[CLOSED]
[List of selected applicants available here, published 22.05.2025]
Join the Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN) in our Civic Space Hackathon in Skopje, June 17-18, 2025, to create solutions addressing threats to civil society in the Western Balkans (disinformation, smear campaigns, and shrinking resources).
Are you ready to turn bold ideas into real-world solutions?
The Balkan Civil Society Development Network (BCSDN) is inviting NGOs and academic institutions from across the Western Balkans to assemble their best team and join our first-ever Civic Space Hackathon: Innovate for Impact!
Together, we will co-create powerful solutions to some of the most urgent threats facing civil society today: disinformation, smear campaigns, and shrinking access to essential resources. This is your chance to bring together your brightest minds — activists, tech experts, legal thinkers, communicators, designers — and design the future of civic resilience.
The Challenge : Let’s Designing the Future of Civic Resilience
Civil society in the Western Balkans is under double pressure:
💬 Smear campaigns and disinformation are eroding public trust.
💶 Restrictive and politicized funding practices are undermining CSO independence.
Undermined trust leads to weakened support. Financial instability makes CSOs more
vulnerable. Lack of transparency allows fake organizations (GONGOs) to dominate the scene.
Who Can Apply?
We are inviting NGOs and academic institutions based in the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia) to form interdisciplinary teams of 4–6 people.
● The lead applicant must be a registered NGO or academic institution from the region.
● Individual applications are not accepted.
● Teams must bring together diverse skills – from activism to tech, design, legal, communications, or research.
● Participants must be committed, collaborative, and ready to work intensively before and during the event.
What’s in It for You?
🥇 €3,500 First Prize
🥈 €2,000 Second Prize
💼 Post-Hackathon Support: Seed funding and possibility of follow-up contracts* for further development (up to €50,000 available)!
💬 Expert Mentorship: Get hands-on support from experienced mentors in tech, communications, advocacy, and digital innovation.
🤝 Connections: Meet regional innovators, civic tech experts, and potential supporters.
📣 Visibility: Your solution will be showcased across the region and beyond through BCSDN’s network and partners.
Plus: travel, accommodation, and local expenses are fully covered for selected teams.
Who: NGOs and academic institutions from the Western Balkans (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, and Serbia).
Download the Open Call here.
Got questions? Reach out to ExecutiveOffice@balkancsd.net
Deadline: May 11, 2025
- Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
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Will the event (hackathon) be in English?
The event will be in English, which means that English will be the working language for all communication and work.
Once the CSO applies with 4-6 team members, will all team members be invited to Skopje?
As stated in the Open Call, all team members will be invited to attend the event in Skopje in person. Travel, accommodation, and local expenses will be fully covered for the selected teams.
The application form gives the impression that ideas will be developed further during the hackathon. Correct?
Exactly. The aim is for them to come prepared with a provisional idea that they would like to develop further to the level of a prototype at the Hackathon with the help and support of experienced mentors.
What criteria will be used to choose the best idea (one CSO asked for this)?
The criteria are in preparation, but will depend on the ideas we get from the applications during the application period. We will develop a system with points based on which the jury will evaluate the ideas. The evaluation criteria will be transparent and shared before and during the event. A jury will follow the developed prototypes’ work and pitches (presentations). They will make the final decisions through evaluation and scoring. We can share several key criteria: applicability, efficiency, impact, potential societal/community change, etc.
Is the jury going to decide on the winner during the hackathon?
Yes. The jury will decide the winners at the end of the hackathon.
Is the financial reward a prize, or will they use these funds to implement their proposed idea?
The financial reward for first and second place is prize money. The potential 50,000 euros is for further developing the idea in practice—one important notion: These 50,000 euros are not grants. The solutions selected for further development will be contracted by BCSDN, which will retain intellectual property rights. This ensures long-term use and impact in building shared civic infrastructure in the region.