From August 13 to 14, 2026, the republic-wide Smart City Hackathon 2026 will be held in Kostanay. Participants will be tasked with solving one of two company cases and proposing digital solutions for the development of a "smart city" concept that will help improve the quality of the urban environment, the efficiency of infrastructure, and the standard of living of the region's residents.
The event is organized by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the Kostanay branch of the Autonomous Cluster Fund "Astana Hub" (Qostanai Hub), with the support of the Akimat of the Kostanay Region and the Akimat of the city of Kostanay. The challenge partners for the hackathon are the Municipal State Enterprise "Kostanay Technical and Operational Complex" (KTEK) and iKomek. The hackathon is dedicated to the celebration of the 147th anniversary of the city of Kostanay.
The hackathon aims to support talented youth in IT, engineering, architecture, and urban planning; strengthen collaboration between educational institutions, government bodies, IT companies, and industry partners; and build a talent pool from the top participants.
В первый день хакатона,
On the first day of the hackathon, August 13, participants will be introduced to the challenges, rules, and evaluation criteria. Over the course of two days, teams will develop concepts, build product prototypes, and prepare their pitches with the guidance of experts and mentors. The final Demo Day will take place on August 14.
Projects will be evaluated based on criteria such as relevance to the challenge, quality of technical implementation, originality of the idea, implementation potential, and the quality of the pitch.
The total prize pool of the hackathon is 1,000,000 KZT, with 500,000 KZT awarded to the winning teams of the KTEK and iKomek challenges, respectively. All finalists presenting at the Demo Day will receive certificates of participation. Special nominations and prizes from the organizers and sponsors are also available.
Participation is free and open to everyone, regardless of age, educational background, or profession. To participate, applicants must form a team of 2 to 5 members.
Location:
Kostanay College of Digital Industry, 35 Abay Avenue, Kostanay
Registration: Open until August 10, 2026, via the following link
https://forms.amocrm.ru/rzttvcc The Smart City Hackathon 2026 will be another milestone event for developing startups and IT projects, organized by the ITU and its regional partners in Kostanay. The previous event, AI CHALLENGE 2025, was held in Kostanay and co-organized with M. Dulatov Kostanay Engineering and Economics University and Qostanai Hub, with the support of the Akimat of the Kostanay Region. Participants were tasked with solving one of four industry challenges, resulting in three winning teams.