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The Ultimate Guide to the Best, Free Hackathons in 2026 (Full Year)
Updated: Aug 19
Think hackathons are only for elite programmers? Think again. ✨
The best hackathons in 2026 welcome complete beginners, offer free workshops, provide mentors, and give you everything you need to build something real - even if you've never written a line of code.🚀
If you’ve ever wanted to pick up new tech skills, meet creative people, or build something you’re genuinely proud of, global virtual hackathons are one of the easiest, cheapest and most rewarding ways to start. You don’t need prior coding knowledge - many events include free online workshops, bootcamps, beginner tracks, tutorials, and live mentoring that help you learn the basics of AI, UX design, brainstorming, prototyping, and collaboration. These sessions ensure you feel confident and prepared before the competition even begins.
If you’re drawn to purpose-driven projects, it’s easier than ever to find social-impact, sustainability, climate, and community innovation hackathons. And if you want something more structured, joining a corporate-sponsored hackathon is often as simple as signing up solo or creating a team right on the platform.
Throughout all of these events, you’ll use friendly tools like Figma, GitHub, VS Code, cloud notebooks, Miro, Notion, and no-code builders, giving you everything you need to collaborate quickly and build something that works.
This guide is continuously updated to highlight the best free virtual and hybrid hackathons across winter, spring, summer, and fall - including registration links, prizes, topics, deadlines, and why each one is worth joining.
🔎 What This Guide Covers
In this ultimate 2026 hackathon guide, you’ll discover:
The best free virtual, hybrid, and global hackathons in each season
Where to find online hackathon workshops and bootcamps
How to join sustainability and social-impact hackathons
How to find local hackathons near you
How to register a team for corporate-sponsored hackathons
The most common tools and software used during hackathons
Which companies sponsor the world’s biggest hackathons
Beginner-friendly tips and reasons to join throughout the year
This post is continuously updated with details as they become available.
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☀️ Summer Hackathons 2026
Are hackathons good for beginners?
Absolutely - summer hackathons are some of the most beginner-friendly of the year. With more free time, flexible schedules, and a naturally creative summer energy, it’s easier to experiment without pressure. Many summer events offer step-by-step tutorials, mentors, starter kits, and beginner challenges, making them ideal for your very first hackathon. Summer’s openness and extra time make it the perfect season to try something new and build confidence.
🔗 Register/Join here:
Register on both the lablab.ai platform and the lablab.ai Discord server — both are required. Online participation needs nothing further.
🧠 Topic
Choose a partner track and build against its specific challenge:
Intel — Physical AI Challenge (on-site) and Bimanual VLA Manipulation (online): robotics and physical AI, intelligent systems that move beyond the cloud
Qualcomm — on-device AI built for the Snapdragon ecosystem
SiMa.ai — edge AI, intelligence running closer to where data is created
Speechmatics — voice AI, applications that work with spoken language
📅 When
Online build: September 10–16, 2026.
Kickoff and registration close: Thursday, September 10, 21:00 UTC.
Submission deadline provisionally as Thursday, September 17, 01:00 UTC
👥Who Can Join
Teams of one to five; online participation open to everyone regardless of prior AI or coding experience
🏆 Prizes
Value of $10,500+ USD confirmed so far, more finalizing:
🥇🥈🥉 Intel Physical AI Challenge (on-site): $3,000 / $2,000 / $1,000
🥇🥈🥉 Intel Bimanual VLA Manipulation (online): $2,000 / $1,500 / $1,000
Qualcomm, SiMa.ai, and Speechmatics haven't published track-specific prize amounts as of this writing.
✨ What Sets It Apart
Building here means working against constraints a typical AI hackathon skips entirely: real hardware, real deployment limits, and a partner company's actual production stack, whether that's Intel's robotics and physical-AI tooling, Qualcomm's on-device Snapdragon ecosystem, SiMa.ai's edge accelerators, or Speechmatics' voice APIs. Choosing a track means learning that specific company's approach to a hard infrastructure problem, not a generic prompt-engineering exercise you could replicate anywhere. On-site teams get the added experience of pitching in front of roughly 8,000 people attending the AI Infra Summit itself, industry professionals actively working on the exact problems your project touches, which is a different kind of feedback than a hackathon judging panel.
