On April 27, 2026, the final event of DisInfoHack 2026 took place at the GATE Institute at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. The initiative is a research hackathon dedicated to information resilience and countering disinformation. The event brought together 46 students who, over the course of one month, developed and presented analytical projects addressing real-world cases from today’s information environment.
DisInfoHack is being held for the third consecutive year and is part of the activities of the research project CoDE, which focuses on analysing the information environment in Bulgaria and developing sustainable approaches to tackling disinformation. The format of the so-called “slow hackathon” provides opportunities for in-depth team collaboration, mentorship, and the application of scientific methods in the study of communication processes.
In the 2026 edition, seven student teams from Bulgarian and international universities participated, along with a special team of winners from DisInfoHack 2025. During the final event, they presented their projects to a jury composed of representatives from academia and practice. The winning team was “Sixth Sense” from the American University in Bulgaria, mentored by Bozhidar Angelov, a PhD candidate at the Faculty of Philosophy at Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”. They worked on the topic: “Artificial Weapon: trends in the use of artificial intelligence as a tool for creating disinformation in armed conflicts”.
The developed projects covered a wide range of topics related to disinformation and public communication, including the use of patriotic narratives on social media, local cases of media distrust, interpretations of electoral processes, “us vs. them” narratives, and the role of artificial intelligence in the creation and dissemination of misleading content.
The event was attended by representatives of institutions and the academic community, who highlighted the importance of critical thinking, scientific approaches, and inter-institutional cooperation in countering disinformation.
“The age of fast information is complex, and therefore the skills you are developing here are extremely important – they foster critical thinking and narrow the gap between true information and disinformation,” noted Prof. Dr. Georgi Valchev, Rector of Sofia University “St. Kliment Ohridski”.
According to Minister of Foreign Affairs Nadezhda Neynsky, “disinformation is not fought only with technology, but with critical thinking, knowledge, and the courage to ask questions.”
Irina Mladenova, Minister of Innovation and Growth, emphasized the importance of the format as a long-term process that builds responsibility for the content that is created and shared.
The Minister of e-Government, Georgi Sharkov, highlighted the need for coordinated efforts to achieve situational awareness and early warning in disinformation campaigns.
The Director of the GATE Institute, Prof. Sylvia Ilieva, noted that the initiative creates a bridge between theory and practice by engaging participants with real societal challenges.
“We live in a time of constant disinformation – it is not a crisis that passes, but a persistent challenge. DisInfoHack shows how an abstract threat is transformed into work on real societal problems, where collaboration and expertise help build a sustainable model for understanding and countering disinformation,” she added.
The initiative leader, Asst. Prof. Dr. Maria Yurokova, emphasized that DisInfoHack aims to build a sustainable community of young people working on long-term solutions in the field of the information environment.
The Chair of the jury, Prof. Nelly Ognyanova, highlighted information literacy as a key factor in society’s ability to make informed decisions.
The GATE Institute also contributed to the initiative with two mentors from the “Information Environment Analysis” track. Dr. Ruslana Margova mentored the team “The Seven Samurai” from the Naval Academy in Varna on the topic “Landing amidst speculation: how disinformation turned Bulgaria into a participant in the war in Iran”. Iglika Ivanova mentored the team “Fact Flash” on the case “Elections – one year later: is Constitutional Court decision No. 1 of 2025 still relevant?”
The “Information Environment Analysis” unit at the GATE Institute develops and tests tools designed to help citizens and institutions navigate today’s polluted information environment more safely. Its work combines social science research on democracy and propaganda with advanced artificial intelligence systems capable of detecting manipulation, mapping harmful narratives, and supporting fact-checkers, journalists, and citizens in understanding online content. In parallel, the team develops practical media literacy resources and policy recommendations for schools, newsrooms, and public institutions.
DisInfoHack 2026 is part of the CoDE project, which brings together academic institutions, research organizations, and business partners in efforts to strengthen information resilience in Bulgaria.