AWAKE | Registration opens for the cross-sectoral hackathon in Culture and Wellbeing (May 2025)

The Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture (NDPC) is thrilled to invite artists, cultural professionals, health experts, entrepreneurs, students, and changemakers to participate in our upcoming innovation sprint in culture and wellbeing!

Organized as part of the EU co-funded project AWAKE: Arts & Wellbeing as a Creative Business and Future Livelihood, the hackathon brings together participants from across Europe to explore how arts and wellbeing can intersect to shape new models of creative business.

Participation is free, with limited spots available. Deadline to register: 14.05.2025.

REGISTER ON THE HACKTRIBE PLATFORM – LINK: https://awakehack.hacktribe.co/

What is this hackathon about?

A hackathon is an intensive, time-bound event where people from different backgrounds come together to collaboratively develop creative solutions, often around a specific theme or challenge. The 48-hour online innovation sprint offers a structured, collaborative space for participants from diverse backgrounds to test ideas, receive expert mentorship, and form new connections across sectors.

This initiative aims to respond to a growing demand for interdisciplinary approaches to care, creativity, and sustainable livelihood. The hackathon is an opportunity for individuals who feel constrained by traditional sector boundaries to experiment with bold concepts and develop tangible project proposals!

Who is the hackathon for?

Participants can join with an idea, or simply bring curiosity and a willingness to collaborate. The hackathon seeks a wide range of profiles, including:

• Artists, creative professionals, and cultural entrepreneurs

• Health and wellbeing professionals

• Technology professionals with an interest in arts entrepreneurship

• Early-stage startups and businesses interested in cross-sectoral innovation

• Social entrepreneurs and changemakers

• Students and early-career researchers in the field of arts, health, and business

Additionally, the event will involve European innovation hubs and incubators as well as policymakers and funding bodies in the cultural and health sectors. By participating, you will gain the opportunity to network with a vast number of professionals in this field on a European scale.

Do I need a pre-existing team?

No, you are very welcome to join the event as an individual. During the Team Formation Workshop, you will be connected with participants who share your interests, and you will be able to join a multidisciplinary, international team!

Why join?

Participants will:

• Learn to structure and test new business ideas

• Collaborate in an international and interdisciplinary environment

• Gain access to mentorship from European experts

• Connect with like-minded peers across arts, health, and entrepreneurship

• Present final ideas to a jury and compete for prizes

Whether you are a creative professional seeking new tools, a health worker open to change, or a student exploring cross-sector potential, this event offers a unique space to experiment, test, learn, and connect across borders!

Timeline

In the lead-up to the event, participants are invited to join preparatory sessions:

• 15 May / Workshop 1: Ideation & Prototyping (17:00 CET)

• 20 May / Workshop 2: Team Formation (17:00 CET)

• 22 May / Deadline for team registration (23:59 CET)

Hackathon (26–28 May 2025)

• 26 May / Opening session (18:00 CET), hacking begins

• 27 May / Pitch training, mentorship, and check-ins

• 28 May / Final submissions, demos, and awards

All sessions are held online. Participants are expected to attend three checkpoints across the event.

How to join?

Registration is now open via this form: link
The hackathon will be promoted in the upcoming weeks on the official NDPC channels: follow us!

Having more questions?

Put a pin on your calendar and join us for a live info session on our NDPC Youtube channel on May 13th, 13:00 & 18:00 CET!

Link to 13:00 CET session: https://youtube.com/live/qYwk7VYgYhE?feature=share

Link to 18:00 CET session: https://youtube.com/live/84MwjhVV2Z4?feature=share

Funding and participant commitment  

The project is co-funded by the Creative Europe program.

The program is free for the participants.

Even though the participating teams will have the possibility to organize their working session independently, attendance is expected for the full duration of the event.

About the AWAKE Project

The hackathon is part of the AWAKE project – Arts & Wellbeing as a Creative Business and Future Livelihood. The project explores artistic and cultural practices in the arts & wellbeing sector from an entrepreneurial angle. Running from 2023 to 2025, the project offers training, case studies, and networking opportunities to support sustainable business models at the intersection of arts and health, fostering new livelihoods, skills, and collaborations in this emerging field.

AWAKE encompasses an international consortium of partners across Latvia, Finland, France, and Romania. Led by the Northern Dimension Partnership on Culture, the project is implemented together with Lapinlahden Lähde Oy (Centre for Culture, Arts and Mental Well-being) in Finland, Centrul Cultural Clujean (Cluj Cultural Centre) in Romania, and Pôle Culture & Santé en Nouvelle-Aquitaine (Culture & Health Center) in France.