🚀 Why YOU Should Join
🔧 Exposure to infrastructure and hardware-adjacent AI work most beginner-friendly hackathons never touch
🎯 A named track and sponsor to build toward instead of an open-ended brief
💰 Real, already-confirmed cash prizes on two tracks, with three more sponsor pools still being added
📣 A live audience of roughly 8,000 industry attendees for any team that makes the on-site round
🔗 Register/Join here:
Sign up with a lablab.ai account; the Discord server is recommended for team formation but not required. Access to Bob 2.0 itself is granted at hackathon start, no separate IBM account or waitlist step.
🧠 Topic
Build with Bob, IBM's AI-first development partner: an agentic coding tool that spawns focused subagents against your actual repository rather than working file-by-file. It runs in two modes, Architect Mode for system design and Code Mode for rapid iteration, with particular strength in legacy and enterprise modernization — Java, plus COBOL, RPG, and mainframe workloads — and built-in compliance awareness for FedRAMP, HIPAA, and PCI.
📅 When
48-hour build: Friday–Sunday, September 25–27, 2026, fully online. Exact start/end clock times weren't published as of this writing. Prizes are distributed within 90 days of the event ending.
👥Who Can Join
Solo or team, no minimum or maximum team size published
Open to anyone with a strong interest in AI — prior experience helpful but not required, per the organizers' own eligibility language
No IBM or watsonx account needed beforehand; Bob access is granted once the hackathon starts
🏆 Prizes
Value of $10,000 USD:
🥇 1st place: $5,000
🥈 2nd place: $3,000
🥉 3rd place: $2,000
✨ What Sets It Apart
Bob is still gated behind an IBM waitlist everywhere else, so this is a rare chance to actually use a not-yet-generally-available enterprise AI tool rather than read about one. Because it works against real repositories with agent and subagent orchestration, it's a genuine opportunity to practice on legacy and enterprise-scale code, Java, COBOL, RPG, mainframe workloads, the kind of modernization work most hackathons never touch, and to pick up hands-on experience with compliance-aware AI tooling (FedRAMP, HIPAA, PCI) that's directly relevant if you're aiming at enterprise engineering roles. The mandatory task-session screenshots also mean you leave with a documented record of exactly how you used an agentic dev tool on a real problem, something concrete to point to afterward.
🚀 Why YOU Should Join
🕐 A tight 48-hour weekend window, not a month-long commitment
🚪 Rare hands-on access to an IBM product that's gated behind a waitlist everywhere else
🏗️ A natural fit if you want to practice on legacy/enterprise-scale code instead of another greenfield toy app
📊 A proven format — over 5,600 people showed up for round one in May
🍂 Fall Hackathons 2026
How long do hackathons usually last?
Fall hackathons (well actually most hackathons), typically run 24 hours to one week, depending on format, complexity, and mentorship structure. Many combine online work with hybrid hubs for in-person teamwork, giving participants structured time to focus before the year ends. Fall’s reflective, productive energy makes it a great time to build something impactful and finish the year with a strong project.
🍂 Hacktoberfest (OCT)
🔗 Register/Join here:
There's no PR-count registration this year. Signing up right now only adds your email to the list for local Fest announcements ("we'll be in touch about Hacktoberfest 2026 as soon as there's news to share"). Want to run one instead of attending? Host applications are open now, with most confirmed within a week.
🧠 Topic
Hacktoberfest dropped its twelve-year PR-counting model entirely this year, replaced with one-day, community-hosted "Fests" built around open-source AI work:
Writing and publishing a skills.md file for an open-source project
Building your own open-source AI agent
Fine-tuning an open-weight model
📅 When
October 1–31, 2026.
Fest dates, cities, and the global online event's schedule hadn't been announced as of this writing — the organizers' own FAQ says "specific Fest dates are not yet announced."
👥Who Can Join
Anyone, once local sign-ups open (not yet live)
Anyone can host one too — a meetup group, a university club, or a few coworkers with a spare room all qualify, per the organizers' own examples
No PR history, GitHub streak, or prior open-source experience required under the new model
🏆 Prizes
Not yet announced for individual participants.
