Do you want to join a hackathon in Germany? Great idea — Germany’s hackathon scene keeps growing fast. If joining a hackathon is on your 2025 resolutions list, here’s a curated list of Germany’s best hackathons in Q4 2025!
How are hackathons organized in Germany?
Besides many company-run/community meetups, the large, publicly accessible hackathons are usually run by universities, non-profits, or industry alliances. Most take place over a weekend (24–48 hours), and some run a hybrid format with an on-site base + remote collaboration between kickoff and finals.
Why join a hackathon in Germany?
Germany is home to leading universities and research hubs (TUM, TU Berlin, RWTH Aachen, KIT, etc.), a strong Mittelstand and enterprise landscape, and a thriving startup ecosystem. Hackathons are a great way to learn new skills in workshops and talks, win prizes, meet industry professionals, and maybe even land your next job.
Here is the list of Germany’s best hackathons in the fourth quarter of 2025. If your hackathon is missing, let us know at community@rockstar.jobs and we will review and add it to this list.
Q4 2025:
October
| Date | City | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 4–5 | Ahlen | NASA Space Apps Challenge — Ahlen 2025 | Local edition of NASA’s global hackathon using open data to solve Earth & space challenges (hybrid with on-site base). |
| Oct 7–9 | Berlin | greenCHEM Hackathon | Interdisciplinary 3-day hack tackling sustainable chemistry & CO2 utilization with industry mentors. |
| Oct 10–12 | Hamburg | European Defense Tech Hackathon — Hamburg | Pan-European defence/dual-use hackathon building prototypes with mentorship and a public demo day. |
| Oct 17–19 | Augsburg (Hybrid) | EUDIS Defence Hackathon (Germany Hub) | EU-wide hybrid 48-hour hackathon on defence & space; German in-person site hosted in Augsburg. |
| Oct 24–26 | Munich | European Defense Tech Hackathon — Munich | 3-day hack co-hosted with local venture labs; dual-use challenges, workshops, mentors, and final pitches. |
October spans space, sustainability, and security: NASA’s Space Apps activates local talent in Ahlen, Berlin’s greenCHEM drives CO2-to-value ideas, while Hamburg, Augsburg, and Munich host large defence/dual-use hackathons with strong mentorship and demo days.
November
| Date | City | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 13–16 | Berlin | European Defense Tech Hackathon — Berlin | Four-day defence tech hack timed with the Berlin security week; dual-use focus, workshops, and final demos. |
| Nov 21–23 | Munich | hackaTUM 2025 | One of Europe’s largest student hackathons by TUM: 3 days, industry challenges, workshops, and prizes. |
| Nov 21–23 | Munich | AEC/O Hackathon 2025 | 48-hour innovation sprint for Architecture, Engineering & Construction — AI/software prototypes for real problems. |
| Nov 25–27 | Cologne | Hackathon @ PMRExpo | 48-hour in-person hack at Europe’s secure-comms expo; teams build next-gen crisis & mission-critical comms solutions. |
November mixes academia and industry. Berlin hosts an international defence tech hack; Munich becomes a double hotspot with hackaTUM (student mega-hack) and AEC/O (built-world innovation). Cologne’s PMRExpo adds a mission-critical comms hack for public safety and utilities.
December
| Date | City | Event | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 1–5 | Walsrode & Hybrid | BioHackathon Germany 2025 | Week-long hybrid bioinformatics hack by de.NBI/ELIXIR-DE; collaborative OSS projects in life-science data & AI. |
| Dec 2–4 | Fulda | E³UDRES² Hackathon (Fulda Hub) | European university alliance hackathon; students co-create regional innovation concepts (Fulda hub focus). |
| Dec 4–6 | Munich | Healthcare Hackathon Bavaria | 2.5-day hackathon uniting IT experts, clinicians and students to prototype digital health solutions; final pitches on Dec 6. |
December leans toward science and social impact: the hybrid BioHackathon Germany advances open bioinformatics tools, the E³UDRES² alliance brings students together in Fulda for regional innovation, and Munich closes the year with a healthcare sprint building practical digital solutions.
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Happy hacking,
Your team from Rockstar Recruiting
