Key facts
- Type
- Competition
- Provider
- XPRIZE
- Deadline
- 8/17/2026
In short
The Build with Gemini XPRIZE is a hackathon with $2,000,000 in prizes, challenging individuals and small organizations to build and ship real, AI-operated businesses that generate revenue and create impact.
Build with Gemini XPRIZE
By XPRIZE
CompetitionAccepting applications nowApply by 8/17/202616 days left
$2,000,000
Total prizes
90 days
Build period
Online
Format
Public
Participation
August 17, 2026
Submission Deadline
Machine Learning/AI, Education, Productivity
Themes
Overview
The Build with Gemini XPRIZE is a 90-day hackathon that challenges participants to ideate, build, ship, and grow a real business using AI. The core objective is to demonstrate how AI agents can operate significant parts of a business workflow, generating real revenue with real customers. Participants are expected to leverage AI to transform traditional operations, proving that small teams can achieve significant impact with advanced tools. The competition focuses on creating businesses that are AI-native, meaning AI executes key decisions and continuously runs in production. This initiative aims to expand the definition of a 'developer,' empowering more individuals to build impactful solutions. Projects must address one of five critical categories: Education & Human Potential, Entrepreneurship & Job Creation, Small Business Services, Money & Financial Access, or Professional Services Access. The goal is to develop solutions that meaningfully move the needle in these areas, either by redefining existing processes or by achieving widespread adoption. With $2,000,000 in total prizes, the hackathon encourages the development of viable, sustainable businesses that not only utilize AI but also demonstrate real-world impact and revenue generation.
What to build
Participants must build a business that operates with AI, acquires real users, and generates real revenue within 90 days. The business must operate primarily through AI agents and utilize at least one product from Google Cloud. Additionally, projects must use the Gemini API for at least one LLM call in the deployed application. Projects must fall into one of the following five categories: - Education & Human Potential: Transforming how we learn, grow, and achieve our best. - Entrepreneurship & Job Creation: Fueling the tools that help new founders and economies thrive. - Small Business Services: Powering everyday businesses with tools to compete and win. - Money & Financial Access: Breaking down barriers to banking, capital, and financial freedom. - Professional Services Access: Connecting everyday people with the expert guidance they need.
Prizes
1st place
1 winner
$500,000
2nd place
1 winner
$200,000
3rd place
1 winner
$100,000
4th place
1 winner
$100,000
5th place
1 winner
$100,000
Runner-up
15 winners
$50,000
Education & Human Potential Category Prize
1 winner
$50,000
Entrepreneurship & Job Creation Category Prize
1 winner
$50,000
Small Business Services Category Prize
1 winner
$50,000
Money & Financial Access Category Prize
1 winner
$50,000
Professional Services Access Category Prize
1 winner
$50,000
Key dates
- Submissions BeginMay 19, 2026 at 1:00 PM EDT
- Innovation Orientation SessionJune 12, 2026 at 9:00 AM PT
- Team Building WorkshopJune 26, 2026 at 12:00 PM PT
- Team Building WorkshopJuly 2, 2026 at 9:00 AM PT
- How to Take Software to Market in 2026 WorkshopJuly 7, 2026 at 11:00 AM PT
- Build Like a Team of One With AI Agents WorkshopJuly 10, 2026 at 10:00 AM PT
- Business Viability WorkshopJuly 15, 2026 at 9:00 AM PT
- Submissions EndAugust 17, 2026 at 4:00 PM EDT
- Judging BeginsAugust 20, 2026 at 12:00 PM EDT
- Judging EndsSeptember 15, 2026 at 8:00 PM EDT
- Winners AnnouncedSeptember 25, 2026 at 7:00 PM EDT
Eligibility
The hackathon is open to individuals who are at least the legal age of majority in their country of residence, teams of eligible individuals, and small organizations with fewer than 25 employees that exist and have been organized or incorporated at the time of entry. Participants residing in countries, states, provinces, or territories where the laws of the United States or local law prohibit participation or prize receipt (including but not limited to Russia, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, and North Korea, and any other country designated by the United States Treasury's Office of Foreign Assets Control) are not eligible. Employees, representatives, agents of Promotion Entities (organizations involved with the design, production, paid promotion, execution, or distribution of the Hackathon, including the Sponsor and Administrator), and their immediate family or household members, are not eligible. Judges, their employers, and affiliates are also ineligible. Individuals under the age of majority may participate and submit a project for the Project Gallery but will not be eligible for prizes due to legal documentation requirements. An individual may join multiple teams or organizations and submit multiple unique projects. There is no maximum team size, but each team must appoint one representative to receive and distribute prizes.
How to enter
- Register for the Hackathon on the Hackathon Website by clicking the “Join Hackathon” button. Sign up for a free Devpost account or log in with an existing one.
- Develop a new business that operates with AI, uses at least one Google Cloud product, and utilizes the Gemini API for at least one LLM call.
- Select one of the five specified categories for your project.
- Complete and enter all required fields on the “Enter a Submission” page of the Hackathon Website before the deadline.
- Provide a URL to your code repository, shared with testing@devpost.com and judging@hacker.fund.
