Forty students representing over twelve universities, both domestic and international, are scheduled to participate in the final of DisInfoHack 2026 at the GATE Institute of St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia on Monday. The event will be inaugurated by caretaker Innovation and Growth Minister Irena Mladenova and caretaker Foreign Minister Nadezhda Neynsky.
DisInfoHack is a specialized hackathon format that merges research methodologies with practical skills for analyzing the digital information environment. The initiative aims to engage young people in improving the reliability and quality of the information space. Following a 2025 edition and a junior event for secondary students that same year, the 2026 final brings together participants from more than ten Bulgarian cities and over twelve universities.
The students are currently analyzing Bulgarian media and the digital landscape to identify disinformation narratives and develop countermeasures. Their work spans six critical areas: elections, conflicts, ecology, migration, patriotism, and crises. At the final, participants will present their findings, winners will be announced, and key recommendations for protecting information integrity in Bulgaria will be outlined.
This initiative is part of the three-year project CoDE – Countering Disinformation Environment in Bulgaria, which focuses on building information resilience through scientific methods. The project is executed by St. Kliment Ohridski University of Sofia through the GATE Institute, collaborating with the European Studies Department of the Faculty of Philosophy and the Faculty of Economics and Business Administration.
Partners include the Institute of Information and Communication Technologies at the Bulgarian Academy of Sciences, the European Software Institute, and technology firms Webcentric, Contipso, and Identrics. The model developed here is also planned for implementation in Poland in May 2026.
Topics: #final #students #universities
