What's a hackathon?
A hackathon has traditionally been a competition where developers and coders gather on-site somewhere to solve a problem or other challenge. Our hackathon will be a remote competition in two stages. It also won’t require any coding skills in the traditional sense. Teams are invited to provide a demonstration of their idea in action, along with supporting materials.
Is the competition fully remote?
Yes, apart from the announcement of the winners at the GAR Awards in Paris, to which the members of the eight finalist teams will be invited*.
*maximum two places per team. Please note that the awards ceremony is black tie -dark suits permitted as an alternative.
Why organise this Hackathon now?
Artificial intelligence clearly has the potential to transform the practice of law. But within law, international arbitration is something of a self-contained niche – an attractive one, but still a niche.
It’s unlikely that any of the bigger providers will target international arbitration with tailor-made products any time soon.
Therefore, if the international arbitration community is to benefit from the power of AI, good ideas will have to bubble up from within. We believe such efforts are already underway, or are even quite advanced.
To find out, we decided to host this hackathon.
Is there a specific focus or can our solution address any arbitration-related challenges?
You are free to address any aspect of international arbitration – the competition welcomes a broad range of ideas. All innovative ideas that improve arbitration are welcome.
What format should a submission take?
The submission format is set out in the Official Submission Form. This asks for a description of your concept along with a link to a recorded demonstration in time for the end of round one. By the time of the final, however, the judges are hoping to experience a live, on-screen demonstration. Teams are of course welcome to go further and provide a hyperlink to a live prototype, such as a hosted web app, Figma prototype, or GitHub repository. While not required, doing so would likely score higher in the “execution” criteria.
We're a start-up company comprising professionals and students - do we qualify as a "professional team" even if not a law firm?
Unless a team comprises exclusively students, it is a professional team.
What if our team's idea is similar to something another team submit?
It’s possible that teams independently come up with similar concepts, especially if tackling well-known pain points. There is no disqualification for similar ideas; each will be judged on its own merits. In that scenario, the judges will look for distinguishing features and more impactful or better thought-out execution.
What resources can we use? Are we allowed to use existing software, datasets, or published research in our solution?
Yes, teams can leverage existing public resources, open-source software, APIs, and research. There’s no restriction on using third-party tools to build or demonstrate your solution, as long as you have the legal right to use them. Just be transparent about what you’re using.
For example, if your idea requires an AI tool or a database, you can absolutely use or reference it – the focus is on how you apply it to arbitration. The only limitation is you shouldn’t present someone else’s product or past work as if it were your original idea.
I'm worried that our idea use of AI is a bit basic or mundane. Is it still worth entering?
‘Originality/novelty’ is part of the judging criteria – but it’s only 30 per cent. And what an idea lacks in originality it could make up for in, say, impact. We’d encourage you therefore not to second guess yourself. If it feels like something that could work, and make life better, consider entering.
One reason for this competition is to see what’s happening or could happen in the 'real world'. And it, by definition, tends towards the mundane. Making that more bearable is… kind of the point.
You might be surprised. Something that seems self-evident to you, could yet be eye-opening to others.
If all else fails, remember that only ideas that have passed muster at the end of round one will be disclosed to the GAR readership/general public. So there is zero chance for anyone to lose face.
Who owns the intellectual property of my submission?
You do. All participants and teams retain 100% of their intellectual property. As a condition of entry, you grant the organizers (GAR, LCIA, Three Crowns, Liftlab) a non-exclusive license to showcase and promote your work for educational and promotional purposes.
Can we submit something that already exists or was that created for another Hackathon?
Why charge a £250 registration fee for professional teams?
We charge this normal fee for professional teams (student teams are free) for two primary reasons.
1. To solidify the commitment of those entering, ensuring our judges' and reviewers' time is spent on serious submissions
2. To support travel for student finalists attending the GAR Awards in Paris
What happens to my submission? Will it be shared with the public?
Yes! We encourage multi-disciplinary teams.
We also appreciate that some smaller organizations may lack multi-disciplinary capabilities. If you are in that position and interested in applying as a multi-organization team, please contact hackathon@globalarbitrationreview.com to request an exception to the same-organization rule.
Will the competition be conducted entirely in English?
Yes.
Will judging scores be given for either phase?
Judges won't be releasing scores publicly, but finalists can trust that they earned their spot via the judging rubric.
Does a member of our team need to know how to code for us to be successful?
Not at all. No-code AI tools are increasingly sophisticated.
Could reliance on a foundation model (eg ChatGPT or Germini), rather than a domain-specific legal AI tool or a custom solution, make for a competitive submission?
Yes! Solutions based on foundation models, which are constantly evolving and improving, can form the basis of a competitive submission.
They will be judged according to the same criteria as other solutions.
Is an exception available for the size of the team? Are we limited to five?
Unfortunately, to help create a level playing field across organizations, teams will be capped at five members.
We have created a website with a live-use demo for Phase 1. May we include a URL in our Submission Form?
Yes! We'd love to see it.
I work at a law firm. Is there any way that my team may rely on confidential or sensitive materials in our submission, with a request that it not be shared publicly?
Please do not include any confidential case details or proprietary business secrets in your materials – this competition is public, and judges/audience should be free to discuss the ideas.
Can students from Stanford University field a team in the Student Category?
Yes, provided they are not part of the liftlabs programme.
On this point more generally, judges may elect to recuse themselves in the event of a potential perceived conflict of interest.
Can a tech company participate in the Hackathon?
Unfortunately tech companies are not eligible for this Hackathon - you are instead welcome to share your work in the Vendor Showcase.
What is the vendor showcase?
The vendor showcase is an opportunity for tech companies to promote their products that are relevant to international arbitration. We will be releasing more details very soon, and updating this page.
If you’d like to discuss it with someone in the meantime please email hackathon@globalarbitrationreview.com using subject line “GAR-LCIA Hackathon 2026 Vendor Showcase enquiry”, or contact Hemant Chauhan, on the details below.
