Aftermovie: Students make legal support accessible during the Legal Tech Challenge
On 2 April, the final of the Legal Tech Challenge 2026 took place in the Academy Building of Leiden University. During the final, teams of students pitched their technological solutions to societal challenges.
The Legal Tech Challenge brought together students from Leiden University, Leiden University of Applied Sciences, and MBO Rijnland to further develop and combine their legal and technical expertise. They worked on real-life cases provided by the Municipality of Leiden, Court of The Hague en Vluchtelingenwerk (Refugee Work Netherlands).
After weeks of collaboration, brainstorming sessions, workshops, and mentorship, the moment arrived: five teams, selected by the jury, presented their solutions during the final.
The pitches were evaluated by a panel of experts (Jan-Willem Prakke of LexIQ, Wietske Veltman and Steef Löwik of the Municipality of Leiden, Piet Hein van der Ploeg of Leiden University of Applied Sciences and Leren met de Stad, Enrico Nuboer of The Hague District Court, and Mirjam Oskam of Vluchtelingenwerk) based on societal impact, innovation, effectiveness, feasibility, and business model.
Aftermovie Legal Tech Challenge 2026
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Watch the video on the original website orAnd the winner is...
After an exciting deliberation, the three winning teams were announced. Each concept contributes in a unique and innovative way to making laws and regulations more accessible and transparent for everyone.
First prize went to Team 1, consisting of students Simar Suri, Mia van Gellecum, Nicole Stafanov, Tanisha Sandeep Phadke, Ana Fadul Ramos, and Lucas Danielian. They developed a social map for the Municipality of Leiden, allowing users to easily see which social services they are entitled to. With this, they won the grand prize of €3,000.
Curious about how it all unfolded? Watch the aftermovie!
Join in!
With the Legal Tech Challenge, you can apply your legal and technical knowledge to create real-life impact. Want to participate next year and make a difference? Stay tuned by keeping an eye on the student website!
This challenge was made possible in part by funding from the Municipality of Leiden, LexIQ, and Luris.