The winners of the Rising Youth hackathon, a project promoted in partnership with SAP Italia, were honoured at RomeCup 2026
How can artificial intelligence help people, businesses and communities become more sustainable? This is the challenge taken up by the students taking part in the Rising Youth final hackathon, the project promoted by the Fondazione Mondo Digitale with SAP Italia, which took place at Sapienza University of Rome as part of RomeCup 2026.
Now in its fifth edition, Rising Youth has already engaged and trained over 2,500 young people, helping them to develop digital and soft skills, explore new career opportunities and devise innovative solutions for a more sustainable future. Over the past few months, the teams have been working on the challenge set by SAP, “Artificial intelligence at the service of sustainability for businesses and people”, with the support of corporate mentors, trainers and experts.
The selected projects took part in the final stage, where they were presented to a jury of SAP experts and assessed on the basis of originality, quality of presentation, business impact and sustainability. During the event, the teams also created a mini communication campaign to present their prototype in an effective, concise and accessible manner.
Taking first place was Safer Web AI, from the IIS Galilei-Di Palo in Salerno, a prototype app with an intelligent chatbot designed to help the over-65s browse online more safely, recognising digital scams, phishing and misleading content. A project that tackles a very real vulnerability, transforming fear of the digital world into awareness, autonomy and trust [watch the team’s interview on Rai News].
Second place went to Hydrosmart from the IIS Enzo Ferrari in Rome, an intelligent system that transforms rainwater into a resource to be monitored, purified and reused for non-potable purposes. Using sensors and artificial intelligence, the project offers a concrete solution to water conservation and the sustainable management of natural resources.
Third place went to Melan AI, from ITI Pacinotti in Fondi, an app based on computer vision algorithms to support the prevention and early detection of melanoma. Trained on over 21,000 images, the solution provides a preliminary risk assessment based on a photo uploaded by the user and facilitates access to a specialist consultation, without replacing the role of the doctor.
The jury also awarded a special prize to the Orion team from the IIS Galilei - Di Palo in Salerno, which achieved the same score as the third-placed team. The project proposes an augmented reality-based system for visualising and managing underground infrastructure, making the maintenance of pipes, cabling and hidden networks more intuitive.
The teams’ communication efforts were also recognised. The award for the best video went to Riciclapp, from the Liceo Maria Montessori in Rome, an AI-based app that helps users recycle correctly based on a photo of the waste, promoting sustainable behaviour and greater environmental awareness.
A further jury prize for the mini-campaign went to EduGenAI, from the ITI Pacinotti in Fondi, an AI-based educational platform designed to support teachers and students in creating personalised and inclusive teaching content.
The winning projects confirm young people’s ability to view artificial intelligence not only as an enabling technology, but as a tool to address real-world needs: from digital security to health prevention, from water management to environmental sustainability, right through to educational inclusion.
“At a historic moment when artificial intelligence is redefining the way we live, study and work, it is essential to invest in the skills of the younger generation and guide them towards a conscious understanding of the opportunities offered by this revolutionary technology,” said Adriano Ceccherini, Chief Business Officer at SAP Italy. “With Rising Youth, we aim to help train young talents capable not only of using innovation responsibly, but of putting it at the service of concrete goals of sustainability, inclusion and social growth.”
The winning teams
1st place
Safer Web AI
IIS Galilei - Di Palo, Salerno
Pierluca Franco, Luca Ferrigno, Luca Cantarella, Alessandra Piscopo
2nd place
Hydrosmart
IIS Enzo Ferrari, Rome
Dairon Blas Tavaniello, Valerio Arcangeli, Daniel Faiola, Gabriele Napoleoni, Gabriele Manni
3rd place
Melan AI
ITI Pacinotti, Fondi
Nicole Rossi, Alessandro Masiello, Armando Feola, Siria Saccoccio, Gabriele Pannozzo
Special Jury Prize
Orion
IIS Galilei-Di Palo, Salerno
Francesco Catone, Vitantonio Iacullo, Davide Pompamea, Igor Pierro
Best video
Riciclapp
Liceo Maria Montessori, Rome
Jury prize for the mini campaign
EduGenAI
ITI Pacinotti, Fondi
