IBM Call for Code Global Challenge 2025 ($100k Prizes)

This year’s Global Challenge is all new, with more opportunities to participate and win throughout the year. Bring your big tech-for-good ideas and passion, learn generative AI tech, collaborate with a global community of problems solvers, and compete for multiple prizes.

The 2025 IBM Call for Code Global Challenge invites developers, students, and problem-solvers worldwide to harness the power of generative AI in addressing pressing social and humanitarian issues. This year’s challenge offers multiple opportunities to participate and win throughout the year, with themes aligned to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Participants will build innovative AI solutions using IBM technologies like watsonx.ai, contributing to real-world impact while enhancing their skills.

Eligibility Requirements

The challenge is open to individuals aged 18 or older, or those who have reached the age of majority in their jurisdiction. Participants can form teams of up to five members, bringing together diverse skill sets to create impactful solutions. Each project must be new, unique, and developed exclusively during the respective hackathon.

Benefits of IBM Call for Code Global Challenge

Qualifying Hackathons:

• $5,000 USD per winning team
• One conference pass per team member to IBM TechXchange Conference 2025 in Orlando (travel and lodging not included)

Global Challenge Grand Prizes:

• First Place: $50,000 USD and potential implementation support from the Call for Code ecosystem
• Second Place: $20,000 USD
• Third Place: $5,000 USD
• Top three teams may receive open-source support from The Linux Foundation
• University Grant: $30,000 USD awarded to the top-scoring university team’s institution(s)(Opportunities For Africans, IBM Developer, Opportunities For Africans)

Application Process

Participants can sign up for any of the five qualifying hackathons scheduled throughout the year. Each hackathon focuses on a distinct theme related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals. Teams are encouraged to build fresh generative AI solutions using IBM technologies during these events. Winning projects from each hackathon will advance to the grand prize judging at the end of the year.

For more information and to register, visit the official Call for Code Global Challenge page.

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