hackathon details

build_small_hackathon.md

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+# Build Small Hackathon — Reference Guide
+
+> *"Think small. Solve real problems. Build with joy."*  
+> Hack window: **June 5 – June 15, 2026**
+
+---
+
+## Overview
+
+Build Small is a hackathon that pushes back against the trend of ever-larger AI models. Armed with at most **32 billion parameters**, participants solve a real problem for someone they know — or build something delightfully weird. The app must be a **Gradio app hosted as a Hugging Face Space**. No giant LLMs. No B2B SaaS sprawl. Just small models, big ideas, and good vibes.
+
+---
+
+## Tracks
+
+### 🏡 Chapter One — Backyard AI
+
+Build something useful for a **real person you know**: a neighbour, a parent, a small-business owner. The problem must be specific, the person must actually use the app, and the solution must honestly fit the small-model constraint.
+
+**Judging criteria:**
+- Problem is specific and real
+- The person actually used it
+- Honest fit between problem and the small-model constraint
+- Polish of the Gradio app
+
+---
+
+### 🍄 Chapter Two — An Adventure in Thousand Token Wood
+
+Build something **delightful that wouldn't exist without AI** — a toy, a tiny game, a strange interactive story, an art experiment. The AI should be doing the fun thing, not just assisting with the build. Strange is good. Joyful is the bar.
+
+**Judging criteria:**
+- Genuinely delightful (would you show a friend?)
+- AI is load-bearing for the experience
+- Originality of concept
+- Polish of the Gradio app
+
+---
+
+## The Three Constraints
+
+| # | Rule | Detail |
+|---|------|--------|
+| 1 | **Small Models Only** | Total parameters ≤ 32B. Fits on a laptop. |
+| 2 | **Built on Gradio** | App must be a Gradio app, hosted as a Hugging Face Space. |
+| 3 | **Show, Don't Tell** | A short demo video + a social-media post are required as part of submission. |
+
+---
+
+## Bonus Quests (Merit Badges)
+
+None are required, but each earns extra points.
+
+| Badge | Name | Requirement |
+|-------|------|-------------|
+| 🔌 | **Off the Grid** | No cloud APIs — fully local inference |
+| 🎯 | **Well-Tuned** | Uses a fine-tuned model published on Hugging Face |
+| 🎨 | **Off-Brand** | Custom frontend pushing past the default Gradio look via `gr.Server` |
+| 🦙 | **Llama Champion** | Model runs through the [llama.cpp](https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp) runtime |
+| 📡 | **Sharing is Caring** | Agent trace shared on the Hub for the community |
+| 📓 | **Field Notes** | Blog post or report written about the build and learnings |
+
+---
+
+## Prize Pool
+
+### Main Track Awards — $18,000
+
+| Place | Backyard AI | Thousand Token Wood |
+|-------|-------------|---------------------|
+| 🥇 1st | $4,000 | $4,000 |
+| 🥈 2nd | $2,500 | $2,500 |
+| 🥉 3rd | $1,500 | $1,500 |
+| 4th | $1,000 | $1,000 |
+
+**🗳️ Community Choice** (voted by Hugging Face community): **$2,000**
+
+### Sponsor Awards
+
+| Sponsor | Prize |
+|---------|-------|
+| 🏮 **OpenBMB** | $10,000 total — 3 prizes per track ($2,500 / $1,500 / $1,000) |
+| 🌀 **OpenAI** | $10,000 total — across all submissions ($5,000 / $3,000 / $2,000) |
+| 🟩 **NVIDIA Nemotron** | 2× RTX 5080 GPUs for standout Nemotron builds |
+| 🟢 **Modal** | $20,000 in credits ($10,000 / $7,000 / $3,000) |
+
+### Special Awards — $8,000
+
+| Award | Prize | Criteria |
+|-------|-------|----------|
+| 🎖️ Bonus Quest Champion | $2,000 | Most merit badges on a single submission |
+| 🎨 Off-Brand Award | $1,500 | Best custom UI using `gr.Server` |
+| 🐜 Tiny Titan | $1,500 | Best app on a model ≤ 4B parameters |
+| 🎬 Best Demo | $1,000 | Great app + great demo video + great social post |
+| 🤖 Best Agent | $1,000 | Best agentic app under the 32B cap |
+| 🃏 Judges' Wildcard | $1,000 | Amazing entry that fits no category |
+
+---
+
+## Timeline
+
+| Phase | Date | Notes |
+|-------|------|-------|
+| ✅ Registration | May 7 – June 3, 2026 | **Closed.** Must have registered and joined the org. |
+| 🚀 Hack Window Opens | June 5, 2026 | Two weekends to build, ship, and demo. |
+| 🎙️ Live AMA | Mid-window | Ask sponsors and the Gradio team anything. |
+| 🔒 Submissions Close | **June 15, 2026** | Space link + demo video + social post locked in. |
+| 🏆 Winners Announced | TBD | Per track, plus bonus-quest leaderboard. |
+
+---
+
+## How to Participate
+
+1. **Register** *(closed June 3, 2026)* — If you joined the org, you're in.
+2. **Find your people** — Join the [Gradio Discord](https://discord.gg/gradio) for AMAs and teammates.
+3. **Build & ship** — Create your Gradio app and host it as a Space under the org.
+4. **Submit** — Drop your Space link, a short demo video, and a social post by **June 15, 2026**.
+
+---
+
+## Useful Resources
+
+| Resource | Link |
+|----------|------|
+| 📓 ML Intern | [github.com/huggingface/ml-intern](https://github.com/huggingface/ml-intern) |
+| 📚 Gradio Quickstart | [gradio.app/guides/quickstart](https://www.gradio.app/guides/quickstart) |
+| 🛠️ Gradio `gr.Server` (Custom UIs) | [huggingface.co/blog/introducing-gradio-server](https://huggingface.co/blog/introducing-gradio-server) |
+| 🦙 Getting Started with llama.cpp | [github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp](https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp) |
+| 🤗 Hackathon Org Page | [huggingface.co/build-small-hackathon](https://huggingface.co/build-small-hackathon) |
+
+---
+
+## Strategy Notes
+
+- **Maximize merit badges**: Combining badges like *Off the Grid* + *Llama Champion* + *Off-Brand* targets three separate bonus awards on top of the main track prize.
+- **Tiny Titan opportunity**: A genuinely excellent app at ≤ 4B parameters competes for both a main track prize *and* the $1,500 Tiny Titan special award.
+- **`gr.Server` is underexplored**: The Off-Brand Award ($1,500) and the merit badge reward custom UIs — this is a differentiator for anyone with frontend skills.
+- **Document everything**: The *Field Notes* badge and *Best Demo* award reward teams that ship thoughtful write-ups and polished videos alongside their app.
+