AlgoTrade Hackathon 206 (Zagreb, Croatia)

Posted with moderator approval

We’re organizing AlgoTrade 2026, a student-focused hackathon centered on algorithmic trading and quantitative finance, hosted in Zagreb this May.

What it is:

A 24-hour hackathon built around a simulated market environment, where participants design and implement trading strategies under time constraints.

The event is preceded by several days of lectures from industry participants.

Event details:

* Educational phase: May 4–7, 2026

* Opening + networking: May 8

* Hackathon: May 9–10 (24h)

* Zagreb, Croatia (Mozaik Event Center)

* ~300 participants

* €10,000 prize pool

Participants:

* Students (18–26) with interest in programming, data science, algorithmic trading, quantitative finance, and related fields.

* You can apply as a team (3–4 members) or individually — in which case we will help you find a team.

Sponsors / partners:

Jane Street, IMC, Citadel, Susquehanna, Jump Trading, HRT, Wintermute, Da Vinci, among others.

Logistics:

* 100 international participants will receive free accommodation (selection based on application strength)

* Mix of ~200 international + ~100 Croatian students (mostly math/CS backgrounds)

Why it might be interesting:

* Non-trivial problem setting with a custom built simulated market

* Direct exposure to firms actually operating in the space

* Decent peer group if you’re looking to meet other students interested in quant/trading

* A chance to test ideas in a constrained, competitive setting

Apply here (deadline April 1):

https://algotrade.xfer.hr/

If you have questions, feel free to ask here or DM.