WiDS Worldwide Global Datathon — Course / Training

The WiDS Worldwide Global Datathon is an annual online challenge for people developing or practising data-science skills. Women in Data Science Worldwide runs it on Kaggle and provides a real-world social-impact problem, learning resources, and a global participant community.

The 2026 challenge, developed with Watch Duty, asked participants to model when wildfires could threaten evacuation zones. That cycle is closed, and WiDS has announced that the 2027 challenge will address water scarcity and availability.

Benefits & funding

Participation and the online learning resources are free.
The 2026 competition offered a total cash prize pool of USD 25,000.
Recognition included overall leaderboard awards and awards for student, high-school, and first-time teams.
Participants could use the challenge dataset, technical resources, community discussions, and team-finding channels.

Eligibility

The global challenge is designed for data-science enthusiasts who are discovering or developing their skills, including students and professionals.
Participants may enter individually or in teams of up to four; at least half of each team must identify as women.
No degree, nationality, residency, or work-experience requirement is published on the fetched program pages.
Participants need a Kaggle account and must accept the competition rules before entering.

Can you apply?

Open to all applicants

No nationality, residency, education, or experience limits are listed.

Circlebreaker is a free database of global fellowships, scholarships and programs — every one decoded like this.

We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.

Application process

1
Follow the WiDS program page to the current Kaggle competition page when the next cycle opens.
2
Sign in to Kaggle, review the competition overview and rules, and formally join the challenge.
3
Form an eligible team or participate individually, then download the data and use the provided resources.
4
Submit predictions on Kaggle before the final deadline and complete any prize-category forms required for recognition.

Program timeline

The 2026 Kaggle competition started.
Jan 27, 2026
The 2026 competition closed and final submissions were due.
May 1, 2026
WiDS published the 2026 winners announcement.
Jun 26, 2026
The next annual challenge will focus on water scarcity and availability; an exact opening date has not been announced.
2027