Music Technology Hackathon: Build a Creative App in 2 Days
Date: 16-17th May 2026
Location: Lisbon, Portugal
Get ready for an epic 2-day challenge at our music technology hackathon in beautiful Lisbon!
Open to anyone: coders, product managers, musicians, designers, sound engineers, musicologists, and more. Join the Discord channel to speak with us and find a team.
Join us in Portugal's vibrant capital and collaborate with fellow attendees in groups of 3-4 to build a creative hack from scratch. You can select a challenge from one of our sponsors or build a hack of your own. Each team gets to decide what they want to build.
You will get access to cutting edge technologies allowing you to build tools faster. Experts will be on hand to help you with the technical parts.
Experience the unique creative energy of Lisbon while building innovative music technology solutions. The city's rich cultural heritage and thriving tech scene make it the perfect backdrop for this collaborative event.
Challenges
Algoriddim Challenge
Improve the DJ workflow — challenge curated with Richie Hawtin
What teams can build
MuseHub Challenge
Build a creative music product that could launch on MuseHub
What teams can build
How to Get Started
Audiotool Challenge
Build a creative music product that could launch on Audiotool
What teams can build
How to Get Started
Prizes
Grand Prize
Details about prizes and recognition opportunities will be announced soon. Winners will receive recognition, prizes, and opportunities to showcase their work.
Selection Process
Registration is now open. Use the registration form to answer a few questions, and we'll be in touch to assign you to a team. IMPORTANT: registering doesn't guarantee that we'll offer you a spot; we will prioritise participants working on one of our official challenges.
A jury will evaluate the best hacks at the end of the hackathon.
Each team will have 3 minutes to present their hack to an international jury at the end of the event. Winners will be announced right away. This is the ideal launchpad for new ideas and future startups.
Don't miss out on this exciting opportunity to showcase your skills and passion for music and technology in one of Europe's most inspiring cities!
Jury
We're thrilled to announce that Richie Hawtin, Michele Darling, Romain Pouillon, and Carlos Caires will be joining our jury panel to evaluate the innovative hacks created during the hackathon.
Richie Hawtin is a genuine original whose critical acclaim spans the fine art community to the technological vanguard. British-born and Canadian-raised, he is best known as Plastikman, electronic musician par excellence. The New York Times called him "one of the electronic dance world's intellectual forces," while Daniel Miller, founder of Mute Records, referred to him as "a leader" and "a pioneer."
Michele Darling is the chair of the Electronic Production and Design Department at Berklee College of Music. An accomplished sound designer, composer, recording engineer, and educator, she brings a unique combination of professional experience and passion for electronic music and sound design to our jury panel.
Jean-Baptiste "JB" Thiebaut is CEO of Music Hackspace and Chordline Ventures. He holds a PhD in computer music from Queen Mary University of London and built a career bridging R&D, product, and community in music technology.
Romain Pouillon
Romain Pouillon is a music tech entrepreneur, DJ / Producer, and Chief Strategy Officer at Algoriddim, the company behind djay Pro. Bridging underground club culture with cutting-edge technology, he's spent over a decade working at the intersection of DJ performance, hardware, and software innovation at Native Instruments, Beatport, and Algoriddim djay.
Carlos Caires (b. 1968) is a Portuguese composer whose work spans solo instruments, chamber groups, and orchestras — most of it incorporating electronics. He teaches at the Escola Superior de Música de Lisboa and is the creator of IRIN, a sound micromontage software developed during his doctoral research at the University of Paris 8.
About Lisbon
Lisbon is a city of contrasts, where historic neighborhoods meet cutting-edge innovation. Known for its vibrant music scene, stunning architecture, and world-class tech community, Lisbon provides the perfect environment for creative collaboration.
The city has become a hub for startups and creative technology, making it an ideal location for bringing together music and tech enthusiasts from around the world.
Join us on 16-17th May 2026 to experience Lisbon's unique energy while building the future of music technology.
Sponsors
Special thanks to our sponsors for making this hackathon possible.
About the Organisers
This event is organised by Music Hackspace.