Web3 and blockchain hackathons

• 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

  aiweb3on-device-aichecked 2026-10-20

• ETHGlobal MumbaiIn person

  Nov 5-7, 2026 · Mumbai, India

  starts in 14 days

  In-person Ethereum hackathon at Jio World Convention Centre during Devcon 8 week, for teams of 1 to 5.

  Organizer

  ETHGlobal

  Prizes

  $126,500 in listed sponsor prizes

  Apply by

  Oct 23, 2026

  web3ethereumdefichecked 2026-10-20
• 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)

  web3bitcoin-cashdefiaichecked 2026-10-20

In-person and hybrid events by country and city. Online ones are open wherever you are.

India 1

ETHGlobal Mumbai (Mumbai)

Kenya 1

AI Yako: Own Your AI (Nairobi)

1. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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. 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.