The Busan Metropolitan Government is recruiting participants for the global data hackathon "DIVE 2026" to invigorate the data industry ecosystem and identify future talent. For the first time, this year's event introduces a collaborative consortium format jointly involving public institutions and private companies, expanding the competition into a hands-on stage for solving real-world industrial problems through data.
The city said it will accept applications for DIVE 2026 from the 1st through the 24th. DIVE is a global data hackathon led by the city, where participants use data analytics and artificial intelligence (AI) to develop ideas for solving social and industrial challenges. Since its inaugural edition in 2024, the competition has steadily grown in scale and technical sophistication, establishing itself as one of Korea's leading data competitions.
Now in its third year, this year's competition is notable for its significantly strengthened ties with industry. Nine consortia of issue-presenting organizations, comprising public institutions and private companies, will provide data that can be applied to actual business operations, and participants will use this data to develop innovative services and applications.
The finals will take place over two days, July 25–26, at BEXCO's Exhibition Hall 2. Within a limited time frame, participants will carry out the entire process from data analysis to service planning and prototype development, competing on their problem-solving capabilities.
The competition consists of theme-based preliminary workshops, team building among participants, intensive hackathon sessions, and expert mentoring programs. Teams advancing to the finals will receive sample data from each issue presenter along with tailored feedback to enhance the quality of their final outputs.
This year's issue-presenting consortia include the city government and Korea Credit Bureau (KCB); Busan Techno Park and Korea Enterprise Data (KODATA); the Korea Housing & Urban Guarantee Corporation (HUG) and IEN (Imcha-in); Busan Urban Corporation and Sundosoft; Busan Infrastructure Corporation and Wheelchair; the Korea Institute of Maritime and Fisheries Technology, the National Maritime Museum and Santa (Didissam); the Korea Institute of Ocean Science and Technology and 3DLabs; Busan Transportation Corporation and Jimcarry; and BNK Financial Group.
The city expects that having local small and medium-sized enterprises serve not merely as sponsors but as co-presenters — engaged in identifying problems, providing data, and offering mentoring — will boost the potential for creating innovative services tied to industry demand.
Applications can be submitted through the website of the Busan Big Data Innovation Center, and the competition is open to university students, working professionals, and the general public from Korea and abroad. Applications must be submitted by teams of two to four people composed of personnel in planning, design, and development, with bonus points awarded to teams including overseas participants or international students.
The city will select 80 teams to advance to the finals through an online preliminary screening. Participants will compete for a total prize pool of 10 million won. Kim Dong-hyun, director general of the city's Future Technology Strategy Bureau, said, "We will accelerate the creation of data-driven innovative services and use this as an opportunity for Busan to leap forward as a key hub city leading the data industry."
