Presidential Hackathon

May 8–9, 2026
36 hours

Let’s create solutions together that help learn better, teach better, and organize school life more wisely.

Over 36 hours, students, teachers, developers, designers, and top visionaries work toward a common goal. Come and build a solution that will truly reach school education!

This page has been translated using AI. The hackathon will take place in Estonian.

Register for the hackathon (EST)

Why come?

For teachers and education professionals

give your ideas a meaningful direction and test them in real life

For students and marketers

contribute your experience to shape the future of education

For developers and designers

build something that has a real impact on school education

For entrepreneurs and leaders

find a meaningful challenge with the potential to grow big

We welcome everyone with experience in using, developing, or building businesses with AI.
What matters is not where you come from – but that you want to create a solution that will actually be used.

"The arrival of AI in schools has brought the old problems of education more clearly to light and added new ones. Yet new technology also gives us the opportunity to solve these problems better. I invite enterprising students, teachers, and education innovators from all over Estonia to the Presidential Hackathon to create solutions together for the future of our schools."

Alar Karis

President of Estonia, initiator of the hackathon

Hackathon challenges:

1

Learner and learning

Problem

Learners have access to more information than ever before, but that does not guarantee better learning. Learning materials are static and do not account for the learner’s level or interests, and there is no way to steer one’s own learning path or receive instant, personalized feedback.

Expected outcome

A solution that gives the learner a greater role in shaping their learning path and provides a personalized and engaging learning experience.

2

Teacher and teaching

Problem

On top of a heavy workload, a lot of time is spent preparing lessons, grading, and administration. This fragments attention and reduces time for substantive teaching, while practical AI tools are often missing or difficult to use.

Expected outcome

A solution that helps optimize the teacher’s work, save time, create quality learning content, and supports the use of AI as a natural part of the teacher’s daily work.

3

School environment

Problem

School management and school culture development relies on fragmented information, making data-driven decisions difficult. The different levels of the education system – school, municipality, and state – are not sufficiently connected, which leaves responsibility dispersed and cooperation uneven.

Expected outcome

A solution that provides a better overview of what is happening in school, supports data-driven management decisions, and helps connect various stakeholders into a more unified whole.

IV Special focus on mathematics

Problem: in mathematics, gaps appear quickly and are hard to overcome. Learners fall behind, lose the courage to try and make mistakes. Learning is reduced to finding correct answers, even though understanding, creativity, and the ability to try different approaches are equally important. Teachers lack the time and means to sufficiently support learners at different levels.

Expected outcome: a solution that makes learning mathematics more understandable, engaging, and effective, and supports the learner, the teacher, or the education system as a whole.

The best mathematics-related solutions will receive a special prize from Targa Tuleviku Fond.

Schedule

  1. 09.00
    registration closes, light breakfast
  2. 09.10
    opening remarks
  3. 09.20
    experience story
  4. 10.10
    idea presentations
  5. 11.30
    workshop: value proposition and problem validation
  6. 13.00
    lunch
  7. 14.00
    workshop: ideation (Helen Minarik)
  8. 17.00
    mentor session
  9. 19.00
    dinner
  10. 20.00
    self-directed work continues

Workshops

The hackathon features practical workshops that help you quickly clarify, test, and present your idea. These are not lectures but intensive working sessions where you gain new knowledge and advice from domain experts to take you even further.

I Problem validation and value proposition

Friday, May 8 at 14:00

A good solution starts with a real problem. You will learn to distinguish a real need from an assumption and formulate a value proposition that is impactful and clear to the user.

Juhendab:

Helen Minarik

Helen Minarik

UI/UX designer and international mentor

II Business models and presentation skills

Saturday, May 9 at 11:00

Even the best idea needs a convincing presentation. You will learn how to deliver your message briefly and effectively – to the jury, mentors, and future partners.

Juhendab:

Yrjo Ojasaar

Yrjo Ojasaar

Change Ventures co-founder and investor

Prize fund €20,000

Contributors to the prize fund and organization

The most successful teams will continue refining their solution in the hackathon’s follow-up program with the support of experienced mentors. The best will present their ideas at the international startup competition Latitude59 on May 20–22 to secure further funding and bring their solution to life.

Mentors (list will be updated)

Kai Isand

Kai Isand

Latitude59 program manager & Event Host

Ats Albre

Ats Albre

CEO of Nortal Estonia

Luukas Kristjan Ilves

Luukas Kristjan Ilves

Eesti.ai initiative advisor

Jayna Devani

Jayna Devani

Education for Countries Lead

Shaig Abduragimov

Shaig Abduragimov

Solutions Engineering Lead, EMEA

Carlotta Reviglio

Carlotta Reviglio

AI Success Engineering Lead, EMEA

Organizers of the Hackathon