On 21 August, Anima and OpenAI announced a healthcare hackathon scheduled for 12 September 2026 at OpenAI’s London HQ. The event date has now passed; this article records the programme and sponsor announcements.
The challenge
The theme was “Save more lives than a superhero”. The programme set a 12-hour challenge for around 100 builders to create something that would advance the NHS’s 10-Year Health Plan. It welcomed software builders, doctors who code, technical founders and students.
Participants were to receive a simulated NHS neighbourhood of 50,000 people and a Codex allowance. Anima also announced plans to open-source its agent development kit at the event, with participants becoming its first external users.
Talks and prizes
The programme included talks from Anima and OpenAI on applied AI and building agents, followed by judging of the submissions. The announced prize pool was at least £25,000 across cash, gadgets and merchandise.
A 10 September update named Eight Sleep, Hilo by Aktiia and Pocket as hardware sponsors. Their contributions included the Pod sleep system, the Hilo Band blood-pressure monitor and the Pocket AI note-taker.
The campaign also appeared at King’s Cross station, where we shared the invitation to join the hackathon.