Hack The Future
EN BG

PARTICIPATION

Who can join

Anyone with curiosity, ideas, and the desire to build something real.

Students aged 15–19

From Shumen or anywhere in Bulgaria

Apply alone or with a team

Schools can nominate students

No experience required

APPLICATION

Apply for Hack The Future

Register your interest below.

Applications open: Date to be confirmed

Application type

PARTNERS

Who's behind it

Hack the Future is part of CATALIZATOR, the leadership and governance platform hosted by the Municipality of Shumen.

CATALIZATOR brings together mayors, business leaders and academics to work on the future of cities.

Hack the Future brings the same questions to the people who will live with the answers longest.

That's you.

01

Municipality of Shumen

Host institution

02

Sofia Tech Park

Innovation partner

03

Shumen Institute of Technology

Academic partner

04

Visoko Darvo

Strategic partner

WHY THIS EXISTS

The country you're about to inherit is changing faster than the systems built to run it.

The country you are about to inherit is changing faster than the systems built to run it. Work, climate, technology, your city, your own mental health, the economy — none of it looks the way it did even ten years ago, and none of it is going to slow down.

No one has the full playbook for what comes next. Not your teachers. Not your parents. Not the mayors. Not us.

The honest truth is that the people who will live longest with the decisions being made right now are the ones with the least say in them.

Hack the Future exists to change that.

The work you do in these two days is not symbolic.

Mentors take it seriously.
The jury takes it seriously.
Partners take it seriously.

The strongest ideas become the starting point for real conversations with institutions that can act on them.

SCHEDULE

How the two days work

  1. DAY 3 — June 12

    03

    Award ceremony.

    The strongest teams are recognized in front of the city.

  2. DAY 2 — June 11

    02

    Build and present.

    Your team turns your idea into something real you can show. Mentors stay in the room. By the end of the day, every team presents to the jury.

  3. DAY 1 — June 10

    01

    Form, choose, start.

    Teams form in the morning. You meet your team, pick your theme, and start working. Mentors are in the room throughout the day to push back on weak ideas, sharpen the strong ones, and connect you to information you don't yet have. Workshops in the afternoon on how to build a pitch.

WHY THIS EXISTS

The future is changing faster than the systems built around it.

The people who will live longest with today's decisions usually have the smallest voice in making them.

Young people collaborating with technology in a city setting
Students collaborating around laptops, notes and whiteboards

OUTCOMES

What you get out of it

  • Two days working on something real
  • Your team and mentors from Bulgarian business, technology, and academia in the room with you the whole time
  • Workshops on how to build, pitch, and present an idea
  • Recognition in front of the city if your team's work stands out
  • A certificate of participation for your CV and university applications
  • A network of people you'll keep working with for the next ten years
  • The chance for your idea to actually go somewhere. The strongest work becomes the starting point for real conversations with institutions that can act on it

PILOT EDITION

Four real challenges. One future to build.

Choose one of four questions Bulgaria is already facing. Spend two days building something that could become part of the answer.

01

Future of Work

How does Shumen become a place where young people build their future?

Explore

AI, automation, and new industries are changing what jobs exist and what skills matter. What should the path from school to work actually look like in your region?

Possible ideas

  • Youth career platform
  • New internship model
  • Campaign for local opportunities
  • Tool connecting young people with companies
02

Environment & Crisis Response

How does Bulgaria react faster to fires, floods, and emergencies?

Explore

Climate is hitting harder and faster. Communities need better tools to prepare, respond, and protect each other.

Possible ideas

  • Digital volunteer system
  • Crisis communication plan
  • Early-warning sensor concept
  • Emergency map
  • Public preparedness campaign
03

Mental Health & Youth Wellbeing

How does a city actually take care of young people's mental health?

Explore

Anxiety, isolation, pressure, and burnout are affecting young people more than ever.

Possible ideas

  • Peer-support platform
  • School-based program
  • Anti-stigma campaign
  • Digital wellbeing tool
  • Municipality proposal
04

Local Products & Future Business

How does Bulgaria turn local strengths into future opportunities?

Explore

Bulgaria has strong local products, food traditions, and creative people, but many producers struggle to reach younger consumers and markets.

Possible ideas

  • Digital marketplace
  • Brand campaign
  • Tourism-food experience
  • Packaging concept
  • Platform connecting producers

INTRODUCTION

What this is

Two days. Your team. A real problem. A jury that takes you seriously. A ceremony on the third day when the strongest teams get recognized in front of the city.

You and the other young people in the room pick one of four challenges facing Bulgaria right now. You spend two days working on it together. You build something — a pitch, a prototype, a plan, a campaign — and you present it to a jury made up of people from business, government, and academia.

You do not need to be a programmer. You do not need to already have an idea. You do not need to be top of your class. You need to want to be there.

If you have ever looked at something in your city, your school, or your country and thought “this could be better”, this is where you stop just thinking it.

Shumen June 10–12, 2026 Pilot Edition Future Readiness Days
Future Readiness Challenge

Stop waiting for the future. Start building it.

A two-day challenge for 15–19-year-olds in Shumen. Pick a real problem facing Bulgaria. Build a solution with your team. Present it to people who can actually do something about it.