SDG Innovation Hackathon
"Humanity depends on the boundless energy, ideas and contributions of youth everywhere. Today and every day, let’s support and stand with young people in shaping a just and sustainable world, for people and planet."
----Message by UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the International Youth Day
What is SDG Innovation Hackathon
The SDG Innovation Hackathon is a social innovation event centered around youth, focusing on the United Nations' 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
This initiative was launched in collaboration with The GreenLion Global, the largest international operator of volunteer projects, along with Global Youth Philanthropy and Infinite Education (ITCCC). The event also receives expert backing from the Global Professional Bono Network (GPBN), the EPQ China Center, and the Peaceland Foundation.
It motivates secondary school students to put forward creative concepts and solutions aimed at realizing the 2030 SDGs from various viewpoints including commerce, technology, social sciences, and the arts.
By engaging in this program, participants showcase their personal and collaborative skills in action while meeting their societal obligations.
This initiative was launched in collaboration with The GreenLion Global, the largest international operator of volunteer projects, along with Global Youth Philanthropy and Infinite Education (ITCCC). The event also receives expert backing from the Global Professional Bono Network (GPBN), the EPQ China Center, and the Peaceland Foundation.
It motivates secondary school students to put forward creative concepts and solutions aimed at realizing the 2030 SDGs from various viewpoints including commerce, technology, social sciences, and the arts.
By engaging in this program, participants showcase their personal and collaborative skills in action while meeting their societal obligations.
2025
Qualifying Round
Qualifying Round
We are thrilled to announce that sign-ups for the Qualifying Round of the 3rd SDG Innovation Hackathon are now officially open! We warmly invite high school teams from around the globe, who have a strong enthusiasm for technology, business, social good, and the arts and humanities, to showcase their projects by the deadline of May 20, 2025.
Engaging in this competition will enable teams to:
Engaging in this competition will enable teams to:
Certificate
Teams that excel will be recognized with award certificates, while all entrants will be given a certificate of participation.
Bonus
The leading 3 teams will be awarded monetary bonuses: $1,000 for the Outstanding SDG Team, and $500 each for the Best Social Impact Team and the Most Innovative Team.
A Broader Stage for Excellence: From China Finals to ECOSOC Youth Forum
The best-performing teams will be invited to the China Finals, taking place in Beijing in August 2025, and will also be provided with financial support from the International Organizing Committee to aid their involvement. Additionally, they will have the chance to receive an invitation to the Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC) Youth Forum in April 2026.
Sign Up Now
To register, assemble a team of 2-7 individuals from grades 9-12. Click the button to discover more and finalize your team enrollment by April 30, 2025.
Highlights
Young people’s social innovation centered on United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
- Strongly connected to the worldwide challenges outlined in the UN’s 2030 Sustainable Development Goals, highlighting ethical obligations, thorough academic investigation, and creative practical skills.
- Via hands-on project learning, participants enhance their creative thinking, cooperation, communication, and troubleshooting abilities, establishing a robust groundwork for evolving into future agents of change.
- Promotes interdisciplinary inquiry, enabling learners from disciplines like business, technology, or the humanities and social sciences to offer distinct perspectives and inventive solutions informed by their knowledge.
Diverse topics, combining artistic and scientific disciplines, fostering autonomous research skills and practices of analytical reasoning
- Provides a selection of 3 categories: Observation and Discovery, Problem Study, Innovative Solution, with gradually escalating challenges to enhance the blend of theoretical insight and hands-on abilities, accommodating a variety of learning and discovery styles.
- Permits unrestricted choice from 6 Hacks (themes) of sustainable development, guaranteeing that every learner can align their investigation, study, or innovation with their individual passions and educational growth strategies.
| What steps can we, as middle school students representing the future generation, undertake? At present, the emerging youth encounters significant obstacles in their development—spanning issues like climate change and energy shortages, educational deficiencies, and the worldwide COVID-19 crisis—often giving the impression that we are up against a world filled with overwhelming challenges. Nevertheless, the younger generation is not simply resigning to the existing conditions. Rather, they are proactively spearheading efforts to transform their surroundings, evolving into innovators, advocates, and articulating their own forward-thinking stories. Each individual bears the responsibility of attaining objectives and represents the mechanisms that propel sustainable progress ahead. Limitless opportunities call for your vibrant enthusiasm and inventiveness; maybe the answer lies within one of your minor concepts! Currently, there is a chance to engage in discussions about sustainable development alongside fellow thinkers. Fuel innovation, spark insight, merge with imaginative thoughts, nurture original thinking, and showcase the social purpose and duty of the younger generation. |
Join Us
- For PartnersCollaborate with us in creating the future of solutions for sustainable development objectives (SDOs)!
- For StudentsCollaborate with us in pioneering a sustainable future and creating a significant impact through the Sustainable Development Goals!
- For EducatorsYou will guide your learners to engage in and utilize the project-based learning method.
Let's begin the adventure now!
Are you ready to embark on this thrilling journey towards realizing SDGs?
Assemble your perfect team and work together to develop creative solutions to the pressing global challenges we face!
To register, form a group of 2-7 participants from grades 9-12. Hit the button to learn more and complete your team registration by April 30, 2025.
Assemble your perfect team and work together to develop creative solutions to the pressing global challenges we face!
To register, form a group of 2-7 participants from grades 9-12. Hit the button to learn more and complete your team registration by April 30, 2025.
