Hackathons have become a cornerstone of innovation in road safety, serving as collaborative spaces where creative minds unite to tackle pressing mobility challenges. By bringing together students, developers, policymakers, and road safety professionals, these events accelerate the development of practical, data-driven solutions that can save lives on the road.
UNITAR utilizes hackathons as an integral part of its Road Safety Global Training Initiative, fostering multidisciplinary collaboration and empowering participants to co-create digital tools, policy approaches, and awareness campaigns that support the Decade of Action for Road Safety 2021–2030. Through these events, UNITAR engages the next generation of innovators to design solutions that make mobility safer, smarter, and more sustainable for all.
MotoAI Virtual Hackathon (14-15 November)
In this spirit of innovation, UNITAR, in collaboration with York University and CIFAL York, is organizing the MotoAI Virtual Hackathon on 14–15 November 2025. This global, two-day event will bring together participants from across disciplines to enhance the MotoAI application, UNITAR’s AI-powered motorcycle safety platform, by developing new app features, public engagement strategies, and analytical models to strengthen road safety systems.
Winning teams will receive UNITAR certificates, global visibility, training opportunities, and a sponsored trip to the Social Marketing Conference in Spain. The results will be announced on 16 November 2025, during the World Day of Remembrance for Road Traffic Victims, aligning remembrance with action for safer roads.
Registration is open until 8 November 2025. Register here.
Target audience
The MotoAI Virtual Hackathon seeks to engage a diverse group of participants, recognizing the importance of multidisciplinary teams in developing inclusive and impactful solutions. Participants may include:
- Motorcycle users
- University students
- Transport officials, urban safety planners, and road safety advocates
Format, Structure, & Team Formation
The MotoAl Virtual Hackathon will run for 8 hours over a period of 48 hours (2 days) in a fully virtual platform such as Zoom or Teams. A CIFAL York dedicated team will facilitate the Hackathon designed to foster collaboration and promote innovation, the hackathon will bring participants from different countries with high fatality rates amongst motorcycle drivers.
Tracks and Challenges
Participants will indicate their track preference and area of expertise during registration. Teams will be formed accordingly and assigned to one of the following thematic tracks, with a minimum of two teams per track to ensure inter-track competition:
- Track 1: App features, Predictive/Analytic models, & UX Enhancements
Challenge: Propose new MotoAI app features that could improve user experience or reporting functionality. - Track 2: Community Engagement Campaigns
Challenge: Design a scalable communication strategy or campaign plan to promote the app in a specific region, country or demographic. - Track 3: Moto AI in Action
Challenge: How can specific groups, like motorcyclist, policymakers or road safety advocates, use Moto AI to change behaviours, influence decisions or improve safety.
Panel of Judges and Evaluation
A panel of judges (minimum 3 per track), including representatives from UNITAR, CIFAL York, and
domain experts and marketing professionals from partners, will evaluate the submissions. The judging
will be based on the following criteria:
- Innovation: The originality and creativity of the proposed solution.
- Feasibility: The technical and practical viability of the concept.
- Impact on Road Safety: The potential of the solution to improve motorcycle safety.
- Presentation Quality: The clarity and persuasiveness of the team's pitch and concept note.
Deliverables
Each team will be expected to submit the following:
- A short video pitch
- A two-page concept note outlining their idea/prototype
- Preliminary evaluation of the idea (internal assessment)
Preliminary Programme
File