the 24-hour hackathon is the digital divide: making sure no European citizens are left behind in the digital age. Just 1 month after the EU-Western Balkans Summit in Sofia and as part of the program of the Bulgarian Presidency of the Council of the EU, teams of coders from the Balkans will present their solutions for a connected Europe.

The working language at the Balkan Hackathon will be English. More details about participation, coding challenges, and agenda are available at the Hackathon webpage: www.balkanhackathon.eu

Registration is open until June 1 2018.

The 2018 Balkan Hackathon: Breaking the digital borders will be made possible with the support of Mtel and the partnership of Upnetix, Dreamix, and Software University.