A national challenge for smarter cities

SmartSuli is running a national AI Hackathon in four stages, and it starts with a form.
The focus is smarter cities, but that does not mean only municipal systems, sensors or technology infrastructure.
A smarter city can mean better transport, easier access to public services, improved healthcare, better education, stronger local businesses, more accessible information, better use of language, safer streets, cleaner environments, or simply removing an everyday frustration that should not exist.

Bring a problem worth solving. Use AI to see how far you can take it.

Apply online by 24 September

Tell us your idea: the problem you want to solve, who has it, and why it matters.
Applications are reviewed and shortlisted ideas are invited to pitch in person.
 

Pitch Day

Shortlisted applicants present their idea to our mentors and supervisors and answer questions on it.
This is not a performance test. We are listening for whether the problem is real, whether it matters, and whether there is something meaningful that could be built.
Selected teams move to the build stage.

Build Days

Two full days to turn the idea into something real.
Mentors are on the floor throughout: helping you cut the idea down to what can actually be built in the time, choosing the right tools, unblocking you when you’re stuck, and pushing you to test with real people rather than guessing.
AI tools have changed what a small team can build in two days. Putting that capability in your hands, and seeing what you do with it, is the point of this event.

Demo Day

You show what you built and answer questions on it.
Judging is based on what works, the problem it addresses, and what you learned — not on presentation polish.
The top three teams win prizes.

There are no industry tracks.

Bring a problem from anywhere: your city, your workplace, your university, your community, or your own experience.
The only requirements are a problem you can describe clearly to a stranger and something working by Demo Day.
Not everything has to be software. If the strongest version of your idea is a service, a process or a physical product, build that.

Open to students, recent graduates and young professionals from across Iraq.
Apply as a team, or apply alone and form one at Pitch Day.

Places are limited at every stage.