Hack for Humanity: Hartford-Micro Hackathon (w/ The AI Collective)
about this event
This fall, The AI Collective is bringing its new global hackathon initiative to Hartford: a fast-paced, six-hour, in-person AI "vibe coding" event where multidisciplinary teams build and pitch practical solutions to problems affecting Connecticut. It builds on Humans in AI Week this summer, where we surfaced real problems facing our local community. Now it's your turn to solve them.
📅 Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | 10 AM–8 PM 📍 UConn School of Business, 100 Constitution Plaza, Hartford, CT
You don't need to be a coder to jump in. We're building teams around superpowers, and yours counts!
Over 13 teams are building solutions across five challenges: Where Help Doesn't Reach — map where social services are most needed to help drive change The Last Mile of Food Access — build a tool that helps get food where it's needed most Student Life Beyond the Classroom — create a searchable database for student resources, entertainment, and more CTData.org, Made Conversational — make CTData.org more accessible through conversational interfaces Open Challenge — bring your own Connecticut civic problem
📋 Full challenge details and hackathon guide: nisreencain.com/s/hack-details
Guest Judges: Sen. James Maroney (CT State Senate) Michelle Riordan-Nold (Executive Director, CTData.org) Russell Goldenbroit (Customer Engineer, Google) Thank you to our guest judges for lending their time and expertise to this year's teams.
Sponsors & Partners: UConn School of Business Major League Hacking (MLH) Google Launch Hartford Thank you to our sponsors and partners for making this day possible.
Presentations start at 5 PM and are open to all, final awards at 7:30 PM. Food and drink, engaging conversation, and incredible company will all be provided!
Important Dates: September 18: Registration closes September 19–20: Team formation September 21: Team assignments sent by email with challenge category, teammates, and preparation materials Week of September 21: Office hours and orientation. Teams connect before the day, get familiar with available tools, and ask questions. September 30: Hackathon day
Awesome swag, food and drink, engaging conversation, and incredible company will all be provided! Ready? Register as a Hackathon Team, Mentor, or Volunteer below. Hackathon Team: Join a multidisciplinary team to build a working solution to a real Connecticut challenge. Already have a team? Bring them, register together.
Other ways to get involved: Mentor: Serve as a domain expert available for team office hours during build time Volunteer: Support the event on the ground: check-in, room logistics, and keeping the day running smoothly
Event Logistics: As always, we'll provide food and drink, engaging conversation, and incredible company! Parking Information
Please be advised: Unfortunately, space is very limited at these community events and we can not always accept everyone we would like to. If you are not accepted to this event, please keep applying! We appreciate your application tremendously and we are looking forward to seeing you at a future event very soon!
The AI Collective is a global non-profit building the human layer for the AI era. We unite 200,000+ leaders, builders, and stakeholders across 100+ forums worldwide to democratize the frontier, build trust, and coordinate how society navigates the rapid acceleration of technological progress.
All attendees and organizers at events affiliated with The AI Collective agree to our privacy policy and are subject to our code of conduct.
tracks
Where Help Doesn't Reach
Map where social services are most needed to help drive change.
The Last Mile of Food Access
Build a tool that helps get food where it's needed most.
Student Life Beyond the Classroom
Create a searchable database for student resources, entertainment, and more.
CTData.org, Made Conversational
Make CTData.org more accessible through conversational interfaces.
Open Challenge
Bring your own Connecticut civic problem.
when
Hackathon Day
Six-hour in-person AI "vibe coding" hackathon: teams build solutions, presentations start at 5 PM (open to all), final awards at 7:30 PM.
◍ UConn School of Business, 100 Constitution Plaza, Hartford, CTRegistration Closes
Registration closes.
◍ OnlineTeam Formation
Team formation over September 19–20.
◍ OnlineTeam Assignments Sent
Team assignments sent by email with challenge category, teammates, and preparation materials.
◍ OnlineOffice Hours & Orientation
Teams connect before the day, get familiar with available tools, and ask questions.
◍ Onlinetickets
| tickets | price | Fee | Status | description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hackathon Team | Free | None | Available | Join a multidisciplinary team to build a working solution to a real Connecticut challenge. Already have a team? Bring them, register together. |
| Mentor | Free | None | Available | Serve as a domain expert available for team office hours during build time. |
| Volunteer | Free | None | Available | Support the event on the ground: check-in, room logistics, and keeping the day running smoothly. |
prizes
| # | PRIZE | price |
|---|---|---|
| Awards | Final awards presented at 7:30 PM | TBA |