Nepal's Largest All Female Hackathon - Hacking for Youth Employment in Digital Nepal is organized by Shequal Foundation in partnership with UN Women. This Hackathon brings together women innovators from all 7 Provinces of Nepal to tackle youth unemployment through technology.
Nepal has a young, skilled, digitally-connected generation, but the job systems and platforms needed to absorb their talent haven't kept pace, leaving the country with some of the highest youth unemployment in South Asia. This Hackathon is designed with a clear path to real-world adoption, aligning with Nepal's Digital Nepal Framework and SDG 8 and SDG 5.
⌛ Application Deadline: September 30, 2026
🎤 Virtual Semi-Final Pitching: November 02, 2026 (Tentative)
📅 Residential Hackathon: November 22-24, 2026
📍 Mode: Hybrid (Virtual Semi-Finals followed by a 3-Day Residential Hackathon)
👥Team Size: Exactly 3 members (all female with atleast 1 versed in coding)
Nepal has a job market where nobody can find anybody.
Employers say the talent isn't there. The 500,000 young people entering the market every year say the jobs aren't there. Both are right, and they are describing the same failure. Recruitment runs on networks instead of merit. Screening is manual and expensive. Skills cannot be verified. Anyone without a track record never gets the first job that would create one. Live outside Kathmandu and you are not rejected, you are invisible.
Meanwhile 200,000 people leave the country every year, taking their skills, capital and networks with them.
This hackathon challenges women innovators from across Nepal's 7 provinces to build tech solutions that expand employment opportunities for Nepal's youth. Participants choose one of three challenges, each tackling a real, documented gap in Nepal's employment ecosystem. All solutions must build in digital inclusion and safety, accounting for low digital literacy, shared devices, and online safety for women.
Challenge Statements
• Challenge 1: For Freelancers & Gig Workers
Young Nepalis are locked out of global freelance platforms like Upwork and Fiverr, not for lack of skill, but due to payment barriers, no verifiable portfolio, low platform literacy, and online safety risks for women. Build a tool that removes these barriers and connects Nepal's youth to the global digital economy.
• Challenge 2: For Employers
Nepal's hiring system is broken. Recruitment runs on networks, not merit, and first-time jobseekers, rural candidates, and women returning to work are routinely overlooked. Build a tool that makes hiring faster, fairer, and merit-based at scale.
• Challenge 3: For Global Clients, Investors & the Diaspora
Nepal has skilled, ambitious youth but no infrastructure to connect them to global clients or diaspora capital, driving 200,000 people to emigrate each year. Build the platform that bridges Nepali talent with the world and brings opportunity home.
Note: All solutions must build in digital inclusion and safety, accounting for low digital literacy, shared devices, and online safety for women.
Application & Shortlist: Top 20 applications will be selected from the submission forms and provided with mentorship and support.
Virtual Semi-Finals: These 20 teams will participate in a virtual semi-final pitching round.
Residential Finalist Selection: Top 7 teams from the semi-final will advance to the final 3-day residential hackathon.
Grand Pitching: The top 7 teams will present a working MVP prototype of their product on the final day.
Winning Teams: There will be 3 winning teams -> Winner, First Runner up and Second Runner up.
• Gender: All participants must be females or individuals who identify themselves as females.
• Eligibility: Applicants need to be currently enrolled students; undergraduate (Bachelor’s level) candidates are preferred.
• Team Composition: Teams must be a group of exactly 3 members, with at least one member versed in coding.
• Technical Requirements: You can use any coding language you see fit (mobile application, hardware, software, IoT, or a product of any kind). Teams must demonstrate a working MVP prototype at the finals.
• Commitment: Teams selected in the semi-final virtual pitching must commit to 3 full days of the residential hackathon.
