# 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.