Fest organizers get MLH-provided funding toward event costs, plus swag and programming support.
No badge, t-shirt, or tree-planting program (the old Holopin-based rewards) has been confirmed for 2026.
✨ What Sets It Apart
This is a genuine hands-on introduction to the specific AI-collaboration skills employers are already asking for: writing a skills.md file, standing up your own open-source agent, or fine-tuning an open-weight model, done in a room with other people rather than alone with a tutorial. Because it's locally hosted, you also get direct access to whoever organized the Fest near you, and to a live community actually deciding what open-source AI work looks like right now, not a fixed curriculum handed down by a corporate sponsor. It also puts you inside the pivot itself: Hacktoberfest is publicly retiring a mechanic that broke under AI-generated spam and rebuilding it in real time, so anyone who shows up this year is watching, and shaping, what its next era becomes.
🚀 Why YOU Should Join
🌱 A genuinely new format, worth watching even if you sat out past PR-counting years
🧑💻 Direct practice with the AI-tooling skills — agents, fine-tuning, skills files — showing up in job descriptions right now
🌍 300+ planned local events means a real chance one lands near you, plus the global online event
🔍 A rare, transparent look at an organizer publicly retiring a broken mechanic instead of quietly limping it along
🔗 Register/Join here:
Register on both the lablab.ai platform and the lablab.ai Discord server. No separate registration deadline or timezone has been published; enrollment appears open until the event begins. If your team is approved for the on-site showcase, you'll also get complimentary access to AI & Big Data Expo Europe itself, though travel and accommodation aren't covered.
🧠 Topic
The official hackathon of AI & Big Data Expo Europe, one of eight co-located expos making up TechEx Europe 2026. Eight tracks are open, with sponsor-specific challenges still to be announced:
AI & Machine Learning
Cyber Security & Cloud
IoT & Connected Systems
Edge Computing
Intelligent Automation & Robotics
Digital Transformation
Data Infrastructure
Physical AI
📅 When
October 16–19, 2026 (online build), optional on-site showcase October 19–20 in Amsterdam for selected teams.
👥Who Can Join
Open worldwide, solo or team, no numeric team cap published
No prior AI or coding experience required
On-site showcase spots are approval-based; the selection process hasn't been detailed yet
🏆 Prizes
Being finalized at time of writing:
Cash prizes, technology credits, conference benefits, mentorship, and partner support confirmed as categories, exact amounts TBA
✨ What Sets It Apart
The value here is less about the build itself and more about who sees it: this is a rare free hackathon where your finished project gets shown to enterprise decision-makers, CIOs, CTOs, and senior technologists from organizations like Coca-Cola, Google, and ING, rather than a closed panel of hackathon judges. With eight open tracks spanning AI, cybersecurity, IoT, edge computing, robotics, automation, data infrastructure, and physical AI, it's also a genuine chance to try a track outside your usual lane without needing prior experience in it. And the named speaker and mentor list, people currently working at Google, Amazon, PayPal, and JPMorgan, means the feedback and conversations available during the build come from people solving these problems professionally.
🚀 Why YOU Should Join
🏢 Direct visibility in front of enterprise buyers most free hackathons never get you near
🗂️ Eight distinct tracks, wide enough that almost any technical background has a real entry point
🎤 A speaker and mentor list already stacked with people from Google, Amazon, PayPal, and JPMorgan
🌍 A path to Amsterdam itself if your team is selected for the on-site showcase, expo access included
🍂 AI GENESIS (OCT-NOV)
🔗 Register/Join here:
Sign up on lablab.ai, join the Discord server, and have a GitHub account ready for your public submission repo. No exact registration deadline is published — the only guidance is to sign up "before the Kick-Off Stream," which airs on lablab.ai's Twitch channel.
🧠 Topic
Partner technology tracks for 2026 haven't been announced yet — the event page says only "stay tuned for the full reveal" before kickoff. The 2025 edition built tracks around Google Gemini, AppliedAI's Opus workflow, and Qdrant; expect a similar partner-led structure once this year's reveal lands.
