Secretary General Alain Berset has announced the winner of the first-ever democracy hackathon, at the end of a flagship event held as part of the New Democratic Pact for Europe.
First prize: ‘The Fact-Checking Foxes’ (Italy)
The top prize (3,000€) was awarded to The Fact-Checking Foxes for their innovative classroom solution that proposes to use game-based pre-bunking to help adolescents develop critical thinking skills by analyzing real-world false claims.
What makes the project stand out?
- Fully integrated into the classroom
- Engaging, game-based learning
- No reliance on AI-generated content
Special mention: ‘Echobreaker’ (Georgia)
Special mention was awarded to ‘Echobreaker’ for their tool designed to break echo chambers by highlighting ideological bias and offering alternative perspectives. Key feature: a personal dashboard that displays ideological diversity scores and suggests content from a range of media viewpoints.
Special mention: ‘Sunflower’ (Italy)
Special mention was awarded to ‘Sunflower’ for their mobile app translating open data into accessible visual insights with context and social features. Key feature: a three-click usability design that simplifies access to open data for all users.
To conclude the event, Secretary General Alain Berset highlighted three takeaways:
- Democracy has always been a form of innovation - the original “hack.” A way to redistribute power, put citizens at the centre, and rethink the rules of the game.
- Disinformation - like democratic backsliding - is not inevitable. A new generation is ready to tackle it head-on.
- This hackathon was not just a competition. It was a spark of hope in a world often clouded by doubt and cynicism. Now it is up to us to turn that spark into momentum.
The hackathon brought together 11 teams from across Europe, innovators, activists, policymakers, creatives, and youth for a full day of dynamic collaboration to counter disinformation and revitalise democracy in the digital age - blending hack sessions, peer mentoring and plenary debates.
It also generated informed contributions to the New Democratic Pact, helping shape Europe’s collective response to disinformation and the future of democracy.
More information: Hackathon website
