If you can build software, or you understand how Nigerian elections work, there is a ₦10 million prize pool open to you until Nov. 12. The AI4Elections hackathon, run by Rise Networks, is looking for working tools that use artificial intelligence (AI) to make elections easier to follow, harder to manipulate and more open to everyone.
The short version
Nigerians aged 18 and over can apply, alone or in a team of up to four, until 11:59 p.m. WAT on Nov. 12. You will need to build a working prototype in about 16 days, and the top prize is ₦4 million.
- The AI4Elections hackathon opened on Oct. 22 and closes on Nov. 12 at 11:59 p.m. WAT.
- The prize pool is ₦10 million: ₦4 million for first place, ₦2.5 million for second, ₦1.5 million for third and four special awards of ₦500,000.
- Ideas, pitch decks and mock-ups do not qualify. Teams must show a working prototype or a believable proof of concept.
- Teams may only use synthetic, public or approved data, and the hackathon bans tools built to sway voters for a party or candidate.
- Winners will be announced at a grand finale on Dec. 16.
Rise Networks, a Lagos-based AI education nonprofit, launched the programme at a press conference in Abuja on Oct. 22. It names the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Google, Microsoft, Meta, the International Centre for Investigative Reporting and NITHUB at the University of Lagos among its partners, with support from the MacArthur Foundation and Luminate. Speaking at the launch, INEC’s director of ICT, Lawrence Bayode, said the commission has set up an AI division and is building a framework for how it uses the technology, according to Voice of Nigeria.
The real shift: conversations about AI and elections in Nigeria usually focus on fake videos and false claims. This programme pays people to build the other side: tools that check claims, explain voting in local languages and help observers report problems.
Who can apply to the AI4Elections hackathon
You must be a Nigerian citizen aged 18 or over. You can enter alone or as a team of up to four, and each team member has to register individually before the deadline. Each person can only be part of one entry, and teams cannot change members once the hackathon starts. If you apply alone, you can join the organisers’ team-matching process.
You do not have to be a programmer. The call is open to students, developers, data scientists, cybersecurity professionals, researchers, lecturers, election observers, civil society workers, lawyers, linguists, designers and accessibility specialists. Women and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply, and the call says prior experience building AI systems is not mandatory. All applications must be in English.
The five problems you can work on
- Trustworthy election information: spotting and responding to AI-made or doctored election content, fake accounts and misleading posts.
- Election data: using AI on approved election data to improve data quality, read public documents and flag unusual figures for a person to review.
- Inclusion and languages: voter information in Nigerian languages and tools for people who face barriers to taking part.
- Cybersecurity: defensive tools and approved simulations that make election technology harder to attack.
- Observation and accountability: tools for observers and citizens to report incidents and give feedback safely.
Teams can also add a climate angle to any track, for example how floods or heat affect people’s ability to vote. It is not a separate track.
What you have to build
This is where many applicants could fall short. Rise Networks says ideas-only entries, pitch decks, wireframes and mock-ups without something that works will not be accepted. Projects that have already won a grant, award or other competition are not eligible either.
A complete entry needs a clear description of the problem and who it is for, a working prototype or believable proof of concept, technical notes, evidence that you tested it with an honest account of its limits, a note on privacy and safety, and a two-minute video showing how it works.
The timeline, and the tight part
- Nov. 12: applications close at 11:59 p.m. WAT.
- Nov. 13 to 16: screening and shortlisting.
- Nov. 18 to 19: onboarding and kickoff.
- Nov. 23 to 27: problem research, idea design, an online technical bootcamp and mentor matching.
- Nov. 28 to Dec. 13: the build sprint, ending with the prototype submission deadline.
- Dec. 15 to 16: demo day and live judging.
- Dec. 16: grand finale and awards.
The upshot: the build sprint is 16 days. If you plan to enter, settle on your problem and your team before Nov. 12, not after you are shortlisted.
What you can win
- First place: ₦4 million.
- Second place: ₦2.5 million.
- Third place: ₦1.5 million.
- Four special awards of ₦500,000 each, for research and policy, electoral and civic inclusion, responsible AI and safety, and cybersecurity.
Selected teams also get access to the online bootcamp, mentoring and Microsoft Azure cloud credits, subject to Microsoft’s terms and limits, and the call mentions laptops and other devices as prizes. Promising teams may be invited into the AI4Elections Development Hub for more support after the hackathon, though that is not guaranteed.
Judges score entries on how well the solution works and how new it is (25 percent), its usefulness for elections (20 percent), privacy, security and responsible AI (20 percent), inclusion and accessibility (15 percent), whether it can grow (15 percent) and the demo and documents (5 percent).
The rules to read before you apply
- No tools for persuading voters to back a party or candidate, no political microtargeting (aiming tailored messages at small groups of voters) and no attempts to manipulate an election.
- Use only synthetic, public or expressly approved data. Testing live election systems, or reaching confidential information, without written permission is banned.
- You keep your intellectual property. The call says joining does not automatically hand your work to Rise Networks, INEC, sponsors or partners.
Two things are not settled yet. The full competition rules, including the exact ownership terms, data protection rules and prize conditions, will be shared with applicants before onboarding, so read them before you accept a place. And neither Rise Networks nor INEC has said whether any winning tool will be used in the 2027 elections.
How to apply
Apply on the AI4Elections application portal before 11:59 p.m. WAT on Nov. 12. Have these ready: your skills or experience, the track you prefer, your team details, and a short explanation of the election problem you want to solve. Questions go to comms@risenetworks.org.
If you want a head start on the first track, our guide to Google’s free SynthID checker shows one way AI-made images are being detected today, and our list of warning signs of AI scams covers the tricks fake content relies on. If you are newer to building, start with our honest guide to learning to code in 2026, and see how election results reach the public in how to monitor results on INEC’s IReV portal.