📅 When
October 26 – November 2, 2026 (online build), optional on-site build day November 2 and live pitching November 3 in Dubai for selected teams.
👥Who Can Join
Open worldwide, solo or team, no numeric team cap published
No prior AI or coding experience required
On-site Dubai attendance is invitation-only and self-funded; everyone else builds online
🏆 Prizes
To be announced:
Distributed within 90 days of the event ending, worth checking the event page closer to the date
✨ What Sets It Apart
A full week to build, rather than a single weekend, gives you room to actually iterate on an idea instead of shipping the first thing that works, with mentorship available throughout from NativelyAI's and /function1's own founders. If your team makes the invite-only on-site finale, you get to pitch in Dubai alongside /function1's own AI conference, live in front of an industry audience rather than uploading a video and waiting for an email. And because this is a second run of a format that already worked once in 2025, it's a chance to build against real partner technology, Gemini and Opus workflows among last year's tracks, with an organizer that has already worked out how to run it well.
🚀 Why YOU Should Join
🗓️ A full week to build, longer than most weekend-format hackathons here
🕋 A genuine route to Dubai if your team is selected for the invite-only on-site finale
🌐 A track record from 2025 to judge the event by, rather than a first-year unknown
🤝 Direct mentor access from named founders at NativelyAI and /function1 throughout the build
🍂 NASA Space Apps Challenge (NOV)
🔗 Register/Join here:
Registration opens August 26, 2026, through a dedicated Space Apps account. It isn't complete until you also pick a location: an in-person Local Event, a Virtual Local Event, or the Virtual "Universal Event" for anyone without a nearby or compatible local option. Free to participate.
🧠 Topic
Real challenge statements written by NASA, built using NASA's own open data:
Team formation and challenge summaries open September 17, 2026
Full challenge statements release October 28, 2026, about two and a half weeks before the hackathon
2025's 18 challenges spanned exoplanet detection with AI, air-quality monitoring using the TEMPO satellite instrument, Mars recycling systems, and satellite-based agricultural land-use tracking — a reliable preview of what 2026's statements will likely look like
📅 When
Global hackathon weekend: November 14–15, 2026, 9:00 a.m. local time at each participating location. Submissions close 11:59 p.m. local time on November 15. Global Nominees, Finalists, and Honorable Mentions are announced in December 2026, with the 10 Global Winners announced in January 2027.
👥Who Can Join
All ages, all skill levels, worldwide — under-18 participants need a registered parent or guardian present throughout
Teams of up to six, four to five recommended; solo submissions explicitly allowed
Fully virtual participation is real, not a consolation option — the Virtual Universal Event lets anyone join without a local host city nearby
🏆 Prizes
No cash prize, recognition-based:
NASA and its partner space agencies name Global Winners across award categories after judging
Global Winners have historically been flown to an in-person Winners Celebration — in 2024, two days split between NASA Headquarters in Washington, D.C. and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, including meeting NASA's Associate Administrator for Science and touring the Nancy Grace Roman Space Telescope project.
✨ What Sets It Apart
This is one of the only places you'll build against real NASA data, actual Earth observation instruments, exoplanet datasets, and space agency challenge statements, rather than a synthetic dataset assembled for a hackathon. It's also two rounds of real feedback, first from local judges at your event, then from NASA scientists and space agency experts internationally, so you learn what a genuine subject-matter expert thinks of your approach, not just whether it demoed well. And it's genuinely built for people with no space or coding background: the same set of challenge categories that welcomed complete beginners in 2025 drew 114,000 participants, so whatever you try here, you're trying it alongside people at every skill level.
🚀 Why YOU Should Join
🛰️ Genuine NASA datasets and challenge statements, a credential that means something regardless of your field
🌍 One of the largest hackathons that exists by raw participation, 114,000-plus people in the most recent cycle
🧑🚀 First-timer-friendly by design, no coding or space background assumed
🎟️ A real shot at Washington, D.C. or a NASA facility if your project becomes a Global Winner
🌐 Where to Find the Best Virtual Hackathons in 2026
What are the best platforms to register for virtual hackathons?
