Online hackathon / 05 – 11 Oct
AI Creativity catalyst
Making AI work for Arctic Creativity
Open call for entrepreneurs and small businesses based in the Aurora region to generate ideas with AI in an online hackathon event. Winning team gets to present their project at the Arctic AI Summit (October 20–22, 2026) in Kirkenes, Norway.
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 based in Finland, Norway, and Sweden can apply.
Application deadline is September 27th.
Event details & key dates
05 Oct
18 – 19
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
Wednesday
Ideation phase. You go from several ideas to one direction, then start shaping the idea with your team.
10 Oct
10 – 19
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
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.
01
20-30 participants from the Aurora region (Finland, Sweden and Norway) are formed into 10 teams of 2-3 people each.
02
Teams will work remotely and attend methology 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 for the rest of the teams.
04
The winning team will travel to Kirkenes, Norway to present their project at the Arctic AI Summit in October 20-22, 2026.
Free AI masterclasses
Hungry for more? Sign up for our free live masterclasses or enjoy them later as recordings when it best suits you.
Interviews with AI creators
We interviewed 4 creators who have found ways to leverage AI in their creation process. Take a look on how AI can be used in the creative field, and what problems it can solve for creators.
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.
Tromsø Kommune
The municipality of Tromsø, fostering local leadership, innovation, and sustainable growth in the Arctic.
Reagional Council of Lapland
Supporting regional development, innovation, and cross-border cooperation across Lapland.
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.