About this opportunity
For twelve years the MIT Energy & Climate Hack has pulled students off worksheets and onto real problems, handing them challenge statements written by energy and climate companies and a weekend to build answers. The 2026 edition runs from Friday 6 November at 4:00 PM to Sunday 8 November 2026 at 7:00 PM EST at the Great Dome on MIT's campus in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and the club is now taking applications from students everywhere.
The shape of the weekend is the appeal. Registration and an opening ceremony with sponsor talks on Friday night, including the reveal of this year's challenge statements, then team formation over dinner for anyone who arrived without a team, because teams of up to four can be built on the spot.
Saturday is hacking all day with sponsor sessions, professor talks and pitch training in the evening. Sunday carries semi-final judging, then one team per challenge pitches the final judges, and the first, second and third place teams are announced at the closing ceremony with prizes.
The club is deliberate about who this is for. Applicants must be over 18, and no coding experience is required because the challenges are written across engineering, data, policy, business and design, with the strongest teams usually mixing skills.
Undergraduate, Master, PhD and MBA students from all backgrounds and majors are encouraged to apply, and past sponsors including Google, Commonwealth Fusion Systems, GE Vernova, McKinsey Sustainability, Crusoe and Schneider Electric set the bar for the calibre of the challenges. Registration is by approval only and the club warns that spots for the 2026 hack are limited, so the move is to file the application early.
Breakfast, lunch and dinner are provided throughout the weekend, and accepted hackers are emailed details on applying for travel reimbursement.
What you receive
- Three days building solutions to real energy and climate challenge statements set by sponsoring companies
- Prizes for the first, second and third place teams announced at the closing ceremony
- Pitch training on Saturday evening plus sponsor sessions and professor talks
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner provided throughout the weekend
- Travel reimbursement application details emailed to accepted hackers
- Team formation on the Friday night if you arrive without a team, and no coding experience required
Who can apply
- Students from around the world aged over 18
- Open across levels of study, undergraduate, Master, PhD and MBA, and across backgrounds and majors
- Teams of up to four people, formed before the event or at the Friday night networking session
- Registration is subject to host approval, and the club states spots for the 2026 hack are limited
How to apply
- Open the event page and complete the registration and application form
- Submit before the printed application deadline of 16 October 2026, early because spots are limited
- Wait for host approval, then plan travel, noting that reimbursement details are emailed to accepted hackers
Selection process
- Registration is by approval only, with the club reviewing applications for the limited spots
Sources and verification
Questions applicants ask
Do I need to know how to code?
No. The challenges are written for many fields and the strongest teams usually mix engineering, data, policy, business and design skills.
Do I need a team before I apply?
No. You can form a team of up to four people at the event during Friday night's networking session.
Can a Nigerian student apply?
Yes. The club welcomes students from around the world who are over 18, with registration subject to host approval, and it emails accepted hackers the details for applying for travel reimbursement.
Important disclaimer
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