2026 MIT Policy Hackathon Application
This year's hackathon will be held in person at the MIT Campus (Cambridge, MA) from November 20-22, 2026. Please note that while we are unable to cover travel and accommodation costs, food, swag, and cash prizes for winning teams will be provided.

Through this form, we are interested in learning about your skills and motivations for participating. Notice that there are only three short-answer questions, so we do not anticipate this form taking long to complete.

The priority deadline for this application is 11:59 PM EST on October 14, 2026. Applicants will be notified about their status by October 28, 2026.

Note on team formation: Everyone is expected to register for the event individually. If you already have a team you want to work with, every member of the team will need to be accepted. We will send out a follow-up form to accepted participants where you can add your team preferences. If you do not have anyone you want to work with, no worries! We will host a networking session before the event for team formation.

For more information, please check out our website: https://www.mitpolicyhackathon.org/.

Questions? Send us an email at policyhackathon@mit.edu — we're happy to chat!

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Email *
Name *
Preferred Pronouns
Country and/or State of Residence *
If I am accepted and accept my spot to participate in this year's MIT Policy Hackathon, I acknowledge that the event will be in person, that I am personally responsible for my own travel to and housing within proximity of the MIT Campus, and that I must attend for the full weekend. *
Occupation (if student, please specify current level of study: undergraduate sophomore, graduate first year, etc.) *
Affiliation/University *
Field of Work/Academic Major(s) and Minor(s) *
Do you have a current MIT affiliation? *
Areas of Interest *
The Policy Hackathon is structured around a number of challenge areas. Over the course of the weekend, you and your teammates will have the opportunity to dive into one or more of these challenges, working with data from partner organizations to provide actionable policy insights through a policy memo and brief slide presentation. Select all of the challenge areas below that you might be interested in — or feel free to add one that's not listed! (Don't worry, this is just for us to gauge interest — we won't hold you to your choices!)
Required
Primary Background
Please select your level of expertise in the following areas according to the criteria below. Please answer honestly. Remember that this Hackathon is a learning experience, and that you will have the opportunity to form teams with others who have complementary backgrounds!

1 - I have limited/no prior experience in the field.
2 - I am familiar with the field and can complete simple tasks with assistance/guidance or specific instruction.
3 - I have intermediate proficiency in the field, can complete most tasks independently, and solve problems of moderate difficulty.
4 - I have advanced proficiency in the field, can mentor others, and can solve difficult or unexpected problems.
5 - I am a subject matter expert. Others come to me for advice and leadership.
Select: *
1
2
3
4
5
Policy
Data Analytics
Business/Finance
STEM/Engineering
Law
Healthcare
Machine Learning
Economics / Social Science
Humanities
If your Primary Background is not listed above, please describe it here:
Relevant Technical Skills (N/A if not applicable) *
Eg. ArcGIS, Python, R, MATLAB, etc. Don't worry if you aren't familiar with any of these either — if a challenge requires something, we'll help you find teammates who are!
Relevant Policy Skills (N/A if not applicable) *
E.g. Experience with writing policy memos, giving presentations to government stakeholders, etc.
Why do you want to participate in the MIT Policy Hackathon? (100-150 words) *
Describe your experience and skills. (Max 100 words) *
Policy nerd? Data wizard? Designer extraordinaire? Generally curious? Tell us about any experiences or skills you have that you think would help you contribute to the hackathon!
Do you have previous hackathon experience? *
Let us know about any previous experience you've had with hackathons (policy, tech, design, or otherwise). First time hackathon participant? No worries — everyone's welcome!
We are working on developing additional opportunities for you throughout the weekend. Which of these most interest you?
Have any hopes for keynoters? Topics you'd like to hear about? People you'd like to hear from?
Where did you hear about us? *
Required
Anything else?
Let us know if you have any other comments or questions you'd like to share!
A copy of your responses will be emailed to the address you provided.
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