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Climate Hacktion brings students together to build climate solutions ahead of COP31

The EU Delegation is hosting a hackathon for students in Australia, New Zealand and the Pacific Islands to re-imagine climate solutions.

Climate Hack-tion
© European Union, 2026

University and TAFE students from Australia, New Zealand, the Pacific and the EU will take part in Climate Hack-tion, a 60-hour online hackathon challenging teams to build practical solutions to some of the world's biggest climate priorities, ahead of COP31 - the UN's annual climate summit.

The initiative is a first of its kind by the European Union Delegation to Australia under the FPI Facility and is being implemented with counterpart missions in New Zealand and Fiji. With Australia serving as President of Negotiations for COP31, and the Pre-COP Leaders' event hosted in Fiji and Tuvalu from 5–8 October 2026, Climate Hack-tion channels the region's climate momentum into youth-led action.

Climate change is a shared global challenge, and solving it takes everyone. Running from 9am AEST Friday 2 October to 9pm AEDT Sunday 4 October 2026, teams of three to five students will turn one of COP31's five priority areas - electrification, zero waste and methane reduction, resilient cities and buildings, green industrialisation, and climate awareness - into a working prototype or realistic mockup.

Teams will be supported by mentors from academia and industry, and the winners will be announced at a closing ceremony on Monday 12 October, with a total prize pool of over A$10,000.

Get ready to Build for 35.