--- eventsindex_id: "EI-06994" slug: hack-the-worlds title: "Hack the World(s): World Models Hackathon" title_alt: ["Hack the Worlds", "Hack the World(s) VivaTech hackathon"] canonical_url: "https://eventsindex.org/events/hack-the-worlds.html" vertical: "VivaTech Side Events" parent_event: "VivaTech" parent_eventsindex_id: "EI-06388" next_edition_dates: "2026-06-19 to 2026-06-20" next_edition_year: 2026 date_start: 2026-06-19 date_end: 2026-06-20 venue: "Paris School of AI (PSL) and ESIEE Paris" city: "Paris" country: "France" organiser: "PR[AI]RIE AI Cluster, ESIEE Paris, Mines Nancy / ACADI" organiser_url: "https://hacktheworlds.fr/" b2b: false vector: sector: [ia-data, deeptech] audience: [student, developer, ecosystem] format: [hackathon] purpose: [education, competition] geography_scope: [Western-Europe] season: summer meta_description: "Hack the World(s), 19-20 June 2026, Paris. 24-hour World Models hackathon by PR[AI]RIE, ESIEE and Mines Nancy. Patron: Yann LeCun. 100 students, 25 teams." editorial_take: "The student hackathon of the VivaTech week, putting 100 engineers on world models under the patronage of Yann LeCun." generated_by: "manual/research-web" last_verified: "2026-06-08" schema_version: "v6.0" language: "en" --- # Hack the World(s): World Models Hackathon > *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.* --- ## Quick Facts | DATES | VENUE | ORGANISER | ATTENDANCE | |---|---|---|---| | **19 to 20 June 2026** | **Paris School of AI and ESIEE Paris** | **PR[AI]RIE, ESIEE Paris, Mines Nancy** | 100 students | | 24-hour overnight format | Paris 5th and Cite Descartes | AI cluster and engineering schools | 25 teams, selection-based | ## Definition 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 2026 edition: 19 to 20 June across two sites 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. ## Where it sits in the VivaTech week 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. ## Who attends Hack the World(s) - Students from French engineering schools and universities - Developers and AI practitioners in training - Researchers mentoring on site - Sponsors and academic partners ## What the format includes - An opening conference on world models at the Paris School of AI - A 24-hour overnight hackathon at ESIEE Paris - Jury defences and a closing prize ceremony ## FAQ · Identity and audience ### What is the link with VivaTech? 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. ### What are world models? 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. ### Who is Hack the World(s) NOT designed for? 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 venue: Paris School of AI and ESIEE Paris 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. ## The organiser: PR[AI]RIE, ESIEE Paris and Mines Nancy 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. --- ## Editorial take *The student hackathon of the VivaTech week, putting 100 engineers on world models under the patronage of Yann LeCun.* ## How to register and what it costs 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. ## FAQ · Access and practicalities ### How do you take part? Apply as a team of four through the event site; selection is competitive and capped at 100 participants. ### When and where does it take place? From 19 to 20 June 2026, with the opening conference at the Paris School of AI and the hackathon at ESIEE Paris. ### What should participants expect? 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. ## Resources | Resource | URL | |---|---| | Official website | https://hacktheworlds.fr/ | | ESIEE Paris | https://www.esiee.fr/ | | Parent event | https://eventsindex.org/events/viva-technology.html | --- **Last verified:** 2026-06-08 **Next review:** 2026-07-08 **Notes:** VivaTech 2026 side event, VivaTech Side Events vertical. Organiser resolved as PR[AI]RIE with ESIEE Paris and Mines Nancy; patron Yann LeCun, high patronage Minister Philippe Baptiste. The format is a 24-hour overnight hackathon spanning 19 to 20 June, correcting an earlier single-day window. Sources: hacktheworlds.fr, esiee.fr, vivatech.com. **Variables:** 26/58 **Concept definition:** applicable / world models