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Running on Zero
Running on Zero
| # 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. | |
| --- | |
| ## 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 | |
| --- | |
| ## 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 | |
| --- | |
| ## 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 | | |
| --- | |
| ## 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) | |
| --- | |
| ## 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) | |
| --- | |
| ## 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** | |
| --- | |
| ## 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 | | |
| --- | |
| ## Resources | |
| - [Gradio Docs](https://www.gradio.app/docs) | |
| - [Gradio Quickstart](https://www.gradio.app/guides/quickstart) | |
| - [Gradio gr.Server (Custom UIs)](https://huggingface.co/blog/introducing-gradio-server) | |
| - [llama.cpp](https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp) | |
| - [ML Intern Guide](https://github.com/huggingface/ml-intern) | |
| - [Hackathon Org](https://huggingface.co/build-small-hackathon) | |
| - [Discord](https://discord.gg/YHECTft87Z) | |
| --- | |
| ## Community Stats (at time of fetch) | |
| - 1,950 registered participants | |
| - 199 active Spaces | |
| - 22 custom models published | |
| - 17 datasets shared | |
| - 4 curated collections | |
| --- | |
| ## 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 | |
| --- | |
| ## 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 | |