In early 2025 the Knowledge Foundation, a Switzerland-based non-profit educational organization chartered to advance global education through the application of advanced and emerging technologies such as Knowledge Token^®, Artificial Intelligence (AI), Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR), joined forces with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime's (UNODC) Global Programme on Cybercrime that was established in 2013 to assist UN Member States in strengthening responses against cybercrime through capacity building and technical assistance.

Committed to providing Member States with holistic and sustainable solutions tailored to their specific contexts and requirements for preventing and combating cybercrime, the Global Programme on Cybercrime established the UNODC Regional Centre for Combating Cybercrime in Doha, Qatar, as a hub for global training and exchange of best practices in the area of cybercrime.

The collaboration between the Knowledge Foundation and the UNODC Global Programme on Cybercrime comes at a unique moment of advancement in the area of international cooperation, culminating in the adoption of the United Nations Convention against Cybercrime by the General Assembly on 24 December 2024.

The Convention against Cybercrime is the first global treaty addressing both prevention and measures to combat cybercrime that is available to all States of the world, representing a milestone for multilateral action against shared global threats and providing advanced tools for international cooperation to tackle cybercrime, share electronic evidence and prosecute such crimes.

In the spirit of ensuring engagement and meaningful participation of civil society in the efforts necessary to implement the newly adopted Convention across sectors, the Knowledge Foundation is proud to contribute by providing expertise in advanced and emerging technologies and open technical participatory processes to utilise immersive technologies (such as VR and AR), AI and blockchain to create engaging and interactive learning experiences that strengthen knowledge about key ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) concepts necessary for the effective implementation of the UN Convention against Cybercrime.

Please refer to the VR Hackathon announcement for an overview of the competition:

The following eligibility criteria are required for all competitors:

• 1. Aged from 16+ (please note that underage applicants are welcome to apply ONLY if the entire Team comes from the same school and the Team MUST have at least one competitor of adult legal age that is officially nominated in written format, duly signed and dated, as legal guardian for the rest of the Team).
• 2. All nationalities welcome.
• 3. Have knowledge and expertise in creative and immersive technologies, including game development.
• 4. Have the financial means to travel to Burgas, Bulgaria, and cover accommodation expenses for the entire duration of the stay.
• 5. Commit to participate for the entirety of the event, 25 - 26 (competition) and 27-28 June 2025 to participate in the CreaTech Summit.
• 6. Commit to compete with respect for their teammates, competitors, organizers and all involved individuals and groups, irrespective of nationality, religion, ethnicity, gender, age, race, etc.
• 7. Understand that any disrespectful or hateful comment or unfair treatment to any individual, including any form of sexual harassment or abuse, will result in automatic disqualification.
• 8. Provide a written statement, duly dated and signed, agreeing to the production and use of photos, videos, interviews and any other means for post-event promotion.

During the competition participants may use any tools or technologies that they wish to design, develop and deploy a fully immersive experience to the following Virtual Reality target platforms:

• 1. Meta Quest 3 (512 GB configuration)
• 2. Meta Quest 3S (256 GB configuration)

Solutions that do not operate on the above target VR platforms will be disqualified.

A "testing table" with VR headsets will be provided during the competition to allow teams to periodically test their solutions on the above target VR platforms (teams are encouraged, but not required, to bring their own VR headsets to the competition).

In the spirit of open and freely available education, all solutions must be submitted for judging under an approved open source and open content license (open license options will be available to choose from during the competition).

The Teams' project will be evaluated by a panel of expert judges by the following criteria:

• 1. Quality and complexity of the technological implementation
• 2. Relevance to the cybercrime and cybersafety topics
• 3. Originality of the concept and design
• 4. Quality and aesthetics of the visuals and overall immersive experience

In addition to having the opportunity to participate in a friendly competition with like-minded individuals, and to develop personal skills and make new connections as a direct outcome of the experience, participants that compete in the event are eligible to win one or more sizable awards.

Thanks to the generous financial contribution of the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the first place winning team (or individual, if competing solo) will have the unique opportunity to present their winning solutions at relevant international UN events that convene world experts and practitioners on cybercrime policy and operations. Details of the first international event will be provided during the open registration period, and, depending on UNODC's availability, is likely to be either Vienna (Austria), Doha (Qatar) or Hanoi (Vietnam).

In addition, thanks to the generous financial contributions of Web3 Foundation, the second and third placed winning Teams will receive complimentary passes (valued at €399 per person) to join the Web3 Summit in Berlin, on 16 to 18 July 2025, where the teams will have the opportunity to present the outcomes of their work in Burgas. There also remains the possibility for these teams to compete in a special competition during this time, providing further prizes and awards for the winners.