CICON Hack 2025
Submissions close 29 Aug 2025:
Every repaired shoe is one less in the landfill. Join our hackathon to make repair accessible and move sustainability forward.
Who Can Join?
CICON Hack 2025 is open to everyone who wants to make repair better
For University Level and Up
Open to university students, fresh graduates, young professionals, and anyone beyond. No upper age limit.
Team or Solo
Join with up to 3 others (max 4 people total) or come solo, we'll help match you with a team if you're looking for one.
No Experience Required
Come as you are! Whether you code, design, make content, or just bring ideas; we need all kinds of thinkers to build better repair.
Speak & Pitch in English
The event will be run in English, so you'll need to pitch and collaborate using English during the hackathon.
Not sure if you're a fit? Check our FAQ or just reach out, we're here to help!
Challenge Themes
Choose a track and build solutions that push forward CICON's mission and help real communities
Repair Tech for Everyone
Bring circularity to more people by making tools simpler, more inclusive, and easier to access.
Design for cobblers (people who repair shoes) with limited tech, users without smartphones, or communities overlooked by digital solutions. Focus on simplicity, usability, and real-world access.
Strengthening the Repair Ecosystem
Rethink the systems that power shoe repair and make them work better for everyone involved.
Design systems that support cobblers, guide customers, and bring shoe repair into the daily habits of more people.
Spreading the Word
Help the right people find and care about repair without breaking the bank.
Design smart, low-cost ways to reach users who could benefit from repair whether through automation, content, or creative engagement strategies.
Open Track
Have something ambitious that doesn't quite fit the brief?
Pitch it here, we're open to ideas that still align with circularity and CICON's mission, even if they don't match a theme directly. Surprise us!
Hackathon Timeline
Here's how the hackathon unfolds
Registrations
Registration window for all participants. Team formation support available during this period.
Submissions Open
Teams submit their ideas for the hackathon. Perfect time to discuss and finalize the concept.
Review & Shortlisting
Internal review to select the top 10 teams for the live hackathon.
Finalist Announcement
Selected teams announced with preparation materials and mentor assignments.
Mentor Check-in
One-on-one mentor sessions to help finalists refine scope and prepare
Catch-up & Prep Day
Optional catch-up and preparation sessions for finalists with mentors ahead of pitch day.
Pitching & Winner Announcement
Pitching from 16:00 — 19:00 GMT+7 (10:00 — 13:00 BST). End time may change; start time fixed. Winner announcement to follow.
Prizes & Recognition
From 10 teams, 2 winners will be selected
Includes prize money and the opportunity to further develop the idea with CICON through piloting or collaboration.
Includes prize money and the same opportunity to continue developing the idea with CICON through piloting or collaboration.
About CICON
CICON, which stands for Circular Concierge, is a platform for circular repair, helping people fix, not throw. Our mission is to make repair easy, visible, and scalable, starting with shoe repair across the UK.
This hackathon is one part of that effort, a space to explore ideas, tools, and content that could shape how people engage with repair. Whether you're a designer, coder, or storyteller, your work could influence our platform we're already building at CICON.
Registrations are now closed!
Submissions are now closed. Thank you to everyone who submitted! You can still view the submission guidelines for reference.