Junction Platform

48 hours. One question. Who moves the center of gravity?

Junction 2026 is Europe's largest hackathon, taking place November 13th to 15th in Helsinki, Finland. For 48 hours, thousands of the most ambitious builders, hackers, designers, and engineers from across Europe and beyond gather under one roof to build, learn, and prove what the next paradigm of technology looks like.

This year's theme is the European Tech Renaissance: a call to question the model we have inherited and to build the one that comes next.

€300 & €100 travel grants applications have been closed for international participants.

The Idea

Every revolution begins with someone unwilling to accept the current model.

When Copernicus moved the Earth from the center of the universe, he did not discover a new star. He refused to accept where everyone had placed the center of gravity. The Renaissance was not an accident of timing. It had a center, and someone had to move it.

Europe is at that moment again. The tools, the talent, and the appetite to build are here. What is missing is the willingness to question where the center sits.

Someone will move the center of gravity. The mover could be you.

Junction 2026 is built around that single provocation. Across one weekend in Helsinki, builders form teams, pick a challenge, and ship something real. No permission required. No legacy to defend. Just 48 hours to question the model and replace it with a better one.

What Junction Is

Junction is a community before it is an event. Founded and grown in Finland, it has become the place where Europe's builders meet the people, problems, and partners that shape their careers. The hackathon is the spark. The network is what lasts.

Junction 2026 brings together:

Builders and hackers from across Europe and around the world, competing on real challenges set by partner companies.
International and Finnish partners bringing live problems, emerging technology, and direct access to the people solving them.
Mentors, judges, and speakers who have built the products and companies that define the current model, and who are here to help break it.
A volunteer crew that runs the event and grows as builders, organizers, and leaders in the process.

The Experience

Build something real. Teams have 48 hours to take an idea from nothing to a working prototype. Challenges span AI, hardware, sustainability, fintech, health, defence, quantum. Tracks are not locked yet. More about them closer to the event.

Join the community. The teams you build with and the people you meet at Junction become collaborators, cofounders, and friends. Many of Europe's most interesting projects started across a table at a hackathon.

Accelerate your career. Junction is where talent gets seen. Partners recruit here. Investors watch here. The work you ship over one weekend can open the door to the next chapter.

Need an invitation letter?

Invitation letters are sent in three batches:

11 October 2026

25 October 2026

1 November 2026

Here’s how it works:

Get accepted to Junction 2026. After acceptance, we’ll send you instructions for submitting the information needed for your invitation letter.

Submit your details. Follow those instructions and check that your information is accurate. Please wait for the instructions before sending your details.

Wait for a scheduled batch. Letters are sent on the dates above, so yours will not arrive immediately after you submit your information.

Already submitted your details? Keep the batch dates in mind while waiting for your letter.

The Details

Event: Junction 2026: The European Tech Renaissance
Format: 48 hour hackathon
Dates: November 13th to 15th, 2026
Location: Hype Arena, Espoo, Helsinki region, Finland
Address: Vanha Jorvaksentie, 02320, Espoo
Access: Direct metro connection from central Helsinki
Who: International and Finnish builders, hackers, designers, and engineers, problem solvers
Team size: 1-4