If you're new to hackathons, there are several reliable platforms where you can find free, global, and beginner-friendly events all year long. These sites list AI hackathons, sustainability events, coding competitions, social-impact challenges, and corporate-sponsored buildathons. Whether you want a weekend sprint or a multi-week accelerator, these platforms give you everything you need to prepare and join.
🔥 Best Platforms to Discover Virtual Hackathons
Lablab.ai: A great platform for AI-focused hackathons, especially fast-paced generative AI challenges with strong beginner support.
Major League Hacking (MLH): The gold standard for student-friendly and beginner-friendly hackathons, with virtual events running nearly every weekend.
Devpost: The largest global directory of online hackathons - ideal for software, AI, design, and hardware challenges with strong prize pools.
Unstop: A fast-growing international platform listing open hackathons in tech, business, and innovation, with many virtual options.
OpenHackathons.org: Perfect for AI, HPC, GPU computing, and scientific hackathons designed for all skill levels with professional coaching.
Google Developers Events: A trusted source for official Google hackathons, workshops, and online developer competitions.
Dev.Events: A clean, global aggregator that makes it easy to browse virtual and hybrid hackathons happening throughout the year.
Because these platforms focus heavily on virtual and hybrid events, they’re the best places to register for online hackathons in 2026 - no travel, no limits, just creativity and community.
🎯 How to Choose the Right Hackathon for You
Start by matching the event to your experience level - look for "beginner-friendly" labels and pre-event workshops if you're new.
Choose themes that genuinely excite you, whether that's AI, sustainability, or gaming.
Consider your schedule: weekend sprints work for busy schedules, while week-long events allow deeper exploration.
Don't fixate only on cash prizes - mentorship, portfolio projects, and industry connections often matter more for career growth.
Finally, check if the hackathon helps with team-matching if you're joining solo.
Still unsure? Pick one event in the next month and commit - you'll learn more by doing than deliberating.
❓ Mini FAQ for First-Time Hackers
How do I join my first hackathon as a beginner?
Sign up solo or with friends - most events help you form teams, offer tutorials, and provide beginner tracks.
Where can I find sustainability or social-impact hackathons?
Devpost, Unstop, EarthBeat, and World Engineering Day host regular climate and sustainability-focused challenges.
How long do hackathons last?
They typically run 24 hours to 7 days, depending on format.
What tools do I need?
Most participants use GitHub, VS Code, Figma, Notion, cloud notebooks, and no-code builders.
⭐ Final Thoughts: Your Next Great Project Starts Here
If you’ve been waiting for the perfect moment to try something new, this is it. Hackathons are one of the most energizing ways to gain new skills, meet creative people, and build something meaningful - even with no experience. With workshops, mentors, teammates, and beginner-friendly challenges, you're supported every step of the way.
One weekend (or even a single evening) can give you new skills, a portfolio project, and the confidence that comes from building something real. All you need is curiosity - not expertise.
So take the leap: sign up for a hackathon, explore that idea you’ve been sitting on, and discover what you can create when you give yourself permission to try. You might walk away surprised by what you're capable of.
🚀 Ready to Try Your First Hackathon?
Visit The Changing Booth for more activities that help you learn new skills, explore digital opportunities, and discover what you’re capable of creating.
📚 Recommended Reading for New Hackers
If you’re excited to explore more, here are a few guides to help you build confidence and get the most out of every event:
These resources give you practical tips, insider strategies, and beginner-friendly advice to help you show up prepared - and leave feeling proud of what you built.
Past events
❄️ Winter Hackathons 2026
What is the purpose of a hackathon?
Winter is a season of fresh starts, renewed focus, and goal-setting, which makes it the ideal time to join your first hackathon. At their core, hackathons exist to help you solve real problems in a short, focused burst of creativity - whether that’s building an app, designing a sustainability solution, or launching your first prototype. They’re designed to encourage experimentation, collaboration, and learning by doing. Winter’s reflective energy makes it the perfect moment to channel motivation into meaningful progress.
🔗 Register/Join here:
Registration open from Mon, 12th of January 12, 9am to Mon, 26th of January, 5pm CET.
🧠 Topic
SDG 9: Industry, Innovation and Infrastructure: building resilient infrastructure, promoting inclusive and sustainable industrialisation, and fostering innovation and digitalisation.
