The Build with Gemini XPRIZE is a hackathon designed for participants to ideate, build, ship, and grow a real business within a 90-day period. The challenge centers on creating a product with real users and revenue, emphasizing businesses that operate with Artificial Intelligence at their core. This initiative explores the transformative potential of AI, where operational tasks once requiring large teams can now be executed by AI agents. The program invites participants to demonstrate this shift by building a real business that creates a tangible impact.
Program Timeline
• Submission Period: May 19, 2026, 10:00 AM PT — August 17, 2026, 1:00 PM PT
• Judging Period: August 18, 2026, 10:00 AM PT — September 15, 2026, 5:00 PM PT
• Finalist Pitch & Winners Announced: On or around September 25, 2026, 2:00 PM PT
Eligibility Criteria
• Open To: The Hackathon is open to Eligible Individuals (at least the age of majority in their residence), Teams of Eligible Individuals, and Small Organizations with fewer than 25 employees that were legally organized or incorporated at the time of entry.
• Not Open To: Participation is prohibited for individuals residing in or organizations domiciled in countries under U.S. sanctions (including Russia, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, and North Korea). Also excluded are organizations and individuals involved in the design, production, promotion, or distribution of the Hackathon (Promotion Entities), their employees, agents, immediate family, and household members. Judges, their employers, and any entities that would create a real or apparent conflict of interest are also ineligible.
How to Enter
• Step 1 - Register: Entrants must register on the Hackathon Website (xprize.devpost.com) by creating or logging into a Devpost account.
• Step 2 - Build: Participants will build a project that meets the specified requirements, utilizing the provided developer tools and platforms.
• Step 3 - Submit: A complete submission must be entered on the Hackathon Website during the Submission Period, fulfilling all stated requirements.
Project Requirements
• Core Concept: Build a business that operates with AI and falls into at least one of the specified categories.
• Categories: Projects must align with one of the following themes: Education & Human Potential, Entrepreneurship & Job Creation, Small Business Services, Money & Financial Access, or Professional Services Access.
• Functionality: The project must demonstrate how AI is transforming business workflows, which should be clearly shown in the video or explained in the text description.
• Platforms: The project must use at least one product from Google Cloud.
• Originality: Projects must be newly created after the start of the Hackathon Submission Period. Use of pre-existing work must be disclosed and explained.
• LLM Model Use: Projects with LLM functionality must use the Gemini API for at least one call. Additional LLM providers may be used at the team's discretion.
• Third-Party Integrations: Entrants must be authorized to use any third-party SDKs, APIs, or data integrated into their project.
Submission Deliverables
• Code Repository: A URL to a public or private code repository shared with testing@devpost.com and judging@hacker.fund.
• Demonstration Video: A video under three minutes, publicly visible on YouTube, Vimeo, or Youku, showing the project in action.
• Written Narrative: A text description (500-1000 words) explaining how the project meets requirements, its relevance to the chosen category, how the team uses AI, the division of labor between humans and AI, and the business's impact.
• Revenue Evidence: Documentation such as a Stripe dashboard export, bank statement, or P&L showing total revenue, monthly revenue breakdown, total costs (excluding marketing), and marketing/customer acquisition spend.
• User Evidence: Proof of real users, such as user counts, high-level demographic breakdowns, and customer testimonials or feedback. Any revenue from related parties must be reported separately.
• Product Evidence: Materials like agent execution logs, API usage records, and dashboard screenshots to demonstrate that the AI is running continuously in production.
• Corporate ID: Organizations must include their corporate ID if available.
Judging Process and Criteria
• Stage One - Viability Review: Submissions undergo a pass/fail check to ensure they meet a baseline level of viability, fit the theme, and correctly apply the required technologies.
• Stage Two - Criteria-Based Evaluation: Projects that pass Stage One are evaluated by judges based on three equally-weighted criteria.
• Judging Criteria 1 - Business Viability: Assessment of the business's ability to acquire real users and generate real revenue during the 90-day period, as well as the sustainability of its business model.
• Judging Criteria 2 - AI-Native Operations: Evaluation of the extent to which AI is live in production, executes key business decisions, and governs the overall operation.
• Judging Criteria 3 - Category Impact: Assessment of whether the project meaningfully advances its chosen category, either by redefining a fundamental process or by achieving a credible scale.
• Verification and Tie-Breaking: The Sponsor and Administrator may request live demonstrations or additional documentation to verify submissions. In case of a tie, the submission with the highest score in the first criterion (Business Viability) will win. This process is repeated for subsequent criteria if a tie persists.
Prizes and Awards
A total of $2,000,000 in prizes will be awarded. A project is eligible for a maximum of one prize.
• 1st Place: $500,000 USD (1 winner)
• 2nd Place: $200,000 USD (1 winner)
• 3rd – 5th Place: $100,000 USD each (3 winners)
• Runner Up: $50,000 USD each (15 winners)
• Category Prize - Education & Human Potential: $50,000 USD (1 winner)
• Category Prize - Entrepreneurship & Job Creation: $50,000 USD (1 winner)
• Category Prize - Small Business Services: $50,000 USD (1 winner)
• Category Prize - Money & Financial Access: $50,000 USD (1 winner)
• Category Prize - Professional Services Access: $50,000 USD (1 winner)
Intellectual Property and Ownership
• Ownership: All submissions remain the intellectual property of the individuals or organizations that developed them.
• Licensing: By entering, participants grant the Sponsor a non-exclusive license to use the submission for judging purposes. They also grant the Sponsor and Administrator the right to promote the submission and use participant information for promotional activities related to the Hackathon for a period of three years.
This program offers a platform for builders and entrepreneurs to leverage cutting-edge AI to solve real-world problems across key economic and social sectors. Participants are encouraged to review the official rules and submission guidelines thoroughly to understand the full scope of the requirements and the evaluation process. The hackathon is structured to identify and reward businesses that not only demonstrate technical innovation but also achieve tangible market traction and operational efficiency through AI.