We are excited to announce that our first AI.WOMEN Hackathon will take place on 12–13 September 2026 in Hamburg!
Over two full days, up to 300 women will explore, experiment, and build with AI — supported by female AI mentors, judged by an all-female jury, and celebrated with awards for the standout teams. It is free to attend, open to women aged 18 and over, and welcomes every level of experience, from complete beginners to seasoned engineers. Applications are approval-based, and you can apply on your own or with a team.
AI.WOMEN is an initiative by Petra Vorsteher and AI.GROUP that brings together women working with AI, exploring AI use cases, or taking their very first steps into the field. The community has grown fast — and so has the appetite for more hands-on ways to get involved. The Hackathon is our answer: a space created for women to build with AI tools side by side, learning from and empowering one another.
The essentials at a glance
- Dates: Saturday 12 September – Sunday 13 September 2026
- Times: Saturday 09:00 until roughly 22:00–23:00; Sunday 09:00 until around 21:00
- Location: Hamburg (exact venue shared with approved participants ahead of the event)
- Who it’s for: Women aged 18+, all backgrounds and experience levels
- Participants: Up to 300 women, in teams of up to five
- Cost: Free to attend
- Working language: English
- How to join: Apply via the Luma event; participation is approval-based, with a waitlist once capacity is reached.
Why an AI hackathon built for women?
Most hackathons ask you to prove you’re the best coder or the sharpest pitcher. The AI.WOMEN Hackathon is deliberately different. It’s an open, welcoming space to build something real — whether that’s your first prototype or an ambitious project you finally have the time and room for. Whatever you bring, code or ideas, it counts.
We built this because a great deal of AI is still shaped by a narrow set of voices. AI.WOMEN exists on a simple belief: that AI should be developed and applied by diverse voices, and that we go further when we learn from and support one another. Two uninterrupted days, a room full of women from different fields, and mentors who build with AI themselves is how we turn that belief into something you can actually do with your hands.
Who should register?
What every participant shares is the urge to build with AI and the openness to learn alongside other women. Beyond that, the room is intentionally mixed. Engineers, data scientists, and developers come for two days to push AI tools as far as they’ll go. Designers come because they care how things look and feel. Product thinkers come focused on problems and users. And people from completely non-technical fields come curious about what AI can do in their work.
The same range applies to where you are in your career. Whether you’re still studying or just finished, in your first job or your twentieth year, junior or senior, you’re invited. In fact, we hope for exactly that spread: the more different the backgrounds in the room, the more everyone learns, and the better the things we build together.
What the two days look like
Day 1 — Saturday is about getting started. After a warm welcome, you’ll find your team, get to know the AI tools, and dive into building. There’s food and coffee throughout the day, a moment to pause and recharge, and time to keep going into the evening for those who want to.
Day 2 — Sunday is about bringing it home. You’ll have the morning and early afternoon to finish your project and prepare a short presentation. In the afternoon, the best teams present in front of all participants, the jury reviews the work, and the standout teams are recognized. We close the weekend together over food and conversation.
The full schedule is shared with participants ahead of the event.
What to expect
- Two full days of building, learning, and exchange, in a space created for women
- Teams of up to five — bring your own, or find one before or at the event
- Freedom to prototype without code or go as technical as you like, from a first idea to a project you can present
- Female AI mentors on hand throughout the weekend as sparring partners
- An all-female jury looking at how you use AI, what you built, and how clearly you share it
- Awards celebrating the standout teams
- An invitation for the best teams to AI.SUMMIT, AI.GROUP’s flagship annual AI event
You won't build alone: The AI Mentors
Throughout the weekend, a team of experienced female AI mentors is there for you and your team — as sparring partners. They’re people to pressure-test an idea with, talk through an approach, and surface an AI tool, model, or technique you might not know about. The project stays entirely yours: mentors won’t take it over or build it for you. What they offer is sharp input, a fresh perspective, and someone to think out loud with whenever you want to move an idea forward.
How to participate
Places are approval-based. Once you apply and are approved, your place is confirmed — and when the event fills up, a waitlist opens, with a chance to join if a place becomes free. The event is open to women aged 18 and over, the working language is English, and taking part is free for all participants.
You can apply on your own or with teammates already in mind. Ahead of the event, approved participants can connect, share ideas, and team up in advance. And if you arrive without a team, there’s a dedicated slot at the start of Day 1 to meet others and form one.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to know how to code to join the AI.WOMEN Hackathon?
No. Teams bring together all kinds of skills, and there’s just as much room to contribute through ideas, product thinking, design, storytelling, or coordination as through code. If you’ve never used an AI tool before, mentors and teammates are there to help you find your way.
I have a technical background — will there be enough depth?
Yes. Plenty of participants are engineers, data scientists, and developers, and the format is built for depth as much as for first steps. You’ll have two uninterrupted days, mentors who build with AI themselves, and complete freedom over how far you push your project.
Do I need a team before I apply?
Not at all. Apply on your own or with people already in mind. Approved participants can team up in advance, and there’s a dedicated time slot at the start of Day 1 to meet others and form a team on the spot.
Do I need to attend both days?
Yes. It’s a two-day event, and by registering you commit to both days. Because the hackathon is built around teams, this matters for everyone: teams that lose a member partway through can be left without a key person.
How big are the teams, and how many people will attend?
Teams are up to five people, and we expect up to 300 women to participate over the two days.
Is food provided?
Yes — meals, snacks, and drinks are provided across both days. Once approved, you can share any dietary needs with us.
I’m traveling from another city — can you help with accommodation?
Let us know in your application, and we’ll do our best to help participants traveling in from outside Hamburg find a place to stay.
Is childcare available?
We’re exploring whether we can offer childcare during the event. If you’d be interested, let us know in your application — including which days and how many children — and we’ll factor it into our planning.
How much does the AI.WOMEN Hackathon cost?
Nothing. Taking part is free for all approved participants.
About AI.WOMEN
AI.WOMEN is an initiative by Petra Vorsteher and AI.GROUP that brings together women working with AI, exploring AI use cases, or beginning their journey into the field. Through formats like the AI.WOMEN Circle, the community creates space for meaningful exchange, practical insights, and supportive networking across roles, industries, and levels of experience — making women in AI more visible, connected, and involved in shaping the future of work, business, and society.
Ready to build?
Applications for the AI.WOMEN Hackathon are open now. Apply on your own or with a team, and join up to 300 women in Hamburg on 12–13 September 2026 for two days of building with AI.
Questions? Reach out any time at ai.women.hackathon@ai-group.ai.
AI.WOMEN Hackathon — an AI.WOMEN initiative, powered by AI.GROUP.