- Include a text description explaining how your project meets the requirements and its relevance to the chosen category.
- Submit a demonstration video (under 3 minutes) showing your project functioning on the intended device, uploaded publicly to YouTube, Vimeo, or Youku.
- Provide revenue evidence, including total revenue from arms-length third-party customers (in USD, broken out by month), total costs (excluding marketing), and marketing/customer acquisition spend.
- Provide user evidence, including the number of individual users, a high-level breakdown of users, and any testimonials or feedback.
- Provide product evidence such as agent execution logs, API usage records, or dashboard screenshots.
- If an organization, include your corporate ID.
- Ensure all submission materials are in English or include English translations.
Submission requirements
- GitHub repository URL (public or private, shared with testing@devpost.com and judging@hacker.fund) containing all necessary source code.
- 3-minute demonstration video (or less) uploaded publicly to YouTube, Vimeo, or Youku, showing the project functioning and how AI executes key decisions.
- Written narrative (500–1000 words) describing the team's daily AI usage, human vs. AI roles, economic opportunities created, and the business building story.
- Revenue evidence: Stripe dashboard export or bank statement, and a simple P&L (template provided) showing total revenue (arms-length third-party, in USD, by month: May, June, July, August 2026), total costs, and marketing/customer acquisition spend (even if zero).
- Product evidence: Agent execution logs, API usage records, screenshots of dashboards, or anything demonstrating continuous AI operation in production.
- Customer evidence: Contact information of real customers (name, email, phone) and any testimonials or feedback.
- Corporate ID if submitting as an organization.
- Project must be newly created after May 19, 2026.
- Project must use at least one product from Google Cloud.
- Project must use the Gemini API for at least one LLM call in the deployed application.
- Must fall into one of the five specified categories.
- All materials must be in English or include English translations.
Judging criteria
- Business Viability: Teams must launch a real business, acquire real users, and generate real revenue. Judges assess actual revenue during the 90-day window and the sustainability of the business model.
- AI-Native Operations: Teams must run their business through AI. Judges assess the extent to which AI is live in production and executes key decisions.
- Category Impact: Teams built something that meaningfully moves the needle in their chosen category — either by redefining how something works at a fundamental level, or by reaching a scale where widespread adoption is credible.
Sponsors & partners
XPRIZE
Frequently asked questions
Answers below are best-effort estimates from the most recent application cycle. Values marked ~ or (est.) may shift year-to-year — confirm specifics on the official scholarship page.
What is the minimum age requirement to participate?
+
To be eligible for prizes, participants must be above the legal age of majority in their country of residence. This is because prize winners must complete required legal documentation (e.g., tax forms). Minors can participate and submit projects for the Project Gallery, but are not eligible for prizes.
Is eligibility based on where I live or my citizenship?
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Hackathon eligibility is based on your country of legal residence. If unsure about your visa providing legal resident status or local laws prohibiting participation, consult a local tax professional. A list of prohibited countries is available in the full rules.
Can I participate if I am a student or participate alone?
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Participation as an individual is allowed. Student status does not affect eligibility, provided all other requirements (age of majority, not from a prohibited country, etc.) are met.
Can I be on multiple teams or submit more than one project?
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An Eligible Individual may join more than one Team or Organization and can also enter individually. Entrants may submit more than one Submission, but each must be unique and substantially different from other submissions, as determined by the Sponsor and Devpost.
Can a team include members who are minors if the team leader is 18+?
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Teams need to be made up of Eligible Individuals, defined as those at least the age of majority where they reside. If a minor is part of a team, the team is free to participate and submit a project for the Project Gallery, but would not be eligible for prizes.
What is the maximum team size?
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There is no maximum team size. However, the team must appoint one individual as the representative responsible for receiving and distributing any prizes.
How do I access the Google Cloud and Antigravity resources?
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Google Cloud and Antigravity include getting started resources directly through their websites at https://cloud.google.com/free and https://antigravity.google/.
Do any of the getting started resources require payment to use?
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No, payment is not required to use the initial getting started resources. Google Cloud Free Trial is a 90-day program, and Antigravity offers a $0/month plan.
Are there additional credits available for those who are building & can’t afford them?
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A limited number of Google Ultra Plan coupons (3 months free) are available for active builders registered for the hackathon who would struggle to continue without help. Applications undergo review and identity verification.
What’s the difference between a project, a business, and a business entity?
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A hackathon 'project' is defined as a business that operates with AI. A 'business' is an activity that provides goods or services for financial payment. A 'business entity' is the legal structure of a company conducting the business activity.
Does my business/project need to be newly created for this hackathon, or can I submit something I’ve been working on already?
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Projects must be newly created during the Submission Period (May 19 – Aug 17, 2026). A project created before that date is not eligible. Pre-existing generic templates, frameworks, boilerplates, or code snippets can be reused but must be clearly explained in the submission description.
What does 'newly created' mean — does the GitHub repo need to be new?
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'Newly created' means the business you are building (that operates with AI) should be newly created after the start of the Submission Period (May 19 – Aug 17, 2026). You may reuse pre-existing generic templates, frameworks, boilerplates, or code snippets, explaining their use.
