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.

Participants must be at least 13 years old. School students aged 13+ may apply. For minors, the organizers will confirm applicable parent/guardian consent and venue requirements before attendance.

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.

Round 1 on Devpost is for idea submissions, closing 10 October 2026 at 11:45 PM IST. Explain the problem, proposed solution, who it helps, why it matters, and how you might start. No working prototype, demo video, source repository or polished pitch deck is required for round one. An existing public prototype or work link may be included optionally.

There is no fixed theme, and AI is optional. Teams may have 2-4 people (maximum four), and solo applicants are welcome. Each person must also submit their own official Hackyard application at hackyard.org/build2026/apply by 10 October. A Devpost idea submission does not replace the official application or guarantee selection.

Selected builders will be invited to the in-person 24-hour build at IIT Guwahati on 24-25 October 2026. They will turn their ideas into working prototypes and present them to judges. The October 10 deadline is for ideas and applications, not completed products.

Participants may use third-party APIs, open-source libraries, datasets and AI tools, subject to their terms and licenses. They must have the rights to any third-party material used in their builds and disclose third-party or AI-generated components where relevant.

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 project will receive $100 in Hackyard LLM Credits.

Additional confirmed in-kind partner rewards include:

• Browser Use (YC W25): $100 in Browser Use credits for each eligible selected participant who signs up, up to 300 people

• XYZ Domain Foundation: 50 standard .xyz domains for one year, one per top-50 project

Other confirmed partner benefits include Render credits and a Render Workflows prize track; FlutterFlow trials and Basic subscriptions; Maritime Starter access for 100 projects; MojoAuth Hack Pass licenses for five winning teams; Spline Professional Annual plans with AI credits for three winning teams; and ElevenLabs Creator/Pro/Scale subscriptions. ElevenLabs usage quotas: Creator 131,000 credits for one month per participant; Pro 600,000 credits per month for three months per member of the overall winning team; Scale 1.8 million credits per month for three months per member of Best Project Built with ElevenLabs. Usage credits are not dollars. Full partner terms and redemption conditions are on https://hackyard.org/build2026/prizes .

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 [email protected] 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.