Hackathons
AI hackathons
Open now
Oct 22-27, 2026 · Online
open now · ends in 5 days
Six-day online sprint to build agents that do real work across scattered data sources; sponsors include NVIDIA, Zetaris and Meterless.
- Organizer
- GenAI.Works
- Prizes
- Up to $20,000 (cash plus an NVIDIA DGX Spark and API credits)
- Apply by
- Oct 22, 2026
- PayPal AI HackathonOnline
Oct 1 - Nov 12, 2026 · Online
open now · ends in 21 days
Six-week online build where any project counts if it makes real use of both PayPal and AI; winners are announced December 21.
- Organizer
- PayPal
- Prizes
- $60,000+ in cash prizes
- Apply by
- Nov 12, 2026
Aug 15 - Nov 15, 2026 · Online
open now · ends in 24 days
90-day open-source build of agentic AI tools for public-health problems in India; open to anyone, and winners are named December 5.
- Organizer
- Code for India
- Prizes
- ₹18 lakh total prize pool
- AMD AI LeagueOnline
Sep 1 - Dec 1, 2026 · Online
open now · ends in 40 days
Season of six build matches on AMD GPUs where courses, matches and community activity all add points to one leaderboard; matches 5 and 6 are still to come.
- Organizer
- AMD, NativelyAI and lablab.ai
- Prizes
- League podium $2,500 / $1,500 / $1,000, plus cash and GPU credits for each match
October 2026
- AI Yako: Own Your AIHybrid
Oct 24-31, 2026 · Nairobi, Kenya
starts in 2 days
One-week Nairobi hackathon for building local AI apps with Tether's QVAC stack. Kickoff and demo day are on campus; projects are submitted online.
- Organizer
- Tether with Node NBO
- Prizes
- 3,500 USDT
Oct 26 - Nov 9, 2026 · Online
starts in 4 days
Ten-day virtual hackathon building with Meta's Muse models and open weights. It is capped at 20,000 accepted applicants and winners are named Nov 9.
- Organizer
- Meta and Cerebral Valley
- Prizes
- $1,000,000 total across indie and startup tracks
- Apply by
- Oct 25, 2026
- Agents for Impact Hackathon: AtlantaIn person
Oct 27, 2026 · Atlanta, United States
starts in 5 days
One-day sprint building social-impact AI agents with Gemini, ADK and BigQuery; the winning team goes on to a public vote for a Google Cloud Next '27 stage slot.
- Organizer
- Google Cloud
November 2026
Nov 3-8, 2026 · Salt Lake City, United States
starts in 12 days
Online build week for AI agents that run real work safely inside Vultr sandboxes, then an invite-only demo day on site in Salt Lake City.
- Organizer
- lablab.ai with Vultr
- Prizes
- $9,000 cash + $5,000 in Vultr credits
- Since AI Hackathon 2026In person
Nov 6-8, 2026 · Turku, Finland
starts in 15 days
Free 72-hour AI build weekend in Turku where 1,000+ builders take on challenges set by partner companies such as Google for Developers and ElevenLabs.
- Organizer
- Since AI ry
- Prizes
- €50,000 cash prize pool
- Junction 2026In person
Nov 13-15, 2026 · Espoo, Finland
starts in 22 days
Europe's big 48-hour hackathon for about 2,000 builders at Hype Areena; most 2026 challenges are AI, and Google DeepMind is a partner.
- Organizer
- Junction
- Prizes
- €100,000 in prizes
- Apply by
- Oct 25, 2026
- BCH BLAZE 2026Online
Nov 14-22, 2026 · Online
starts in 23 days
Virtual Bitcoin Cash hackathon with a submission window from Nov 14 to Nov 22.
- Organizer
- BCH BLAZE
- Prizes
- $8,000 (25+ BCH)
- Singapore-India Hackathon 2026In person
Nov 15-17, 2026 · Singapore, Singapore
starts in 24 days
About 120 selected students from Singapore and India form mixed teams to solve industry problems in fintech, climate and social innovation.
- Organizer
- SMU Institute for Innovation & Entrepreneurship, TiE Singapore, AICTE
- Who
- students
Nov 17, 2026 · Sunnyvale, United States
starts in 26 days
One-day Google Cloud sprint to build agents on open datasets for problems like food equity and public health; the winner advances to the AI Arena.
- Organizer
- Google Cloud
- FORCE VibeCode Hackathon 2026In person
Nov 18-20, 2026 · Stavanger, Norway
starts in 27 days
Paid two-day vibe-coding hackathon where geoscientists and engineers build apps with LLMs on real Norwegian Continental Shelf data (fee from NOK 500).
- Organizer
- FORCE / Norwegian Offshore Directorate
- Apply by
- Nov 12, 2026
- RSNA 2026 Vibe Coding HackathonIn person
Nov 29 - Dec 2, 2026 · Chicago, United States
starts in 38 days
First RSNA hackathon, held during the annual meeting: use AI coding tools to turn radiology ideas into prototypes; no advanced coding needed.
- Organizer
- Radiological Society of North America (RSNA)
December 2026
Dec 8, 2026 · New York, United States
starts in 47 days
Last stop of Google Cloud's one-day agent sprints, building with Antigravity, ADK v2, Gemini and BigQuery; one team advances toward Next '27.
