The Liberal Hack 2026, held in Madrid from 24 to 26 April, brought together young liberals from across Europe to tackle some of the most pressing questions facing European Security and Defence.
Organised by the European Liberal Forum in cooperation with the European Liberal Youth (LYMEC) and Fundación para el Avance de la Libertad, the event was designed to encourage teamwork, creativity, and policy-driven thinking, while giving participants the opportunity to develop practical solutions with a European dimension.
Throughout the hackathon, participants worked on themes including conscription and civic duty, the defence industry, resilience, and the defence of liberal democracy against hybrid threats.
The programme combined expert contributions with interactive workshops and team-based sessions, beginning with welcome remarks from the organisers and thematic input from Yevheniia Kravchuk and Francesco Cappelletti. As the discussions evolved, the organisers adapted the format to reflect participants’ strong interest in hybrid threats, creating two separate groups on that topic instead of the originally planned space security group. This flexibility helped ensure the event remained both relevant and responsive to the priorities of the participants.
A key moment of the programme was the “Pitch your Project” workshop led by Roxana Nicula, which helped participants sharpen their communication and presentation skills before the final showcase. Each group then delivered a two-minute pitch of its proposal to a jury composed of Yevheniia Kravchuk, Francesco Cappelletti, and Roxana Nicula. The winning project came from the group “Defending Liberal Democracy against Hybrid Threats - 2,” reflecting the high quality and originality of the work produced during the event.
Beyond the competition itself, Liberal Hack 2026 also served as a networking platform, allowing participants to exchange ideas and build connections within the wider liberal community.
Participants also had the chance to take part in LibertyCon 2026 and the ELF workshop “Youth in Action: Hackathon on Military Service.” The projects developed during the hackathon will be gathered in a booklet for stakeholders and decision-makers, while the winning team will be invited to Brussels to present its proposal directly to key actors at the European level.
The event was organised by the European Liberal Forum in cooperation with the European Liberal Youth LYMEC. The event received financial support from the European Parliament. The sole liability remains with the organiser. The European Parliament is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained therein.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are, however, those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Commission. Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Liberal Hack and LibertyCon 2026