Applications: 14 September 2026 – 10 October 2026

Selection: Selected builders will be notified after applications close.

Physical Build: 24–25 October 2026 at IIT Guwahati, Assam, India.

Applications are free. Only selected builders will be invited to the physical build.

The organizers may modify dates or deadlines when reasonably necessary. Any significant changes will be communicated through official Hackyard channels.

Hackyard Build 2026 is open to builders from any background or location, subject to applicable laws and venue requirements.

You do not need to be a student, professional developer, or experienced programmer to apply.

Participants may apply:

• Individually

• With an existing team

• With an idea

• With a problem they want to solve

• With technical, design, product, or other skills

No finished product is required to apply.

Selected builders must be able to attend the physical build at IIT Guwahati on 24–25 October 2026 and comply with applicable venue and event requirements.

Participants are responsible for arranging any travel documents, permissions, or visas required for participation.

There is no fixed theme for Hackyard Build 2026.

Build an AI application, web or mobile app, developer tool, startup prototype, productivity tool, solution to a real-world problem, or something completely different.

Your project should demonstrate meaningful work completed during the hackathon build period.

Participants may come with an idea, research, problem exploration, designs, or basic development setup. However, substantial development of the submitted project should take place during the designated hackathon build period.

Each submission must include:

1. Project description
   Explain what you built, the problem it addresses, who it is for, and how it works.

2. Working demo
   Provide a working demo or accessible version of your project whenever reasonably possible.

3. Demo video
   Include a short video demonstrating the project in action.

4. Source code
   Provide a link to your source code repository where applicable. Include setup and usage instructions in the README.

5. Technologies used
   List the major technologies, APIs, frameworks, AI models, datasets, and other tools used.

6. Team members
   All members of the team must be listed on the Devpost submission.

AI tools, APIs, open-source libraries, datasets, and third-party services are allowed, subject to their applicable terms and licenses.

Participants must have the necessary rights to use any third-party material included in their project.

Hackyard Build 2026 will recognize projects across multiple categories.

• Best Build — Overall

• Best Use of AI — Thoughtful

• The Wildcard — Unexpected

• Real-World Build

• Builder to Watch

Every selected team will receive $100 in Hackyard LLM Credits.

Additional partner rewards currently include:

• Browser Use (YC W25): $100 in Browser Use credits for each of the 100 teams selected for the second round

• XYZ Domain Foundation: One-year domains for the top 50 builders, one each

Additional prizes, partner rewards, challenges, and opportunities may be announced before or during the event.

Final prize details, eligibility requirements, quantities, and fulfillment terms will be communicated by the organizers when confirmed.

Projects will be evaluated using the following criteria:

Does the project actually work?

Judges will consider functionality, completeness, execution, and the quality of the working demonstration.

Does the project address a real or meaningful problem?

Judges will consider the clarity of the problem and how effectively the project addresses it.

Is the approach clever, original, or thoughtful?

Judges will consider the creativity of the idea, technical approach, product thinking, and implementation.

Is there a reason to keep building it after the hackathon?

Judges will consider the project's usefulness, potential users, scalability, and opportunities for continued development.

Eligible submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges selected by Hackyard.

Judges will evaluate submissions using the criteria above. The organizers may request a demonstration or clarification where necessary to evaluate a project.

Awards will be given to the projects selected by the judging panel for each category.

The organizers reserve the right to disqualify submissions that violate the hackathon rules, Code of Conduct, applicable law, or third-party rights.

Judging decisions are final, subject to correction of clear administrative or procedural errors.

Hackyard Build 2026 is dedicated to providing a safe, respectful, and harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, or technology choices.

Harassment of participants, sponsors, organizers, judges, volunteers, or venue staff in any form is not tolerated. This includes offensive comments, intimidation, stalking, disruptive behavior, inappropriate physical contact, and unwelcome sexual attention.

Participants asked to stop any harassing or inappropriate behavior are expected to comply immediately. Anyone violating this Code of Conduct may be warned, removed from the event, or disqualified at the organizers' discretion, without refund of any participant fee.

If you experience or witness a violation, report it to the Hackyard organizing team at hello@hackyard.org or to an organizer on site. Reports will be handled promptly and discreetly.

This Code of Conduct applies to all hackathon spaces, including the venue, online channels, project submissions, and related social events.