The App Inventor Foundation and MIT App Inventor are excited to announce that registration is open for the 2026 Global Appathon! The Global Appathon is a free, virtual hackathon that encourages people of all ages around the world to use MIT App Inventor to build mobile apps for a cause. Winners will be invited to present their projects at the Global Education Summit on July 6-8, 2026.
Note: Due to new visa restrictions by the US government, we will not be able to invite all winners to present in person at MIT. If winners are not able to enter the US, we will ask them to present remotely. Unfortunately, we are not able to pay for participants’ travel or accommodation expenses in 2026.
This year’s competition theme is the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). According to the United Nations, the 17 SDGs are intended “as a universal call to action to end poverty, protect the planet, and ensure that by 2030 all people enjoy peace and prosperity.” The Global Appathon invites you to think of a cause related to one or more of the SDGs, and identify a solution to address that cause.
There are six award categories in the competition this year:
- Junior individual (1 member, <13 years old)
- Junior team (2-5 members, <13 years old)
- Youth individual (1 member, 13-17 years old)
- Youth team (2-5 members, 13-17 years old)
- Adult individual (1 member, 18+ years old)
- All-Ages team (2-5 members, any age)
Below are the key dates for the competition:
- Registration opens: February 17, 2026
- Submissions open: March 2, 2026
- Submissions due: April 15, 2026
- Winners announced: Mid-May 2026
- Global Education Summit: July 6-8, 2026
We look forward to seeing the creative technological solutions you build for this year’s Global Appathon. Visit our website to learn more about the competition and register today.