Wikimedia Hackathon 2026
The Wikimedia Hackathon is an annual event that brings the global technical community together to connect and have technical discussions, hack on existing projects and explore new ideas for others. Developers from all around the world will work together to enhance and improve the technological infrastructure and software that powers Wikipedia and other Wikimedia projects – particularly the MediaWiki platform on which they are based – and other Wikimedia code development.
The Wikimedia Hackathon is your opportunity to meet the Wikimedia technical community in person, learn about the technologies and projects that power Wikipedia and thousands of other MediaWiki based websites, and propose or join a demo-able project to hack on during the event.
This edition of the Wikimedia Hackathon will focus on bringing together people who already contributed to various technical aspects of the Wikimedia projects, who know how to find their way around our technical ecosystem, and who are able to work, or collaborate, on projects rather autonomously.
Save the date!
- The 2026 Wikimedia Hackathon will take place in person, onsite Milan, Italy at voco - Milan Fiere hotel. The 2026 event is being organized by the Wikimedia Foundation in collaboration with local Wikimedia affiliate, Wikimedia Italia.
Registration:
- General registration is now open! Registration will close on March 30, 2026, or earlier based on event capacity.
- Scholarship and staff sponsorship applications are now closed. Applications were accepted from November 10, 2025 to November 28, 2025.
For those unable to attend in person, we will live-stream the Hackathon opening ceremony and closing showcase. Local and global communities are also welcome and encouraged to organize pre-hackathon events or related meetups.
What is the Hackathon: Information for participants
3 Steps to Prepare for the Wikimedia Hackathon
If you want to be ready for the Wikimedia Hackathon 2026, follow these three steps:
Step 1: Review event information
Wiki-Pages - This is the main page for the 2026 Hackathon.
There are several subpages for your review:
- Program - schedule of sessions and events; learn how to schedule sessions of your own. (Coming soon)
- Participants - a voluntary and editable list of information about attendees, information on different ways to engage at the event.
- Venue - photos and maps of the venue, details about the hotel and city. (Coming soon)
- Travel - general transportation and visa information. (Coming soon)
Phabricator - We use the web-based, software development collaboration tool suite Phabricator during Hackathon events. (Learn more about Phabricator.)
This is the main work-board where you can view potential projects, sessions, skill shares, and other hackathon activities.
- You can add a task to the work-board by going to that task, be sure to add the this year's project tag
Wikimedia-Hackathon-2026by choosing it from the autocompletion offers, add your description of the task and work needed to be done, and finish by clicking the "Submit" button. - Please see the work-board description for templates to propose a new project or to indicate that you are a participant looking for a project.
- Also, feel free to set yourself as the assignee of that task if you 'feel responsible' for that task: Click the "Add Action…" dropdown, choose "Assign / Claim", type your user name, choose it from the autocompletion offers, and click the "Submit" button.
Step 2: Connect and get setup
- Set up your laptop with a development environment you might need:
- Follow the instructions on Hackathon/Laptop setup to find out more about our development environments (e.g.: creating a Phabricator account, Git, Gerrit, and more).
- The
#wmhack/wikimedia-hackathonchat room is bridged across Telegram and IRC so you only need to join one: - Read, ask questions, or add comments on the event talk page.
- Use the hashtag
#wmhackon Mastodon, Twitter/X, and other social media
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Step 3: Meet your fellow attendees
Add yourself to the Participant List.
- Please check the list and add or edit your entry to contain the following:
- your name / username
- your contact details (website, github, twitter, etc.)
- your experience with programming and your interests for the event (e.g.: I have experience with Python, and am interested in working on a project about Wikidata for the weekend).
- Introduce yourself on Telegram or IRC – just say Hi!
- Ask questions on Telegram and IRC
- you can reach out to other participants directly or ask general questions for multiple people to respond to
- You can contact the organizing team via hackathon wikimedia.org (please remove the spaces) with questions or concerns
- Subscribe to any Hackathon related Phabricator tasks that you might be interested in – you can also create your own task!
- Choose a task to work on at the hackathon from the list of projects in our New Developers guide.
Hackathon Team
The organization of the Wikimedia Hackathon 2026 is led by the Wikimedia Foundation's Chief Product & Technology Officer (CPTO) team, in collaboration with local Wikimedia affiliate, Wikimedia Italia (WMIT).
Program and Event Management
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Erin Morris
Wikimedia Foundation staff -
Nikki Maller
Wikimedia Foundation staff
Wikimedia Italia Organizing Committee
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Francesca Pinto
Wikimedia Italia -
Marta Arosio
Wikimedia Italia -
Dario Crespi
Wikimedia Italia -
Chiara Verrone
Wikimedia Italia
Scholarship and Sponsorship Selection Committee
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Daniele Santini
Wikimedia Italia -
Val Paffet-Michel
Wikimedia Foundation Staff -
Amir Sarabadani
Wikimedia Foundation Staff -
Moriel Schottlender
Wikimedia Foundation Staff -
Subbu Sastry
Wikimedia Foundation Staff
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Code of Conduct
- The Wikimedia Hackathon will enforce the Universal Code of Conduct, Code of Conduct for Wikimedia's Technical Spaces, and the Friendly Space Policy across all facets of the event. This includes the various platforms, discussion channels, and local meetups. Your adherence to these guidelines ensures a respectful and inclusive environment for all participants.
- We recommend all participants review these Trust & Safety policies prior to your arrival at the venue.
- Individuals not cooperating with these policies may be asked to leave the event. A dedicated team will be available on-site to help support a safer environment for all.
If you have any questions or suggestions, feel free to use the talk page or to reach out to hackathon
wikimedia.org.
