OpenHack

OpenHack – Tech for Humanity

OpenHack is a part of Engineers Without Borders Sweden. We organise open-source hackathons where developers, engineers, and problem-solvers come together to tackle real-world humanitarian and social challenges.

Background

The world faces complex challenges – from poverty and unemployment to climate change, epidemics, and political instability. Many organisations and individuals are working hard to create solutions, but the growing complexity of these problems calls for new tools, better data, and smarter ways to collaborate.

Technology – especially within IT – offers powerful opportunities to meet these challenges. Just as tech improves our daily lives, it can also help drive progress in areas like healthcare, education, crisis response, and social development.

Open source communities are a great example of how people can work together across borders. Yet, many tech volunteers struggle to find meaningful projects. At the same time, aid organisations and social actors often lack the resources to attract tech talent or define clear project goals.

Our Mission

OpenHack connects tech enthusiasts with real challenges. Our goal is to show developers how they can make a difference – locally and globally – through open-source solutions.

We also support organisations in understanding how tech volunteers can contribute to their work. By creating a platform for collaboration, we bring together people, ideas, and expertise to build practical solutions for a better future.

What We Work On

We focus on areas like:

Disaster management
Information sharing
Education
Social development

All areas align with the values of Engineers Without Borders.
The challenges for each hackathon are submitted by NGOs, government agencies, or individuals. Anyone can suggest a case, and our team is happy to help shape and prepare it.

We select cases based on:

Relevance
Social impact
Technical complexity
Credibility of the case contributor

How Our Hackathons Work

Our hackathons are free for participants and funded through sponsors and partners. When possible, we provide meals and sleeping arrangements.

A typical hackathon lasts 48 hours – from Friday afternoon to Sunday. Participants form teams and work on real-world challenges, guided by mentors, tech coaches, and experts from open-source communities.

Throughout the weekend, teams get feedback and present their ideas. On Sunday, we wrap up with a prize ceremony. A jury made up of sponsors, experts, and organisers evaluates the projects based on creativity, usefulness, and technical quality.

Prizes can include:

Support for further development
Access to tools and platforms
Symbolic gifts
Recognition and exposure in the open-source world

What We've Achieved

Since launching in 2015, OpenHack has hosted four major humanitarian hackathons with over 100 participants each from across Sweden. We've presented more than 25 challenges, and every single one has received at least one proposed solution.

We’ve been honoured to work with amazing people and organisations. The response has been overwhelmingly positive – showing just how needed this kind of platform really is.

In 2016, we were named "Digital Inspirer of the Year" by IDG Sweden.

Most importantly, we’ve had a lot of fun, seen brilliant ideas come to life, and met a community of passionate and inspiring changemakers.