docs/hackathon.md

Build Small Hackathon

Source: https://huggingface.co/build-small-hackathon

Basic Details

• Host: Gradio & Hugging Face
• Registration: May 7 – June 3, 2026 (CLOSED)
• Hack Window: June 5–15, 2026 (ACTIVE)
• Submission Deadline: June 15, 2026

Theme

Build AI applications using small models (≤32B parameters) to solve real problems or create delightful experiences. Emphasis on "thinking small" rather than building large-scale B2B SaaS.

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Tracks

Track 1: Backyard AI

Solve a real problem for someone you know (neighbor, parent, small-business owner). The person must actually use it.

Judging:

• Problem is specific and real
• Person actually used it
• Honest fit between problem and small-model constraint
• Polish of the Gradio app

Prizes: 1st $4K, 2nd $2.5K, 3rd $1.5K, 4th $1K

Track 2: Thousand Token Wood

Build something delightful that wouldn't exist without AI — toys, games, interactive stories, art experiments. AI must be load-bearing.

Judging:

• Genuinely delightful
• AI is essential (not just a helper)
• Originality of concept
• Polish of the Gradio app

Prizes: 1st $4K, 2nd $2.5K, 3rd $1.5K, 4th $1K

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Core Constraints

1. Small Models Only — max 32B parameters; must fit on a laptop
2. Built on Gradio — Gradio app hosted as a Hugging Face Space
3. Show, Don't Tell — working app + demo video + social media post

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Bonus Quests (Merit Badges)

Badge	Name	Requirement
🔌	Off the Grid	No cloud APIs; everything runs locally
🎯	Well-Tuned	Uses a fine-tuned model published on HF
🎨	Off-Brand	Custom frontend beyond default Gradio (gr.Server)
🦙	Llama Champion	Model runs through llama.cpp runtime
📡	Sharing is Caring	Published agent trace on the Hub
📓	Field Notes	Blog post/report about what you built

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Prize Pool ($48,000+)

Main Awards ($18,000)

• Backyard AI: $4K / $2.5K / $1.5K / $1K
• Thousand Token Wood: $4K / $2.5K / $1.5K / $1K
• Community Choice (Hugging Face): $2,000

Sponsor Awards ($22,000+)

• OpenBMB ($10K total): $2.5K / $1.5K / $1K per track (6 awards)
• OpenAI Track ($10K): $5K / $3K / $2K
• NVIDIA Nemotron Quest: 2× RTX 5080 GPUs
• Modal ($20K credits): $10K / $7K / $3K in credits

Special Awards ($8,000)

• 🎖️ Bonus Quest Champion (most badges): $2,000
• 🎨 Off-Brand Award (best custom UI): $1,500
• 🐜 Tiny Titan (best app ≤4B params): $1,500
• 🎬 Best Demo: $1,000
• 🤖 Best Agent: $1,000
• 🃏 Judges' Wildcard: $1,000

Per-Participant Credits

• Hugging Face: $20 credits
• Modal: $250 credits
• OpenAI Codex: $100 credits (first 1,000 participants)

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Sponsors

Hosts: Gradio, Hugging Face

Anchor Sponsors: OpenBMB, OpenAI, NVIDIA, Modal

Supporting Sponsors:

• Cohere ($5,000 cash)
• JetBrains ($5,000 cash)
• Black Forest Labs ($3,000 cash)

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How to Participate

1. Register (CLOSED June 3, 2026)
2. Find your people — Gradio Discord: https://discord.gg/YHECTft87Z
3. Build & ship — Gradio app hosted as a Space under the build-small-hackathon org
4. Submit — Space link, demo video, social post by June 15, 2026

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Timeline

Date	Milestone
May 7 – Jun 3, 2026	Registration (closed)
Jun 5, 2026	Hack window begins
Mid-window	Live AMA with sponsors
Jun 15, 2026	Submissions close
TBD	Winners announced

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Resources

• Gradio Docs
• Gradio Quickstart
• Gradio gr.Server (Custom UIs)
• llama.cpp
• ML Intern Guide
• Hackathon Org
• Discord

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Community Stats (at time of fetch)

• 1,950 registered participants
• 199 active Spaces
• 22 custom models published
• 17 datasets shared
• 4 curated collections

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Example Submissions

• Jawbreaker — Local-first scam defense (MiniCPM5-1B LoRA)
• Pakistan Notice Helper — Safety tool for notices (Urdu/English)
• Room360 — Video-to-3D spatial reconstruction
• Bedtime Story Machine — Story generation
• Resume Bullet Improver — Career document enhancement
• AI Study Buddy — Learning companion

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Key Notes

• Model size cap: 32B parameters (hard limit)
• Gradio is mandatory; Hugging Face Spaces required for hosting
• Submission = app + demo video + social post
• Community Choice award is voting-based