MBABANE—The youth of Eswatini are being urged to join a global call to action by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The organization’s flagship event, the Youth Hackathon 2025, is a chance for young people to tackle the urgent challenges of the digital age, including the rise of misinformation, online hate speech, and the influence of AI.
Following a highly successful 2024 event that saw 202 teams from 68 countries, UNESCO is expecting an even larger turnout this year. Under the theme “Youth Leading the Way: Building MIL Solutions for Impact,” the hackathon invites young individuals aged 18 to 30 to collaborate and innovate.
The hackathon is open to teams of three to six members. Participants will benefit from free online mentoring by international experts to help them develop their ideas. The winning teams will be sponsored by UNESCO to fly to Cartagena, Colombia, to present their projects at the Global MIL Week Conference on October 23-24, 2025.
Teams can choose to focus on a variety of areas, such as creating innovative solutions for AI and Media and Information Literacy (MIL), developing creative educational approaches, or designing interventions that empower communities. Proposals can take many forms, including games, websites, podcasts, or even educational toolkits.
The goal is to generate actionable ideas with real-world impact. To enter, teams must submit a proposal document and a three-minute video pitch showcasing their project. The deadline for all submissions is September 1, 2025.
Interested parties can submit their proposals and find more information at the UNESCO website: https://www.unesco.org/en/weeks/media-information-literacy/youth-hackathon-2025.
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