BUILD SOMETHING REAL. FIND YOUR PEOPLE. SHIP IT.

24-25 October 2026 | IIT Guwahati | In person | Free to enter

WHAT IS HACKYARD BUILD?

Hackyard Build 2026 is a free-to-enter, in-person hackathon in Guwahati, Assam, India, on 24-25 October 2026. Up to 300 builders will be selected from 1,000+ applications for a focused 24-hour build at IIT Guwahati. Students (including school students aged 13+), developers, designers, founders, researchers and operators can join. Bring an idea, a problem or a skill; no finished product or pitch deck is needed.

There is no fixed theme, and AI is optional. Build an AI agent, web or mobile app, developer tool, startup prototype, useful service or something unexpected. Make a working version, test it and show what it does. Projects are assessed on Build (40%), Problem (20%), Ingenuity (20%) and Potential (20%). Round 1 on Devpost is for idea submissions, open now and closing 10 October 2026 at 11:45 PM IST. Submit an idea, problem statement or project concept, not a finished product. Selected builders will be invited to build a working prototype in person at IIT Guwahati on 24-25 October 2026.

HOW TO JOIN

Apply by 10 October 2026 at https://hackyard.org/build2026/apply. Each person must apply on Hackyard's website. Joining the Devpost page alone does not count as an event application or guarantee a place. Apply solo or with a team of 2-4; every teammate applies individually. Selected builders will get attendance details from Hackyard after applications close.

ON CAMPUS

Entry, build space and internet are free. Travel to IIT Guwahati is not covered. Food and accommodation will be available at a participant fee; the final fee and arrival instructions will be shared with selected builders before travel.

IN-KIND BENEFITS AND PARTNER PRIZES

• Hackyard LLM credits: Hackyard provides $100 in LLM credits per selected project (100 projects).
• Browser Use: Browser Use offers $100 platform credits for each eligible selected participant who signs up, up to 300 people.
• Render: Render provides $50 build credits to eligible physical attendees aged 16+ using Render (up to 300) and a Best Use of Render Workflows track with $200/$100/$50 in credits per member of the first/second/third team, up to four members per team.
• XYZ domains: XYZ Domain Foundation provides 50 standard .xyz domains free for one year, one per top-50 project.
• FlutterFlow: FlutterFlow offers a 30-day trial to interested attendees and one-year Basic plans for each member of the top two teams.
• MojoAuth: MojoAuth offers five Hack Pass Business Pro licenses, one per top-five winning team.
• Spline: Spline offers three Professional Annual plans with AI credits, one nominated member of each of three winning teams.
• Maritime: Maritime offers one free month of Starter for 100 projects, plus a founder session with CEO Maria Gorskikh (date to be announced).
• ElevenLabs: ElevenLabs offers one month of Creator per participant (131,000 usage credits), three months of Pro per member of the overall winning team (600,000 usage credits per month), and three months of Scale per member of Best Project Built with ElevenLabs (1.8 million usage credits per month).

ElevenLabs redemption requires a card on file, with no charge for the sponsored tier. Usage credits measure tool usage and are not dollars. See the partner terms and eligibility on the prizes page and in later participant instructions.

WHAT THE $73,526 MAXIMUM MEANS

UP TO $73,526 IN QUANTIFIABLE IN-KIND VALUE. At published reference prices: $56,400 in platform/LLM credits, $11,376 in ElevenLabs plans, $2,000 in Maritime Starter access, $750 in standard .xyz domains, and $3,000 for the first year of five MojoAuth licenses. This is a conditional maximum of priced benefits, not cash or guaranteed redemption; FlutterFlow and Spline awards are additional and excluded because their exact committed dollar values are unconfirmed.

LINKS AND CONTACT

Full details: https://hackyard.org/build2026. Builder guide: https://hackyard.org/build2026/guide. Prizes: https://hackyard.org/build2026/prizes. Questions: [email protected].

• Round 1: Idea evaluation
  Round 1 ideas: problem relevance, innovation, feasibility, potential impact, and execution potential. No prototype or polished deck needed. Selected builders advance to the Oct 24-25 in-person final; the weighted criteria below apply there.
• Build — 40%
  Final in-person round (Oct 24-25): Does the working prototype actually work? Judges consider functionality, completeness, execution, and the quality of the demonstration. Round 1 ideas do not need a prototype.
• Problem — 20%
  Final in-person round (Oct 24-25): Does the prototype address a real or meaningful problem? Judges consider the clarity of the problem and how well the build addresses it.
• Ingenuity — 20%
  Final in-person round (Oct 24-25): Is the approach clever, original, or thoughtful? Judges consider creativity, technical approach, product thinking, and implementation.
• Potential — 20%
  Final in-person round (Oct 24-25): Is there a reason to keep building after the event? Judges consider usefulness, potential users, scalability, and opportunities for continued development.