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Hackathons and prizes with cash

Cash prizes and hackathons you can enter, most solo-friendly and online, several with a working demo as the only requirement. Bursary matches the ones that fit what you are building and helps with the write-up.

Check what you qualify for →
16 programs · updated 2026-07-12
Startup World Cup 2026 (Regional)
$1,000,000 grand finale + regional cash
Apply remotely to an open regional (deadlines vary; Philadelphia closes Jul 15, Kansas City open through Aug 6); winners advance to the SF $1M finale Nov 6. Legal entity required.
Needs company
Build with Gemini XPRIZE
$500,000 top ($2M pool)
Must be a NEW project started after May 19. The moonshot.
No company needed
Kaya AI India Hackathon 2026
$350,000 in prizes
Online hackathon by Kaya — IoT, Machine Learning/AI, Enterprise. 1,435 registered. Verify eligibility (some are region-locked).
No company needed
ARC Prize 2026 — ARC-AGI-2
$700K pool / $275K grand prize
Solo or team, fully remote via Kaggle notebook; hit 85% on the private ARC-AGI-2 eval within compute limits, open-source within 7 days.
No company needed
AI Genesis 2026 (lablab.ai)
$60,000+ prize pool
Online build Oct 26 to Nov 2 then optional invite-only onsite in Dubai; solo or team, free to enter.
No company needed
Slack Agent Builder Challenge
$42,000 in prizes
Online hackathon by Salesforce — Beginner Friendly, Enterprise, Low/No Code. 4,243 registered. Verify eligibility (some are region-locked).
No company needed
Reddit’s Games with a Hook Hackathon
$40,000 in prizes
Online hackathon by reddit — Beginner Friendly, Gaming, Web. 2,764 registered. Verify eligibility (some are region-locked).
No company needed
ARC Prize 2026 — ARC-AGI-3 Milestone
$25K / $10K / $2.5K
Interactive reasoning benchmark, solo/remote via Kaggle; Sep 30 snapshot awards the live leaderboard top 3. No entity.
No company needed
Startup World Cup — Philadelphia
$20,000 equity-free
Equity-free pitch cash. Deck + onsite pitch Sep 18 in Philly.
No company needed
NeuroGolf 2026 (IJCAI-ECAI)
$10,000 + $8,000 top student team
Solo/remote on Kaggle; smallest neural nets that solve ARC-AGI transforms, submit in ONNX; $10K to whoever holds 1st longest.
No company needed
Backblaze Generative Media Hackathon: Build with Genblaze on B2
$10,000 in prizes
Online hackathon by Backblaze — Machine Learning/AI, Music/Art, Voice skills. 730 registered. Verify eligibility (some are region-locked).
No company needed
CockroachDB × AWS Hackathon - Build with Agentic Memory
$8,750 in prizes
Online hackathon by Cockroach Labs — Machine Learning/AI, Databases, DevOps. 1,284 registered. Verify eligibility (some are region-locked).
No company needed
Arm Create: AI Optimization Challenge
$8,000 in prizes
Online hackathon by arm — Machine Learning/AI. 1,220 registered. Verify eligibility (some are region-locked).
No company needed
Qwen Global AI Hackathon
$7,000 + credits
Existing demo OK if significantly updated after May 26.
No company needed
Slush 100 Pitching Competition 2026
Equity-free investment + investor access
Application is remote; startup must be incorporated 2022+ and have raised under EUR 2M. Finalists pitch live in Helsinki Nov 18-19. Check slush.org for the current Slush 100 application window.
Needs company
Major League Hacking 2026 Season
varies by event (sponsor prizes)
Free no-fee student hackathons worldwide (in-person and digital Global Hack Week) with sponsor prizes; geared toward students though many accept all levels.
No company needed
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Frequently asked questions

Who qualifies for hackathons & prizes?

Cash prizes and hackathons you can enter, most solo-friendly and online, several with a working demo as the only requirement. Bursary matches the ones that fit what you are building and helps with the write-up.

Do I keep the rights to what I build at a hackathon?

Most online hackathons let you keep your IP, and prize money is taxable cash. Sponsor terms vary, so Bursary surfaces each program rules, deadline and prize pool up front.

How much funding is available?

Programs on this list go up to $1,000,000. Bursary ranks them by what you actually qualify for.

How many programs are on this list?

16 verified programs, re-checked continuously.

Is it free to apply?

Most are free to apply. Bursary reads the fine print and flags any program that charges a fee before you start.

Do I need a registered company?

Not for all of them. Bursary matches programs to your situation and tells you which require a registered entity and which accept individuals.

Browse more: Startup credits · Grants for founders · Grants for creators · Small business grants · Non-dilutive funding · Student grants · AI startup funding · Free AI credits · Grants for women · Startup accelerators · No LLC needed · Minority founder grants · Cover your AI bill