23 October – 25 October
More than 10,000 developers are preparing to put their coding skills to the test as the 2026 FNB App of the Year Hackathon returns from 23 to 25 October. But this weekend is about more than building impressive apps. It is about asking a bigger question: can technology help solve some of South Africa’s everyday challenges?
Running virtually over three days, the hackathon brings together developers and aspiring tech entrepreneurs to turn ideas into practical digital solutions. From helping young people prepare for employment to giving small businesses better tools to grow, participants will be challenged to create technology that responds to real needs.
For a country where young people face employment barriers, entrepreneurs navigate the realities of running small businesses, and access to essential services remains uneven, the challenge carries a distinctly local significance.
From Coding Skills to Solutions That Matter
The scale of this year’s event is significant, with more than 10,000 developers registered to participate. Yet the real test will not simply be how many people take part or how sophisticated their code becomes. It will be whether their ideas can make a meaningful difference beyond the screen.
Participants will select a problem statement and develop an app designed to address it. That means looking beyond the technology itself and considering the people expected to use it, including their circumstances, resources and everyday challenges.
According to Janis Robson, Business Development Head at FNB, the goal is to move from enthusiasm for digital skills towards solutions that people genuinely find useful.
That distinction matters. An app can look impressive in a presentation, but its value ultimately depends on whether it solves a problem people actually experience.
Six Challenges Reflect South Africa’s Realitie
The 2026 hackathon will focus on six areas where digital innovation could help unlock opportunities and improve everyday life.
These include access to higher education, youth employment and work readiness, youth entrepreneurship and small-business growth, financial inclusion and money confidence, safer communities and gender-based violence response, and climate resilience and essential services.
Each presents a different challenge for developers.
A solution aimed at young jobseekers, for example, needs to consider more than simply connecting people to opportunities. It must respond to the practical barriers that can prevent applicants from accessing or securing work. Similarly, an app designed for small businesses needs to reflect the realities of affordability, accessibility and day-to-day operations.
The same thinking applies to financial confidence, community safety and access to essential services. Technology can create new possibilities, but those possibilities mean little if the people who need them most cannot use them.
The focus on affordability and accessibility makes the challenge especially relevant to South Africa, where digital solutions must work for people with different levels of connectivity, resources and technical experience.
Three Days to Turn Ideas Into Action
From Friday, 23 October, to Sunday, 25 October, participants will move from identifying a problem to developing a digital response.
The compressed timeline puts pressure on teams to make decisions, prioritise features and establish what their intended users need most. It is a test of technical ability, but also of creativity, collaboration and the discipline to focus on what matters.
For aspiring technology entrepreneurs, the experience offers an opportunity to work through the early stages of product development while tackling challenges that extend beyond hypothetical exercises.
The hackathon also connects to the wider FNB App of the Year Awards, where the Best Hackathon Solution category recognises the strongest app developed through participation in the hackathon.
The Real Measure of Innovation
South Africa has no shortage of problems waiting for practical solutions. The opportunity lies in developing ideas that respond to those challenges without losing sight of the people behind them.
With more than 10,000 developers registered, the 2026 FNB App of the Year Hackathon creates a platform for technical talent to engage with issues affecting education, employment, entrepreneurship, financial inclusion and community wellbeing.
The next step is turning that talent into solutions that can work outside the hackathon environment.
Whether an idea emerges as a promising prototype or develops into a useful product, the challenge is a reminder that innovation is not only about what technology can do. It is about who benefits when someone decides to build something better.
Event details: The 2026 FNB App of the Year Hackathon takes place virtually from 23 to 25 October 2026.
For event details, entry information and the full list of problem statements, visit appoftheyear.co.za/hackathon.
