Dates

May 16th – May 17th, 2026

Submissions are due May 17th, 2026 at 10:30am.

Eligibility

Must be 18 years or older to participate.

Project and Submission Requirements

Build a prototype for a problem you want to address according to the theme, “Build with Gratitude,” using AWS's cloud services and infrastructure.

  • Participants will have 24 hours to build a working prototype that uses AWS services and meets the requirements of their chosen track.
  • Participants may only use AWS Free Tier services in their builds.
  • Participants may not go over credit limits. $25 worth of AWS credits will be provided to each participant.
  • Participants may only submit one project.
  • Participants may not use an existing project. Submissions must be worked on during the hackathon.
  • The use of AI is permitted in this hackathon.

The tracks are as follows:

  1. Build with Bedrock: Build AI-powered apps using Amazon Bedrock. Chatbots, RAG systems, AI agents—you name it. Bedrock is required as a core service, all other AWS services are fair game.
  2. Serverless Solutions: Design applications without managing a single server. Lambda is required plus at least one other serverless service (API Gateway, DynamoDB, Step Functions, etc.). Keep the architecture fully serverless.
  3. Cloud for Good: Pick a real-world problem and build an AWS-powered solution for it. Use at least two AWS services — no restrictions on which ones. Must clearly define the problem you're solving.

A team must submit the following to be eligible for judging:

  1. Public code repository with a commit history that covers the event window.

  2. README including: team members, track, what was built, what was not built, AWS services used, and any pre-existing code or templates used as a starting point.

  3. Demo video or live demo slot (whichever the host has chosen).

  4. Architecture diagram — does not need to be polished. Hand-drawn is fine.

Judging Criteria and Winner Selection

Teams will present their builds to judges for 4-7 minutes. Then, judges will have a 2-3 minute Q&A with each team.

Judges will evaluate projects based on:

  • Technical execution
  • Track-specific excellence
  • Impact and use-case
  • Theme alignment
  • Demo and communication

Teams will receive scores out of 100 points.

All attendees must abide by the Hackathon Code of Conduct.