Apply for Call for Code Global Challenge 2026 – AI Tech Solutions Against Human Trafficking

Application Deadline: July 9, 2026

About the Challenge

Applications are now open for the 2026 Call for Code Global Challenge. Built on the world’s largest developer mobilization for social good, Call for Code AI now channels that infrastructure toward the defining challenge of this era: building AI that can be trusted at a global scale. Founded in partnership with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights), the platform operates across 190+ countries with direct alignment to the global policy frameworks that govern how technology is adopted, deployed, and scaled. The theme is Call for Code AI: United Against Trafficking. Human trafficking is a multibillion-dollar criminal enterprise affecting millions of people worldwide. Technology, particularly AI, has the potential to both enable trafficking and combat it. This challenge focuses on the latter, developing AI solutions that can help anticipate, disrupt, assist survivors, ensure accountability, and raise awareness.

Challenge Tracks

Participants can submit solutions to one of the following four tracks:

Track 1: Anticipate & Disrupt: Detect, map, or predict trafficking risks before harm occurs. Solutions may focus on identifying vulnerable populations, mapping trafficking networks, or predicting high-risk areas and times.

Track 2: Assist & Amplify: Build survivor-centered AI tools that support recovery, protection, and long-term resilience. Solutions may include tools for survivor support services, resource navigation, mental health support, or reintegration assistance.

Track 3: Accountability & Justice: Strengthen legal processes, evidence gathering, and prosecution pathways. Solutions may focus on evidence collection and analysis, victim-witness support, legal document automation, or prosecutorial tools.

Track 4: Art Against Trafficking: Use AI-assisted storytelling, visualization, or media to move people from awareness to action. Solutions may include data visualizations, interactive media, narrative generation, or awareness campaigns.

Benefits

3 Top Winners: Three strongest projects across all four tracks, picked on overall merit. The top 5 teams (the 3 winners plus 2 more standout teams) advance to our 6-month AI Hub Incubator with dedicated mentors, milestone-based progress, and a pilot deployment pathway with NGO partners. All finalist teams that advance to Panel Judging receive public Finalist Recognition.

6-Month AI Hub Incubator Program: The top 5 teams enter a structured 6-month program with a dedicated curriculum, milestone-based progress, and mentors recruited specifically for your project. The program culminates in a defined pilot deployment pathway with NGO partners and a published case study of your solution.

Official Certificate of Recognition: A formal award credential signed by initiative leadership, suitable for professional portfolios, resumes, LinkedIn, and academic applications.

Internationally Recognized Distinction
Named winner of a global human rights challenge presented in alignment with the United Nations World Day Against Trafficking in Persons.

Global Visibility: Top solutions featured across partner and community platforms, reaching organizations, builders, and advocates in the human rights and AI ecosystem.

Access to a Global Network: Connection to a community of technologists, researchers, and organizations working at the intersection of AI and human rights.

Finalist Recognition: All finalist teams receive public acknowledgment across initiative channels and are included in the post-event impact report.

Why This Challenge Matters

Human trafficking affects an estimated 50 million people worldwide, generating over $150 billion in illegal profits annually. It is a crime that thrives in the shadows, exploiting vulnerabilities in legal, economic, and social systems. Technology has been used to enable trafficking through online recruitment, digital payment systems, and encrypted communications but it can also be a powerful tool to combat it.

The Call for Code Global Challenge mobilizes the world’s developer community to build AI solutions that can:

• Identify trafficking risks before harm occurs
• Support survivors in their recovery and reintegration
• Strengthen legal processes to hold traffickers accountable
• Raise awareness and move people to action

With the partnership of UN Human Rights and alignment with global policy frameworks, winning solutions have the potential to be deployed at scale, making a tangible difference in the fight against human trafficking.

How to Participate

Five steps from idea to impact:

Step 01: Register -Sign up on the hackathon platform. Every team member registers individually.

Step 02: Learn – Review the resources and guidelines. Join the Discord for questions and support.

Step 03: Build – 4 weeks. Any language, framework, or AI platform. No required tech stack.

Step 04: Submit – Submit your project before the deadline. See requirements in the Guidelines.

Step 05: Post-Hackathon – Top teams join the AI Hub Incubator a 6-month mentorship program.

Application Timeline

• May 1, 2026 – Registration Opens. Sign up on the platform.
• June 11, 2026 – Hackathon Launch. Submissions open.
• Mid-June 2026 – Judges Announced. Meet the panel.
• July 9, 2026 (11:59 PM CT) – Submission Deadline.
• July 9 – 18, 2026 – Technical Review. Code, originality & ethics rubric.
• July 18 – 27, 2026 – Panel Judging. Impact, feasibility & survivor-centered design.
• ~ July 27, 2026 – Winners Notified. Privately, ahead of the ceremony.
• July 30, 2026 – Awards Ceremony. Capital Factory + Virtual.

Who Should Apply

• Developers, data scientists, AI engineers, and technologists
• Designers, storytellers, and artists
• Human rights advocates and anti-trafficking experts
• Students, professionals, and teams from any country
• Anyone passionate about using AI for social good

No prior experience with trafficking issues is required, but teams are encouraged to consult with domain experts or incorporate survivor perspectives in their design process.

Judging Criteria

Submissions will be evaluated based on:

• Impact – Potential to meaningfully address human trafficking
• Feasibility – Practicality of implementation and deployment
• Survivor-centered design – Focus on the needs and safety of trafficking survivors
• Technical execution – Quality, originality, and ethical use of AI
• Scalability – Potential to be deployed at scale across contexts

For More Information: Visit the Official Call for Code Global Challenge Page