DisinfoHack 2.0: the second edition of the 'slow' hackathon to combat disinformation kicks off on March 23
Published Monday 23 February 2026 at 17:07
DisInfoHack 2026 will be officially launched on March 23, when the actual stage of the first and only "slow" research hackathon of its kind will begin, engaging young people in countering disinformation and protecting information integrity through scientific methods.
The format combines training, mentoring, and teamwork on real cases – current narratives in the media and information space that aim to create division in society on important public issues by spreading repetitive manipulative and misleading statements. The topics of the edition are current challenges with a wide resonance in society and a constant presence in political and public discourse. These topics are subject to constant monitoring and analysis within the framework of BROD 2.0, both in the Bulgarian and in the Romanian and Moldovan contexts.
The main target audience of DisInfoHack 2026 is young people and students, but the initiative aims to reach anyone interested in media and information literacy, communications and social sciences, data and technology, design and visual media, as well as civic education and democratic values.
Participation is possible individually (with subsequent distribution into teams by the organizers) or as part of a pre-formed team.
DisInfoHack 2026 is organized within the framework of the CoDE Academy, with the support of the Department of European Studies at the Faculty of Philosophy, the Faculty of Economics, and the Institute for Big Data for a Smart Society (GATE) at Sofia University St. Kliment Ohridski, the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies (IICT) at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the European Software Institute, Aidentrix AD, Kontipso OOD, and Webcentric EOOD. Researchers from the GATE Institute are participating in DisInfoHack 2026 as mentors to two of the teams, a role they are returning to after the first edition of the hackathon.
After nearly 20 years of experience as an international editor in print and online publications, Ruslana Margova, is now part of the Bulgarian-Romanian Observatory for Digital Media, where, in addition to her practical work, she observes and analyzes media processes as a researcher.
I would like to thank the CoDe team for inviting me for the second consecutive year to participate in one of the most meaningful events in Bulgaria in the fight against misinformation at the university level. Helping a group of young people who, through their participation in the hackathon, have already realized the rifts in the media environment and in our society in general, is not a one-way activity, but a dialogue and mutual enrichment. I will be happy to be useful, to challenge them, and I will certainly enrich myself from their perspective because, as familiar as it may sound, they are the hope for a better future.
Iglika Ivanova is a researcher at the GATE Institute focusing on media studies and media literacy, a doctoral student and lecturer at Sofia University, and a member of civil society organizations working in the fields of education, journalism, and digital rights.
I participated in the first edition of DisinfoHack 2025 as a mentor to one of the teams and remain part of the DisinfoHack 2026 team to meet and work with a new team of young people who recognize the necessity and usefulness of the knowledge and experience they will gain through the initiative. In the context of a deepening crisis of trust in the media and institutions, and polarization in our society, to which the manipulation of information and widespread dishonesty contribute, our work is not limited to developing a research project. It includes developing sensitivity, understanding, and a sense of personal responsibility. I consider these aspects to be equally important, and I am sure that I will learn a lot from DisinfoHack 2026 – from the students I will work with, from my fellow mentors, and from the experts we will meet with every week.
Schedule
Call for applications
23.02 – 27.02.2026
Applications review
28.02 – 01.03.2026
Applications are reviewed and evaluated by a jury. Approved participants receive introductory information about the process, criteria, and expected results.
Opening event and launch of the hackathon
23.03.2026 г., 09:30–12:00
Online (closed) event
Presentation of the schedule, teams, mentors, jury, expected results, and working tools.
Finale
27.04.2026
In-person (hybrid, public) event
Presentations of reports, evaluation and announcement of results and winning teams.
DisInfoHack 2026 is a science-based but practically oriented experience that develops knowledge, skills, and attitudes for working in a complex information environment in conditions of crisis of trust. Participants apply established research methods to work on real cases under the guidance of experienced researchers, receiving guidance and feedback from experts, the opportunity to develop a solution/prototype/campaign or media product, and a platform to present their results to a jury and audience.
Partners in the initiative are the Institute of Public Administration, the Artificial Intelligence Bulgaria and Health and Life Sciences Bulgaria clusters, the Trakia Digital Innovation Hub, Annex – Narrative Intelligence and Annotation, and the Truviti platform.
Related initiatives:
Related publications:
At the beginning of 2026: Prebunking narratives in Bulgaria
The GATE Institute hosts a hackathon against disinformation
Strong start for Bulgaria's first innovative initiative to combat disinformation