Is there a specific platform required to build my project?
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There is no single required development platform. The main requirement is to 'Build a business that operates with AI' and use at least one product from Google Cloud.
What does it mean for a business to be 'operated by AI agents'?
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This means AI is transforming workflows in the business, e.g., an AI agent for customer support or an AI tool for marketing assets. Judges assess the extent to which AI is live in production and executes key decisions.
Can all my projects be run under the same business entity?
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The rules allow participants to submit multiple unique and substantially different projects. There is no requirement to create different business entities.
Is a specific payment infrastructure (e.g., Stripe) required for revenue evidence?
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No specific payment tools are required, other than using at least one Google Cloud product. Any payment infrastructure, including local payment gateways, is acceptable.
Does calling Gemini via Vertex AI satisfy the Gemini API requirement?
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Yes, using the Gemini API through AI Studio API or via Vertex AI satisfies the requirement for using at least one Google Cloud product.
Do I need to create a new business entity?
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You do not need a new business entity; an existing one can be used. If an existing entity is used, it should be for incorporation purposes only, and the business itself (not just a new feature or menu item) must be new.
Can I use my existing business entity or its resources?
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The business, not the entity, must be new. You may use existing social media/email audiences, employees, and generic templates/frameworks/code snippets. If using existing employees, attest that their work on the project started after the hackathon period and outline associated expenses. Existing customer revenue must be reported separately.
How are projects judged? What are the judging criteria?
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Projects are judged on three equally weighted criteria: Business Viability, AI-Native Operations, and Category Impact. Full details are in the official rules.
Will $0 revenue in May disqualify us?
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There is no specific disqualification for $0 revenue in a given month. Business viability, which assesses sustainability and revenue, is one of the judging criteria. You must show any revenue earned during the hackathon period.
Is there a minimum revenue threshold or a minimum number of customers required?
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The rules do not specify a minimum revenue threshold or required number of customers. Business viability, assessing sustainability and revenue, is a judging criterion.
Does higher profit mean a higher score?
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Business viability, which assesses sustainability and revenue, is one of the judging criteria. Refer to the full criteria in the official rules.
Are judges bound by any NDA or confidentiality agreement?
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Judges adhere to confidentiality and nondisclosure. Private repositories should be shared with testing@devpost.com and judging@hacker.fund. The contest handles PII compliantly; anonymize names if necessary.
How should we report revenue for subscription services — earned or cash basis?
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The rules state 'earned revenue.' Additional context and nuance about your business can be explained on the submission form.
Do I need to report my own salary as a marketing or operations expense?
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Participants are asked to report any business expenses during the hackathon period, including labor/salary and marketing/customer acquisition. Explain the expense within your submission.
Can I submit more than one project?
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Yes, an Entrant may submit more than one Submission, but each must be unique and substantially different from others, as determined by the Sponsor and Devpost.
When should I submit — do I need to submit early, or can I wait until the deadline?
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You can submit at any time before the deadline (August 17, 2026). It's encouraged to check the submission form early, draft it as your project develops, and submit early, as edits are allowed until the deadline.
How do I submit my project? Can I email my GitHub repo?
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Submit your repository and all requirements through the Devpost platform. Emailing content does not count as a submission. After registering, use the 'Start project' button and follow the steps.
Can a GitHub repo owned by a company org be used for submission?
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Both individual and company org-owned GitHub repos are acceptable. The repository must contain all source code and be shared with testing@devpost.com and judging@hacker.fund.
Does the project need to be in English?
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All submission materials must be in English or include an English translation of the demonstration video, text description, testing instructions, and all other submitted materials.
What is the process for receiving prize payments and completing tax documentation?
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Prizes are sent electronically to the winner's bank account after completing required forms, including a W-8BEN form for non-US residents. Winners are responsible for reporting and paying all applicable taxes in their jurisdiction.
What forms of evidence are accepted to demonstrate revenue generated during the competition?
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The rules ask for total earned revenue from arms-length third-party customers in USD, broken out by calendar month (May, June, July, August 2026), along with total costs and marketing/customer acquisition spend. Accepted formats include a Stripe dashboard export, bank statement, or P&L statement.
What types of documentation are accepted to demonstrate real customer usage and business traction?
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The rules ask for the number of individual users, a high-level breakdown of who your users are, and any testimonials or feedback from customers. During the review process, you may also be asked to provide customer contact information (name, email, phone).
Resources
- Google Cloud Free Trial
- Antigravity $0/month plan
- Peter Diamandis & Dan Martell: Build with Gemini XPRIZE (Video)
- Build with Gemini XPRIZE - Innovation Orientation Session (Video)
- How to Actually Take Software to Market in 2026 with Farza Majeed (Video)
- Paige Bailey: Build Like a Team of One With AI Agents (Video)
- Business Viability Workshop Registration
- Glossary of Terms
- FAQ page
- XPRIZE channels within the Devpost Discord
- P&L Template
- Official Rules
- Google Ultra Plan coupons application
- Hackathon Updates
- Devpost Forum