VibeHack London 2026, a 24-hour AI Hackathon led by Chenjie Hua, President of the UCL Population Health Sciences Society, took place at University College London (UCL) on 6-7 June 2026. Students from universities across the UK, including student developers, designers, founders, and AI enthusiasts, came together to turn ideas into working prototypes within one intensive weekend.

More than just a competition, VibeHack London 2026 became a live experiment in what young builders can create when they are given the right space, tools, mentorship, and community support.

The hackathon was built around two main tracks: Health Impact and Vibe with ZYMIX. The Health Impact track focused on real-world challenges in healthcare, maternal health, preventive medicine, medical communication, and early intervention. The Vibe with ZYMIX track encouraged participants to explore the future of social apps for Gen Z in the UK.

Using AI to respond to real health challenges

The Health Impact track encouraged teams to consider challenges that are often overlooked within healthcare systems, including maternal wellbeing, preventive care, language barriers, health literacy, and access to timely support. Participants were were challenged to build AI-powered product prototypes that could be demonstrated, tested, and further developed during the event.

One project, PapaPath, was an AI-powered pregnancy companion designed specifically for expectant fathers. Inspired by an observation that pregnancy often places more responsibility on one partner, PapaPath aims to support fathers move from passive observers to active partners by providing weekly pregnancy guidance, personalised “Mum Status” updates, and practical action plans. 

Another project, Perinatal Companion, focused on supporting mothers who may face language barriers, cultural differences, or uncertainty when navigating maternity care. Inspired by real experiences from maternity wards and mother-baby units, the team designed a multilingual, privacy-first AI assistant that helps mothers understand symptoms, track mood and wellbeing, prepare appointment summaries, and communicate more confidently with healthcare professionals. 

A third project, PreventPath, focused on preventive care within the NHS. Instead of generating risk scores from incomplete data, the tool identifies missing informationexplains which preventive checks a person may be eligible for, and guides users to local NHS services such as pharmacy blood pressure checks or NHS Health Checks. With NICE-grounded rules engine and an AI layer that translates information into plain English and GP-ready notes, PreventPath helps users better understand their health pathway and prepare for more productive conversations with their GP.

Together, these projects demonstrated a more responsible vision of AI in healthcare. AI does not need to replace clinicians, and it should not overpromise diagnosis. At its best, AI can help people understand information earlier, communicate their needs more clearly, reduce barriers to care, and arrive at healthcare conversations better prepared.

From health impact to everyday social connection

Alongside the Health Impact track, VibeHack London 2026 also featured the Vibe with ZYMIX track, which invited participants to explore how AI could support the social, entertainment, coordination, and community needs of Gen Z users in the UK. 

One project, Where To?, came from a very familiar social frustration: everyone in the group chat agrees they want to go out, but after dozens of messages, no one has actually decided where to go. The team turned this group decision-making problem into a real-time multiplayer party game. Each player champions a restaurant, film, or activity, AI generates funny and topic-aware questions to drive the debate, and the group votes on a final winner. 

More than a Hackathon

What made VibeHack London 2026 memorable was not only the quality of the final demos, but also the creativity, collaboration, and energy that emerged throughout the weekend.

Within 24 hours, participants formed teams, defined problems, designed products, built prototypes, worked with mentors, submitted projects, and presented their work to judges. Each project demonstrated the ability of students to learn quickly, build quickly, and communicate clearly.

For the UCL Population Health Sciences Society, the event reflects a broader aim to create interdisciplinary opportunities for students to explore connections between public health, AI, entrepreneurship and social impact.

The event was supported by student organisers, faculty volunteers and mentors, whose contributions to planning and delivery were essential to its success.

Photos from the event

Looking Ahead

VibeHack London 2026 proved that innovation does not always begin with a perfect business plan. Sometimes, it begins with a real problem, a weekend, a newly formed team, and the courage to build something that works.

From maternal health to preventive care, from father-focused pregnancy support to new ways of imagining Gen Z social life, the projects built during the hackathon reflected a new generation of student builders who care not only about technology, but also about who it serves and what kind of impact it can create.

In just 24 hours, VibeHack London 2026 showed what is possible when young people are trusted to build the future themselves.