📅 When
Monday, 12th of January (09:00 AM) - Monday, 26th of January (17:00 / 05:00 PM CET).
👥Who Can Join
Currently enrolled engineering and engineering-related students worldwide at bachelor’s, master’s, or PhD level (excluding postdocs), with teams requiring a majority of members from an engineering background.
Secondary school students, non-engineering university students, recent graduates at any level, and learners in vocational, technical, and polytechnic programs.
Register as an individual, then form a team of 3-5 people.
🏆 Prizes
You can win:
Cash prizes
Recognition
Mentoring opportunities
Global exposure
You will be judged on: Application of engineering knowledge, Originality, Use of digital tools and new technologies, Contribution to the UN SDGs, Successful collaboration
The winner announced on World Engineering Day 2026 (Wednesday, 4th of March).
✨ What Sets It Apart
This global online hackathon celebrates sustainable engineering and innovation tied to the UN’s goals. The challenges focus on building smarter cities, cleaner energy systems, and equitable digital access - all aimed at progress that supports both people and the planet. Although engineering-focused, the event welcomes participants with various levels of technical experience - creatives, storytellers, and coders alike. Teams tackle real sustainability challenges that have human and environmental impact. The event is supported by international institutions, giving it a globally recognized footprint.
🚀 Why YOU Should Join
🌱 Work on meaningful sustainability challenges that have real-world relevance.
🧠 Collaborate with interdisciplinary teammates - you don’t need an engineering background to contribute.
📚 Learn from experts and workshops focused on future-ready STEM skills.
🔗 Register/Join here:
Registration open until hackathon start on Thursday, 29th of January (8:00 PM CET).
Required: Create an account on Devpost.
🧠 Topic
Build anything that solves a real-world problem:
Apps
Games
Productivity tools
Scientific analyzers
Robotic controllers
Projects can be AI-powered or not. Creativity, experimentation, and execution are encouraged.
📅 When
Thursday, 29th of January (20:00 / 08:00 PM CET) - Sunday, 1st of February (20:00 / 08:00 PM CET).
Judging and public voting ends on Monday, 9th of February, 8:00 PM CET.
Winners announced on Tuesday, 10th of February (10:00 AM CET).
👥Who Can Join
Solo or in a team (typically up to 4 people)
With or without a technical background
Above legal age of majority in country of residence
Participants from any country are allowed to participate (except Brazil, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Quebec, Russia, Syria).
🏆 Prizes
💰 $166,529+ in total prizes, including:
🥇 Grand Prize: $1,000 cash + social promotion + interview with AI Founders
🥈 Second Place: $500 cash + promotion + interview
🥉 Third Place: $300 cash + promotion
🌟 Prizes for all attendees: free subscriptions to ANORA Labs and ElevenLabs etc.
✨ What Sets It Apart
The Vibe Hackathon stands out because it encourages open-ended creation across apps, games, productivity tools, scientific analyzers, and experimental systems. The emphasis on Vibe Coding, AI-assisted workflows, and speed building reflects modern development realities, where iteration, tooling, and intelligent automation matter as much as the final output. Participants are supported by curated resources, open-source templates, real project post-mortems, and mentorship from builders who have repeatedly won major hackathons. Vibe creates space for ambitious ideas, thoughtful execution, and meaningful experimentation.
🚀Why YOU Should Join:
🧠 Hands-on experience with AI-assisted building workflows and modern tools like Vibe Coding, Gemini APIs, and multimodal creation
📂 Leave with a well-documented, portfolio-ready project, including a demo video and public code repository
🧪 Experiment beyond traditional apps - such as autonomous agents, creative AI, or real-time systems
🌱 This hackathon rewards learning, originality, and progress, not just polished final products
🔗 Register/Join here:
Registration open until hackathon start on Monday, 2nd of February, 2026 (10:00 AM PT).
Required: Create an account on Devpost.
🧠 Topic
Build apps (Mobile App / Web App) from scratch from the available set of Challenges.
📅 When
Monday, 2nd of February (10:00 AM - 10:30 AM PT) - Friday, 20th of February (10:00 AM PT).
