Craicathon 2026

Competition

→ Submit your slides here
Tracks
01 — Fix It / Deisigh É

Build tools that reduce friction and make Irish easier to use in everyday life.

02 — Create It / Cruthaigh É

Build something joyful and creative that celebrates Irish culture.

03 — Speak It / Labhair É le Gaeilge365

How can we create more opportunities for people in Dublin to speak Irish?

Schedule
10:00 Doors Open Registration desk open. Tae agus caife available. Bingo cards at the door to get people talking.
10:00–10:30 Arrivals & Mingling Icebreaker bingo running. Get your name tag, grab a coffee, find your feet.
10:30 Welcome from Stage Welcome from the Craicathon team. Overview of the day, the tracks, the prizes and the sponsors.
10:40 Team Formation Suggested team size 3–5. Solo attendees will be matched up. Organisers and volunteers circulating to help form balanced teams.
11:00 Ideation & Project Scoping Teams settle on their idea and track. Mentors circulating to help. Good moment to explore craicathon.ie/resources.
11:30 Build Begins Main hacking session starts. Teams building upstairs. Workshops running downstairs in the Vaults.
↳ Workshops — Downstairs in the Vaults, drop-in, 10 mins each
11:30 Lovable & AI coding
12:00 Game design
13:00 How to pitch in 3 minutes
13:00–14:00 Lunch Take a break, refuel, chat to other teams.
14:00–15:30 Main Build Session Longest uninterrupted build block. Mentors available throughout. Deploy early and get feedback from other teams.
15:30 Heats Submission Reminder Reminder announced to the room. Submissions close at 15:45. Start preparing your deck and video demo now.
15:30–15:45 Heats Submission Window Submit via the form: 1 short deck (max 5 slides) + 1 video demo (max 2 min, screen record and talk over it). Hard close at 15:45.
15:45–16:30 Judges Review Submissions Judges review all decks and video demos. Top 5–8 finalists selected.
16:30 Finalists Announced Finalist teams announced to the room. Everyone heads upstairs.
16:45 Grand Final Pitches — Upstairs Finalist teams pitch live on the main stage. 3 minutes each in front of the full judging panel and audience.
17:10 Judges Deliberate
17:20 Prize Ceremony Winners announced on stage. Prizes presented. Sponsor acknowledgements. Thank you to everyone. Group photo.
17:30 End
Prizes
1st
Grand Prize

€1,000 cash prize — overall winner across all tracks.

01
Deisigh É is Fearr

€150 — best project in the Fix It / Deisigh É track.

02
Cruthaigh É is Fearr

€150 — best project in the Create It / Cruthaigh É track.

03
Labhair É is Fearr

€150 — best project in the Speak It / Labhair É track.

Judging
→ Submit your slides here
Judging rubric — 100 marks total
30pts
Irish Language & Culture Gaeilge & Cultúr

How well does the project promote the Irish language, culture, or identity? Is Irish central to the idea, or just added on top?

20pts
Innovation / Originality Nuálaíocht

Is the idea fresh, clever, or memorable? Does it stand out from obvious or generic projects?

20pts
Use of Technology Teicneolaíocht

How well does the project use tech? Does the tech actually improve the idea or solution?

15pts
Execution / Quality of Build Caighdeán an Tógra

How polished, usable, and well put together is the project? Does it work clearly in the demo?

10pts
Impact / Usefulness Tionchar & Úsáideacht

Could this genuinely help people or change behaviour? Could it be used beyond the day itself?

5pts
Pitch / Presentation Cur i Láthair

Was the idea explained clearly and confidently? Was the demo easy to follow?

How to pitch — 3 minutes max
01
Introduction
~15 sec · ~50 words

Say your name, your role, and your idea. One clear sentence — your mission. Keep it human. Think: who are you, and what are you building?

02
The Problem
~30 sec · ~60 words

Hook the audience. Paint the problem with a real, relatable story or vivid comparison. Use a few punchy stats to show scale. Make them feel why this matters.

03
The Demo: Show, Don't Tell
~45 sec · ~80 words

Your most powerful moment. Show the product actually working — a real demo beats a screenshot every time. Lead with the most impressive feature. Don't rush. If it breaks, stay calm and narrate what they would have seen.

04
The Solution
~30 sec · ~50 words

Introduce your product as the answer. Explain the core value prop in plain language — what does a user experience when they use it? Keep it bilingual so everyone in the room understands.

05
Your Team
~20 sec · ~50 words

Why are you the right team? Highlight your unique connection to the problem and any relevant skills. If you've lived the problem, say so — it's your most powerful credential.

06
Closing Statement
~10 sec · ~10 words

End with conviction. Make a bold, emotional case for why this must exist. Leave them remembering your passion, not a data point.