The themes selected for the hackathon are sustainability issues of profound importance to Hong Kong and its future development.
- Each team can only compete in one of four thematic tracks.
- You will be asked to select your thematic track when you register your team. However, you may change this any time before submission of your pitch decks on 18 Oct 2026.
- Please carefully research and identify a specific problem and pain point before confirming your team’s thematic track.
1. Green Transport & Smart Mobility
Reimagine how people and goods move across Hong Kong and the Greater Bay Area: cleaner, smarter, more accessible. From low-carbon transport to the emerging low-altitude economy of drones, plan routes, predict demand, and design tomorrow’s infrastructure.
Includes, but not limited to
- AI-optimised public transport routing and demand forecasting
- Drone-based delivery and low-altitude corridor planning
- Green logistics and last-mile delivery efficiency
- Predictive maintenance for transport infrastructure
- Accessible mobility tools for elderly and disabled commuters
- EV charging network planning and energy management
- Digital twins for traffic and congestion simulation
Resources
2. Sustainable Northern Metropolis
Help shape Hong Kong’s most ambitious development frontier, from housing and cross-border livelihoods to blue-green ecology and the operations that keep a new city liveable.
Includes, but not limited to:
- Affordable and inclusive housing design and allocation
- Blue-green corridors and biodiversity-friendly planning
- Cross-border innovation, jobs, and livelihoods with the GBA
- Smart operations for utilities, waste, and public services
- Community-making tools for new-town residents
- Land-use and development scenario planning
- Balancing conservation with urban growth
Resources
3. Smart Living, Culture & Belonging
Focus on the everyday lives of Hong Kong people: their health, homes, happiness, and identity in a dense, fast-changing city. Make daily living healthier and more connected, while keeping alive the culture, heritage, and stories that make communities feel like home.
Includes, but not limited to:
- Mental health and emotional wellbeing support
- Ageing-in-place and elderly care technologies
- Preserving and reviving local heritage, dialects, and traditions
- Accessible services for people with disabilities
- Loneliness, social connection, and community belonging
- New tools for cultural expression and creative practice
- Smart home and safety solutions for small-space living
- Intergenerational and cross-cultural connection tools
- Navigating public services and healthcare systems
Resources
4. Future Work & Enterprises
Explore how work, learning, and business are being rewritten by AI. Build tools that help workers, students, and small enterprises thrive in an AI age, fairly and inclusively.
Includes, but not limited to:
- Reskilling and lifelong-learning platforms for displaced workers
- AI-assisted operations for small and micro-enterprises
- Fair and transparent hiring and gig-work tools
- Support for freelancers and the creative economy
- Workplace inclusion for underrepresented groups
- Entrepreneurship and startup enablement for youth
- Knowledge access for resource-limited organisations
Resources