Alba Iulia to also host NASA Space Apps Challenge for first time

Alba Iulia will host a local edition of the NASA Space Apps Challenge for the first time on November 14-15. Around 100 young people aged between 14 and 35 are expected to take part in the 48-hour hackathon at the Gheorghe Șincai Multicultural Center.

Participants will work in teams and use NASA’s open data to develop solutions to real-world challenges related to Earth and space. This year’s challenges will be announced on September 17.

Each team will receive support from mentors before presenting its project to a jury. The three highest-ranked teams will receive cash prizes and other benefits, while the winners could qualify for the global stage of the competition.

Teams named Global Winners are subsequently invited to visit a NASA center or facility, celebrate their projects, and meet representatives of the US space agency.

“Growing up in Alba Iulia, I felt the absence of programs that show young people how to trust themselves, discover their potential, and put it to use,” said Dare.Gen co-founder Darius Mîndroc, whose organization is coordinating the local event.

The competition will be held under the Alba Iulia Romanian Youth Capital 2026 program.

Bucharest, Cluj-Napoca, Bistrița and Craiova will also host editions of the NASA Space Apps Challenge this year.

(Photo source: press release)