A 24-hour hackathon on world models during VivaTech 2026, from 19 to 20 June in Paris, co-organised by the AI cluster PR[AI]RIE with ESIEE Paris and Mines Nancy. Patronised by Yann LeCun, it gathers 100 selected students in 25 teams.
Hack the World(s) is a 24-hour hackathon on the theme of world models, held from 19 to 20 June 2026 during VivaTech, co-organised by the AI cluster PR[AI]RIE with the engineering schools ESIEE Paris and Mines Nancy and its ACADI network. World models are a generation of AI that learns to understand and anticipate the real world from images, video and interactions rather than language alone. The hackathon gathers 100 selected students in 25 teams of four.
The programme opens on 19 June, with the morning free to explore VivaTech and an afternoon conference at the Paris School of AI where sponsors present the world models theme, before the 24-hour hackathon launches that evening at ESIEE Paris. On 20 June, teams defend their projects before a jury, with a prize ceremony and closing at ESIEE Paris in the evening. The event is patronised by Yann LeCun, an ESIEE Paris alumnus and Turing laureate, and held under the high patronage of the French Minister of Higher Education, Research and Space, Philippe Baptiste. It is supported by AI Factory France and is an official VivaTech 2026 side event.
The hackathon spans the third and fourth days of VivaTech, bridging the business days and the festival. Its student and overnight format distinguishes it from the week's investor and corporate gatherings.
It is an official VivaTech 2026 side event, running from 19 to 20 June, co-organised by PR[AI]RIE, ESIEE Paris and Mines Nancy. It is patronised by Yann LeCun, who also speaks at VivaTech.
World models are a generation of AI that learns to understand and anticipate the real world from images, video and interactions, an approach Yann LeCun champions toward more autonomous reasoning agents.
It is not designed for: non-students, since participation is reserved for students of French engineering schools and universities; solo entrants, since it is a team format of four; those unable to commit to a 24-hour overnight event; and late applicants, since selection closed before the event.
The opening conference is held at the Paris School of AI in the 5th arrondissement of Paris, and the hackathon and prize ceremony at ESIEE Paris, on the Cite Descartes campus at Noisy-le-Grand, reachable via RER A at Noisy-Champs.
PR[AI]RIE is a French AI research cluster. ESIEE Paris is an engineering school of the CCI Paris Ile-de-France and Universite Gustave Eiffel. Mines Nancy, with its ACADI network, completes the organising trio. The hackathon is supported by AI Factory France.
The student hackathon of the VivaTech week, putting 100 engineers on world models under the patronage of Yann LeCun.
Entry is selection-based and reserved for student teams of four from French engineering schools and universities, capped at 100 participants, with applications submitted through the event site before the event.
Apply as a team of four through the event site; selection is competitive and capped at 100 participants.
From 19 to 20 June 2026, with the opening conference at the Paris School of AI and the hackathon at ESIEE Paris.
An opening conference on world models, a 24-hour overnight build with GPUs and researchers on site, and a jury defence with a prize ceremony.
| Official website | https://hacktheworlds.fr/ |
| ESIEE Paris | https://www.esiee.fr/ |
| Parent event | https://eventsindex.org/events/viva-technology.html |