Hackyard BUILD2026

A builder experience where ideas, problems, skills and ambitious people come together to make something real.

Yes. Applications are free, open to everyone and run online from 14 September to 10 October 2026.

No. Submit an idea, problem or skill you would bring to a build. No finished product or polished pitch deck is required. If you already have a prototype, you can include a public link in the optional work-link field.

Applications closed on 10 October. After review, selected builders will receive selection and attendance-confirmation details directly from Hackyard. If you applied with a team, connect your team with a private team code after submitting. The physical build is at IIT Guwahati on 24–25 October 2026.

Yes. Apply solo, with a team, or as someone looking for teammates. Every person submits their own application. Teams are connected with a private team code.

If you choose With a team, your team must have 2–4 people, with a maximum of 4. Submit your own application first. After submission, create a team to get a private code like HYB-7K4P2, or join an existing team with a code from a teammate. Everyone on the team must apply individually.

Yes. If you do not have your team code yet, submit your application and connect the team later from your application status page. Your application remains valid without a connected team.

No. Building is not limited to code. Designers, researchers, operators, founders and people with strong problem-solving skills are welcome. Email [email protected].

Every selected project gets one $100 LLM credit allocation from Hackyard. A solo builder receives the allocation directly; a 2–4-person team shares one allocation for its project.

A participant is one individual applicant. You count as one participant whether you apply solo, apply as part of a 2–4-person team, or apply while looking for teammates.

A project means one competing build. A solo participant's build counts as one project, and a registered team of 2–4 participants shares one project. Project rewards are issued once per project, not once per person. Someone looking for teammates becomes part of the project they ultimately build; if they continue solo, their build counts as one project.

Hackyard will share Render's private $50 credit claim link only when the hackathon starts. Eligible attendees must be age 16+, be building with or on Render, submit a GitHub account, and use the emailed code. Best Use of Render projects must use Render Workflows. Winner credits are per member: $200 each for 1st place (up to $800), $100 each for 2nd (up to $400), and $50 each for 3rd (up to $200).

Anything worth building. Follow one of our suggested directions or build something completely your own. AI is a powerful building layer, not a requirement.

The physical build is a 24-hour hackathon at IIT Guwahati on 24–25 October 2026. Applying is free. Selected builders attend with an all-inclusive participant package: event seat, 2 nights' stay, all meals, build space and internet. Travel to and from IIT Guwahati is not covered. Package, check-in and local-transport details are emailed to selected builders before attendance confirmation.

The Build 2026 cash pool is up to ₹4,72,500. Hackyard Open Innovation, the main track every selected team competes in, awards ₹15,000, ₹7,000 and ₹3,000 to the top three teams. Agent37 main-event prizes include ₹47,500 cash and ₹1,00,000 in Agent37 credits. Up to 300 selected projects with verified Agent37 use receive ₹1,000 cash plus $10 in credits each; in-person attendance is not required for this support. The separate Nodus Challenge awards ₹50,000, ₹30,000 and ₹20,000 to the top three teams building on Nodus compute at the physical event. Each team at the event also receives $30 in Nodus product credits. MojoAuth provides 5 Business Pro licenses, one for each of the top 5 winning teams. Licenses, credits and ByteAsk rewards are separate from the cash pool. See the Prizes page for eligibility and payout details.