Do you want to join a hackathon in Switzerland? Great idea, since Swiss hackathons are increasingly gaining popularity and attracting more participants year after year. Check out this curated list of Switzerland's best hackathons in Q4 of 2025!

How are hackathons organized in Switzerland?
Although many small or midsize company-organized hackathons exist, the large, publicly accessible hackathons in Zurich and Switzerland are usually organized by universities, non-profits, or umbrella initiatives like digitalswitzerland. They are typically held over a weekend (48 hours), but some take place across a whole week or feature hybrid participation formats.

Why would I join a hackathon in Switzerland?
Hackathons in Zurich and Switzerland are a vibrant and exciting part of the local tech scene. The country has a long history of research and development in science and technology and is home to several world-class universities and research institutes. Switzerland is also home to many international tech companies, including IBM, Google, Apple, Meta, and Microsoft, which have established research and development centers here. In addition, the country has a thriving startup ecosystem, with many successful tech startups like Scandit, GetYourGuide, SmallPDF, On, Dfinity, and MindMaze, all coming out of Switzerland. No surprise that Switzerland's hackathons also live up to their expectation: you can go there to learn new skills in workshops and talks, win prizes or awards, get new gadgets and swag, make new friends, meet industry professionals — and maybe even land your next job here in beautiful Switzerland.

Here is the list of Switzerland’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

October kicks off the quarter with a variety of hackathons across Switzerland. NASA’s Space Apps Challenge lands in Lucerne for the first time, inviting hackers nationwide to build open-data solutions addressing climate and spaceflight challenges over an intense two-day sprint. On the same weekend, ETH Zurich’s VIScon conference hosts a student-only hackathon, where budding computer scientists team up to create web applications from scratch in 48 hours. Lausanne welcomes HackaHealth, an inclusive makeathon-style event where participants collaborate with people with disabilities to design and prototype assistive tech solutions — a unique chance to build gadgets using tools like 3D printers and laser cutters for social good. Later in the month, Cycling enthusiasts converge in Zurich for the Cycling Hack: a hybrid week-long competition that starts with an in-person kickoff and ends with final pitches a week later, all focused on making cycling safer and more sustainable in Swiss cities. Rounding out October, BaselHack returns as Northwestern Switzerland’s premier hackathon, offering a classic weekend coding marathon at Memox Basel SBB where innovators can bring ideas to life and compete for prizes in a vibrant community atmosphere.

November

November’s hackathon lineup is packed with both niche and large-scale events. Kicking off the month, the Argusa AI Challenge in Lausanne tests data scientists and engineers with a weekend-long analytics challenge – teams work remotely over two days to build an AI-powered solution, then the top seven finalists face off in person at EPFL’s Innovation Park mid-week before a live jury:contentReference[oaicite:0]{index=0}:contentReference[oaicite:1]{index=1}. In Zurich, cybersecurity takes center stage at GOhack25: a unique three-day happening where ethical hackers participate in an overnight bug bounty marathon, alongside a symposium and workshops that bring together everyone from students to CISOs to strengthen real-world digital defenses:contentReference[oaicite:2]{index=2}:contentReference[oaicite:3]{index=3}. Mid-November features two parallel hacks in Zurich – the Starlab Hackathon at Switzerland Innovation Park invites students to devise mission-ready solutions (hinting at aerospace themes) in just 36 hours, while HackaHealth Zurich transforms ETH’s Student Project House into a creative lab for social good, with diverse teams (many women-led) building assistive tech and other life-improving prototypes using cutting-edge tools. Toward the end of the month, Lausanne’s LauzHack 2025 gathers some of the brightest young minds for a high-energy 24-hour hackathon on the EPFL campus; participants will form teams, pull an all-nighter fueled by snacks and creativity, and compete to impress judges and take home prizes at one of Switzerland’s most anticipated student hack events of the year.

December

December is relatively quiet in Switzerland’s hackathon scene. With the holiday season and exam period approaching, few major hackathons are scheduled during this month. Organizers typically use this time to recharge and start planning the next year’s events, while hackers can reflect on the innovative projects of 2025 and gear up for exciting hackathons in early 2026. Stay tuned as Switzerland’s hackathon calendar picks up again after the New Year!

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Happy hacking,
Your team from Rockstar Recruiting