- Organizer
- Google Cloud
January 2027
Jan 25 - Feb 11, 2027 · Santa Clara, United States
starts in 95 days
Online build period from Jan 25, with an in-person finale at Santa Clara Convention Center on Feb 10-11.
- Organizer
- DevNetwork
- Prizes
- $12,500 in total value
February 2027
- TreeHacks 2027In person
Feb 12-14, 2027 · Stanford, CA, United States
starts in 113 days
Stanford's 36-hour flagship hackathon with eight tracks. Food, lodging and travel are covered for accepted hackers.
- Organizer
- TreeHacks (Stanford University students)
- Prizes
- Over $1M in prizes (as stated by organizers)
- Who
- students
- Hacklytics 2027In person
Feb 26-28, 2027 · Atlanta, GA, United States
starts in 127 days
Free 36-hour data science and AI hackathon for 1,000+ hackers at Georgia Tech's Klaus building, with tracks including finance and sports analytics.
- Organizer
- Data Science @ GT (Georgia Tech)
- Who
- students
March 2027
- AI Hackathon Greece 2027In person
Mar 19-21, 2027 · Athens, Greece
starts in 148 days
Third edition of Greece's AI hackathon: 72 hours on challenges from ACE and partners; applications open in December 2026.
- Organizer
- ACE (Athens Center for Entrepreneurship and Innovation, AUEB)
- Weber State AI Hackathon 2027In person
Mar 20, 2027 · Ogden, United States
starts in 149 days
One-day hands-on AI build event at Weber State, aimed at students and newcomers with no expertise needed; registration details still to come.
- Organizer
- Weber State University
- Who
- students
Hackathons near me, by country
In-person and hybrid events by country and city. Online ones are open wherever you are.
- United States 9
- Agents for Impact Hackathon: Atlanta (Atlanta) · Vultr: Agent Rush Hackathon (Salt Lake City) · Agents for Impact Hackathon: Sunnyvale (Sunnyvale) · RSNA 2026 Vibe Coding Hackathon (Chicago) · Agents for Impact Hackathon: New York (New York) · DeveloperWeek 2027 Hackathon (Santa Clara) · TreeHacks 2027 (Stanford, CA) · Hacklytics 2027 (Atlanta, GA) · Weber State AI Hackathon 2027 (Ogden)
- Finland 2
- Since AI Hackathon 2026 (Turku) · Junction 2026 (Espoo)
- Greece 1
- AI Hackathon Greece 2027 (Athens)
- Kenya 1
- AI Yako: Own Your AI (Nairobi)
- Norway 1
- FORCE VibeCode Hackathon 2026 (Stavanger)
- Singapore 1
- Singapore-India Hackathon 2026 (Singapore)
Get set up before the event: free LLM API keys · AI coding agents · AI model API pricing · AI tools on DevHunt.
How to win a hackathon
1. Before
Read the judging criteria and the sponsor prize list first; pick the tracks you can win, not the biggest one. Set up your stack, API keys and a deploy target (Vercel, Railway, Fly) the day before.
2. Team
Three or four people: one on the backend and integrations, one on the frontend, one on the demo and the pitch. Agree on the idea in the first hour, then stop debating.
3. Scope
Build one flow that works end to end, not five half-features. Mock anything that is not on the demo path, and use sponsor APIs where they genuinely help (that is how many prizes are judged).
4. Demo
Judges see your project for 3 to 5 minutes. Open with the problem in one sentence, show the live product, end with what is next. Record a 2-minute backup video in case the Wi-Fi or the API fails.
5. Submit
Submit early with a README, screenshots, the repo link and the video, then keep improving. Late submissions are usually not accepted, even by a minute.
6. After
Ship it: put the project online, write a short post, and launch it on DevHunt. Many hackathon projects get their first users that week.
Pack: laptop and charger, a power strip, headphones, a phone hotspot as backup Wi-Fi, ID (in-person events check it), and a free LLM key or two from our free LLM API list.
For dev-tool makers
Sponsor a hackathon to get your tool used
A sponsor prize ("best use of your API") puts your tool in the hands of hundreds of builders for a weekend, and the winning projects become demos and case studies. What works: a prize track that needs your product, free credits for every team, a short getting-started guide, and someone from your team on site or in Discord answering questions. Student hackathons are the cheapest way in; AI and web3 events reach builders who already pay for tools.
More places to promote your dev tool · perks and credits programs · advertise on DevHunt
FAQ
What are the next aI hackathons?+
Code for a Billion: Bharat Agentic-AI Hackathon 2026 (Aug 15 - Nov 15, 2026, Online); AMD AI League (Sep 1 - Dec 1, 2026, Online); PayPal AI Hackathon (Oct 1 - Nov 12, 2026, Online). 21 in total on this page, soonest first.
What do you build at an AI hackathon?+
Usually an app on top of an LLM or an agent: a voice assistant, a coding tool, a research or support agent, an AI feature in an existing product. Sponsor tracks often reward the best use of their model or API.
Do I need machine learning experience?+
No. Most AI hackathons are about building products with model APIs, not training models. Knowing how to call an API, write a prompt and ship a small web app is enough. Grab a free LLM key before the event.
When is the next one?+
AI Yako: Own Your AI starts on Oct 24, 2026 (Nairobi, Kenya).