👥Who Can Join
18 years and older.
Teams (1-5 people) will be formed on Devpost.com.
Participants from any country are allowed to participate (except Brazil, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea, Quebec, Russia, Syria).
🏆 Prizes
$12,500 USD value:
Amazon Echos (Up to 5)
DevNetwork Premium All-Access Passes to all 2026 virtual conferences
Announcement in Devpost’s email to 60,000 subscribers listing your team and project
✨ What Sets It Apart
DeveloperWeek stands out because its hackathon challenges are built around real industry problems submitted by sponsoring tech companies. Teams are judged on three clear criteria that push you to build something meaningful: Progress, Concept, and Feasibility. Judges look closely at how far your project evolves during the event, whether your idea solves a legitimate real-world problem, and whether it has the potential to grow into a viable startup. This structure makes the hackathon feel like a launchpad - not just a weekend project.
🚀 Why YOU Should Join
🔍 Show you can execute fast - the Progress criterion rewards teams that build real features and demonstrate momentum.
💡 Test a startup-worthy idea in a supportive environment where the Concept and Feasibility criteria help you validate whether your solution solves a real problem.
🚀 Stand out to recruiters and investors by proving you can turn an idea into a functional prototype with genuine market potential.
🔗 Register/Join here:
The event will be hosted on the lablab.ai platform and lablab.ai Discord server.
Required: Hackers must register for both ahead of the hackathon.
🧠 Topic
Build an AI application that integrates multiple autonomous AI agents working together. Produce all supporting project deliverables - from ideation to launch materials - in a shared workspace environment.
📅 When
Monday, 23rd of February (18:00 / 06:00 PM CET) - Sunday, 1st of March (18:00 / 06:00 PM CET).
👥Who Can Join
Anyone with an interest in AI
No prior AI or coding experience required
🏆 Prizes
1st Place $2000 USD
2nd place $1000 USD
3rd place $500 USD
As well as:
3-month Complete.dev subscriptions (Top 10)
Platform credits for accepted participants
Bonus perks via feedback raffle
✨ What Sets It Apart
The Complete AI Agent Hackathon emphasizes multi-agent collaboration - not just single models, but intelligent systems of agents working together to solve tasks, reason through problems, or autonomously adapt workflows. Participants submit not only functional code but also project documentation and marketing deliverables, encouraging thinking beyond prototypes toward deployable experiences. The challenge combines systems design, AI orchestration, and practical presentation skills in one unique event.
🚀 Why YOU Should Join
🤖 Dive deep into building cooperative AI systems
🛠️ Showcase a project that demonstrates agent autonomy and integration
📣 Gain experience spanning from concept to project narrative
🔗 Register/Join here:
Rolling application review by Mistral, Discord invites for selected participants.
Confirmation sent one week prior.
🧠 Topic
Experiment with foundational models, multimodal AI, and performant inference workflows to design solutions that demonstrate real-world potential, scalability, and creative impact using leading-edge machine learning technology.
📅 When
Saturday, 28th of February (09:00 AM CET) - Sunday, 1st of March (19:00 / 07:00 PM CET).
👥Who Can Join
Teams of 1–4
In-person (selected cities) prioritized; online open for other regions
🏆 Prizes
🥇 Global Winner: $10K cash + $15K Mistral credits + hiring opportunities + Supercell AI Lab interview ($100K value)
🏆 Online Winners: 1st: $1.5K + $3K credits + 3 months ElevenLabs Pro, 2nd: $1K + $2K credits, 3rd: $500 + $1K credits
✨ Special Prizes: ElevenLabs credits ($2K–$6K), Mistral AirPods, Mistral Game Boy, Supercell AI Lab consideration
✨ What Sets It Apart
Mistral’s largest hackathon ever. Unlike traditional demo-focused events, the Mistral Worldwide Hackathon is built around a platform-driven AI ecosystem that mirrors how modern AI is developed today. With open-source models, high-performance architecture, and extensible tooling, participants prototype using industry-grade, production-ready AI stacks. It’s about building applications that can scale and evolve beyond the hackathon itself. The global multi-hub format also strengthens collaboration and cross-cultural exchange, making it one of the most ambitious AI innovation events of 2026.
