Hackyardpresents Build 2026Last updated:
Start anywhere. Build anything. Explore ideas, scope your build, prepare and see what matters to the jury, all in one guide. Applications closed on 10 October 2026.
See selected projectsTell us what you want to build or what you can bring. Applications are online, free to enter, and open to everyone from 14 September to 10 October 2026.
Submit an idea, problem or skill you’d bring to a build. No finished product or polished pitch deck required. Have a prototype? Include a public link in the optional work-link field. Don’t have one? That’s fine.
Developers, designers, founders, researchers, students, operators and anyone who wants to build are welcome. Apply solo or with a team. Every person submits their own application.
See selected projectsA team is a group of individual applications connected by one private team code. This keeps headcount accurate and avoids matching people by names or email lists.
If you choose With a team, submit your application first. On the status screen, create a team to get a code like HYB-7K4P2, or join an existing team with a code from your teammate.
The team creator does not need to know everyone's email. Share the invite link. Each teammate applies and joins with the same code. Teams must have 2–4 applicants, with a maximum of 4.
See selected projectsBring a startup idea, solve something you have experienced, build an AI agent, make a useful tool, or try something weird. These are starting points, not limits. Build whatever you think should exist.
Start with a real task, give the system meaningful agency, and make its work visible enough to test and trust.
Choose one concrete workflow, remove its biggest friction, and build an end-to-end experience people can actually use.
Ground the build in direct experience, test it with the people who face the problem, and improve what matters.
Bring a startup idea, make a useful tool or try something weird. The suggested directions are starting points, not limits.
Name the person you are helping and the task they need to finish. Make that task work end to end before adding another feature.
Test with realistic inputs and an awkward case, not only the happy path. Make failures understandable. Be honest about assumptions and limitations.
Use synthetic, public, or authorized data. Think through privacy and accessibility as part of the product, not as a slide at the end.
Plan your buildBring a laptop and your curiosity. An idea is optional. Come ready to experiment, collaborate, fail, rebuild, and ship.
Explore build ideasStart with something worth making: an idea, a problem or a question. You do not need the whole answer.
Make the smallest version that actually works. Do not spend the weekend making slides.
Use it. Break it. Improve it. Find what does not work and fix what matters.
Do not tell us what it could do. Show us what it does.
Show the problem, then the working flow. Say what you built, what depends on an external service, and what still needs work. Test the demo path and be ready to explain your technical decisions. When it is time to present, show what the product does, not only what it could do.
Good builds deserve a fair look. What matters is what you built, the problem, the ingenuity of your approach, and its potential.
Meet our confirmed judges for online Round 1 and in-person Round 2. Tie-break and recusal details will follow after final confirmation.
Meet the judgesHow much did you actually make? Does the core experience work?
Does it solve a real or meaningful problem?
Is there something clever, original, or thoughtful about the approach?
Is there a reason to keep building it after the event?
Judge the build, not the pitch.
Applications are closed. Selected builders find their people, then build in person at IIT Guwahati on 24–25 October 2026.
14 September → 10 October
Bring an idea, a problem or a skill. No finished product required.
Describe your idea, the problem you want to solve or the skills you bring. A rough starting point is enough.
After applications close
Hackyard Program Team reviews applications and contacts selected builders with attendance-confirmation details.
Applying is not a guarantee of selection. Hackyard Program Team reviews each application and contacts selected builders with result and attendance-confirmation details.
Before the build
Find your people. Form a team. Prepare your build.
Come with a team or meet other selected builders. If you already have a team, connect everyone with the same private team code.
24–25 October 2026
In person at IIT Guwahati. Build. Ship. Show.
Make the smallest version that actually works.
Use it, break it and improve what matters.
After the event
Get seen. Get opportunities. Keep building.
Selected builders can receive a badge, public profile and Build 2026 credential.
Projects can be showcased and builders can access selected future Hackyard opportunities.
The physical build is at IIT Guwahati on 24–25 October 2026. Applying is free. Selected builders attend in person with an all-inclusive participant package: event seat, 2 nights' stay, all meals, build space and internet. Details are emailed before attendance confirmation. Travel to and from IIT Guwahati is not covered.
Ask the organizing team about access or participation. Detailed arrival and participant package information will be shared with selected builders before they travel, so you can plan your stay. Travel to and from IIT Guwahati is not covered.
Ask the teamA 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.
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.