Are you an entrepreneur or small business in the Interreg Aurora programme area? Join our online AI hackathon to turn ideas into new possibilities. You don’t need to have a team to take part – we’ll bring together 20–30 participants and form teams of 2–3 people during the hackathon.
The winning team will receive a free trip to Kirkenes, Norway, including travel and accommodation, and the opportunity to present their project at the Arctic AI Summit on October 20–22, 2026.
Ready to make something new?
What should AI never be allowed to do in your work?
Who decides what AI is for – and should it be you?
If you could design one rule for how AI works in your field, what would it be?
What does a good human-AI collaboration actually feel like?
Come explore how AI can work for Arctic creativity at the AI Creativity Catalyst incubator. It's an online hackathon event, specially geared towards creative entrepreneurs, freelancers and small businesses. Anyone from the Interreg Aurora programme area in Finland, Sweden and Norway can apply.
Application deadline is September 27th.
Event details & key dates
05 Oct
18 – 19 CET/
19 - 20 EET
Monday
Meet your team and the group. We walk through the process, deliverables and then we will get started with the Research and Inspiration phase.
07 Oct
18 – 19 CET/
19 - 20 EET
Wednesday
Ideation phase. You go from several ideas to one direction, then start shaping the idea with your team.
10 Oct
10 – 18 CET/
11 - 19 EET
Saturday
Prototyping and communication phase. Work through the day with mentors rotating between teams, and break mid-afternoon for a masterclass on how to pitch what you built.
11 Oct
12 – 14 CET/
13 - 15 EET
Sunday
Each team presents to the jury. Project name and team, an optional 60-second concept video, 4 minutes of highlights, 3 minutes of questions and feedback.
How does it work?
01
20–30 participants based in the Interreg Aurora programme area, will be divided into 10 teams of 2–3 people.
02
Teams will work remotely and attend methodology workshops. They will come up with an AI product and design a prototype.
03
By the end of the week, the teams will have a prototype and presentation ready, and will present to a jury and the other teams.
04
The winning team will travel to Kirkenes, Norway to present their project at the Arctic AI Summit on 20-22 October, 2026.
Win a trip to the Arctic AI Summit
The winning team gets a free trip to Kirkenes, Norway, including travel and accommodation, to present their project at the Arctic AI Summit, October 20–22, 2026.
The Arctic AI Summit brings together AI experts, entrepreneurs, researchers and innovators to explore how artificial intelligence can create new opportunities across the Arctic and beyond. Taking your project to the Summit is a chance to showcase your idea to an international audience, connect with AI professionals and other innovators, and be part of the conversation about the future of AI in the Arctic.
Free AI masterclasses
Hungry for more? Sign up for our free live masterclasses or enjoy them later as recordings when it best suits you. All materclasses take place online at 18 – 19 CET/ 19 - 20 EET.
Interviews with AI creators
We interviewed 4 creators who have found ways to leverage AI in their creation process. Take a look at how AI can be used in the creative field, and what problems it can solve for creators.
Please Touch This Art
Winners of a past edition of our AI and Creativity lab.
Interview with: Ramin Udash
They use AI and 3D scanning to turn museum masterpieces into tactile installations for blind and visually impaired visitors. In the interview they walk through their community-led design method, their prototyping process, and how they move between digital tools and physical, inclusive work.
Ecofrontiers
A new case study is live. How do you design with AI while keeping ethics, sustainability, and governance at the centre? The team from speculative design platform Ecofrontiers breaks down their process: using technology for ecological foresight, working through algorithmic bias, and building frameworks for responsible innovation.
Sigurd Lakseide
A new case study is live. What happens when AI stops generating and starts asking questions? Sigurd Lakseide, co-founder of Tromsø-based Sál, works where artificial intelligence meets psychology. He is honest about building a tool for self-insight rather than output, what the technology can and cannot read in a person, and why the work happens in the north.
About us
AI Creative Catalyst is part of Createch North: AI Leap, an Interreg Aurora-funded cross-border project spanning Finland, Sweden, and Norway that brings together partners to build AI expertise, connect a cross-border creative community, and create real business opportunities for MSMEs in the creative sector.
Interreg Aurora
Interreg Aurora is a funding programme in the European Interreg community for cross-border cooperation 2021-2027.
Reagional Council of Lapland
Supporting regional development, innovation, and cross-border cooperation across Lapland.
Troms County Municipality
The regional governing administration of Tromsø county in northern Norway,
The Barents Secretariat
Helping create better communities in Northern Norway through international cooperation with our neighboring countries in the Barents region.
Skellefteå municipality
Skellefteå Municipality is a municipality in Västerbotten County in northern Sweden.
Lapland UAS
The northernmost university of applied sciences in the EU, with deep expertise in Arctic research and applied AI development.
University of Lapland
Finland's northernmost university, contributing academic expertise in art, design, and human-centered approaches to technology.
Business Oulu
A long-established hub for technology and creative industries in northern Finland, with a thriving local MSME ecosystem.
Tvibit
Tromsø's hub for culture and creativity, and home to Kreativ Teknologi — connecting people and ideas across the Arctic.
Sør-Varanger Utvikling
A development company driving entrepreneurship and competence-building rooted in Kirkenes' cross-border community in Norway.
Visual Magic
A specialist school in VFX for games and film, based in northern Europe's fastest-growing gaming cluster.
© 2026 by Garage Stories and Createch North: AI Leap.