🚀 Why YOU Should Join
🤖 Build alongside 1,000+ top AI engineers
🤝 Connect with NVIDIA, AWS, W&B & partners
🏆 Compete for high-profile industry recognition
🔗 Register/Join here: Registration opens on Monday, the 9th of February.
Required:
A Github account and join nf-core org
Join the #hackathon-mar-2026 Slack channel
Install Nextflow + Docker/Singularity/Conda
🧠 Topic
A collaborative open-source hackathon focused on building, improving, and expanding the nf-core community’s suite of reproducible bioinformatics pipelines, tools, and documentation.
📅 When
Wednesday,11th of March - Friday,13th of March.
👥Who Can Join
Beginners welcome, but expected to contribute fast
People who abide by Open science policies
🏆 Prizes
Instead of traditional cash prizes, the nf-core Hackathon keeps things fun with light-hearted challenges and community activities throughout the event. Expect online quizzes, hackathon bingo, surprise mini-games, and even a shared community Spotify playlist filled with an eclectic mix of songs to keep the energy up while you build. Vibes over cash!
✨ What Sets It Apart
The nf-core Hackathon has a very down-to-earth feel and a genuinely welcoming vibe, making it easy to contribute without pressure. It’s less about a single “winner” and more about community contribution: improving pipelines, writing documentation, and addressing real issues in one of the most active scientific open-source ecosystems. Participants gain experience working with reproducible workflows, Docker/Singularity containers, and collaborative GitHub processes while building tools that researchers worldwide rely on.
🚀 Why YOU Should Join
💡 Learn cutting-edge bioinformatics tooling through real community projects
🧑💻 Collaborate with researchers and developers shaping open science
📈 Build experience in reproducibility, versioning, and high-impact pipelines
🔗 Register/Join here:
After registering, you’ll access Discord for team formation and collaboration.
🧠 Topic
Build across four forward-looking missions: digital agents and multi-agent systems powered by LLMs; autonomous and embodied AI such as drones and robotics; human-robot interaction and social robotics; and the ethics, governance, and societal impact shaping responsible AI and intelligent systems.
📅 When
Friday, 27 of March - Friday, 17th of April. Project submission by Friday, the 10th of April.
👥Who Can Join
Beginners, non-coders, experienced developers and roboticists alike
Solo builders welcome; teams encouraged (no size limit)
🏆 Prizes
Value of $10,000 USD:
Cash prizes
GPU & compute credits
Platform & API credits
KXSB feature placement
Mentoring & talent visibility
Berlin travel stipends (selected teams)
Category winner & runner-up awards
✨ What Sets It Apart
The Agents & Robotics HackXelerator is focused specifically on intelligent systems. Instead of centering on one API or short-term demo challenge, it spans digital agents, multi-agent orchestration, autonomous robotics, human-robot interaction, and AI governance. That breadth creates a technically ambitious environment where software, hardware, research, and systems thinking intersect. AR26 is structured around shaping the future of AI and robotics through collaboration. It’s designed for participants who want to engage seriously with intelligent systems and explore how advanced agents and embodied AI operate, interact, and scale in the real world.
🚀 Why YOU Should Join
🤖 Explore autonomous, embodied, and multi-agent systems beyond basic AI demos
🧠 Engage with real questions around AI ethics, governance, and responsibility
🔧 Build something conceptually ambitious with time to iterate thoughtfully
🌍 Collaborate across robotics, systems thinking, and societal impact missions
🌿 Spring Hackathons 2026
Is a hackathon just coding?
Spring brings renewal, creativity, and fresh energy, making it the ideal time to join a hackathon focused on exploring new roles and ideas. Hackathons aren’t just about coding - they blend creativity, design, storytelling, ideation, research, and problem-solving. From UX design to pitch writing to prototyping, everyone has a role. Spring’s spirit of rebirth makes it perfect for testing new skills and bringing fresh concepts to life.
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Wow, a whole year of free hackathons in 2026? Sounds amazing! Especially with AI being so big now. It's great they're beginner-friendly with workshops. If you're looking for a quick way to preview some code for your project, you can Get started with an online HTML viewer!