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How Google expands its developer community through hackathons on Devpost
Learn about Google’s hackathons on Devpost.
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Dive into the AI hackathons making waves on Devpost to get inspired for your next event.
Although we're only halfway through 2024, here at Devpost we’ve already seen the huge impact of AI hackathons on our platform and in our community.
In general, hackathons are a great way for companies to grow their developer ecosystems, test new products, generate projects using their developer tools, and collect product feedback.
Take a look below to see some of the biggest AI hackathons on our platform this year (so far) to get inspiration for your next event.
AI hackathons are not a new concept. In fact, we’ve been running them on Devpost for years. But, generative AI has undoubtedly changed the game for these events. Thanks to AI, now people with all kinds of skill sets and backgrounds can join hackathons—not just developers.
While more non-developers are inspired to join these events, a common thread amongst non-devs and developers is their desire to develop their skills in generative AI. Not only is AI on everyone’s mind, but AI hackathons are exciting because they allow participants to experiment and use AI tools from different companies.
AI has completely changed the world of hackathons. At Devpost, we’re seeing the excitement around AI build with more and more registrants jumping at the opportunity to unleash their creativity and push the limits of what’s possible with generative AI by using each company’s tools. Participants are excited by events like these because it allows them to build, experiment with new technologies, and develop their skills in prompt engineering and AI.
So, without further ado, let’s get into the biggest AI hackathons of 2024...so far.
Date: Jan 29 – Mar 11, 2024
Number of participants: 7,660
Summary: “Learn generative AI with PartyRock—make apps without code!”
Amazon’s PartyRock hackathon really showcased the power of generative AI. PartyRock, an Amazon Bedrock Playground, allows users to create their own AI apps in just a few clicks and with no coding required.
For the hackathon, participants were challenged to do just that—unleash their creativity and build an app with PartyRock. While coding wasn’t required, the hackathon was a fast and fun way for participants to learn about prompt engineering and foundational models.
The Results: This hackathon was a hit with participants! Given that it was beginner-friendly, topical, and fun for participants, it’s no surprise that it created a lot of excitement around using PartyRock.
"Parable Rhythm - The Interactive Crime Thriller" won for Overall 1st Place, Experimental Entertainment 1st Place, and BONUS Blog Post! This project used PartyRock to create an interactive crime thriller game where players are tasked with solving cases. Players can interact with the widgets used in the app to do different tasks that help with solving the case—such as reviewing witness statements, crime reports, and more.
Check out this hackathon's Project Gallery to see all the winning and submitted projects.
Date: Oct 26 – Dec 6, 2023
Number of participants: 3,706
Summary: “A challenge for students to reimagine the future of education using Azure AI and Azure Databases.”
While this hackathon technically took place at the end of 2023, the winners were announced this year and the event was so good we had to include it in this post. Microsoft’s AI Classroom hackathon invited students to build intelligent applications using its Azure AI and Azure Data Services.
The goal of the event was to empower students to strengthen their understanding of AI and specifically the database foundations used to build algorithms for AI models. Participants could submit apps, prototypes, reference applications, or schematic models using Microsoft’s Azure AI and Azure Data Services tools.
The Results: Although the hackathon was only open to college students, it garnered a lot of attention with over 3,700 participants.
In total, there were seven winning projects. “ChatEDU” took home first place for the Technical Project Prize. The tool acts as a personalized tutor that allows students to create and manage their educational content. The tool uses the student’s inputs to provide interactive learning experiences generated by the app to create personalized study guides, quizzes, and other learning materials. The ChatEDU project leveraged Azure AI’s capabilities to provide tailored educational experiences.
See all the projects from the hackathon here.
Date: Mar 18 – May 3
Number of participants: 15,587
Summary: “Build a creative app that uses Google’s Generative AI tools. Push the boundaries of what Gen AI apps can do with Gemini!”
Google’s AI hackathon had close to 16,000 participants working on exciting projects with Gemini.
Events like this one show the power of AI. Participants were asked to let their creativity flow and build an app that uses Google’s Generative AI tools with Gemini. Whether crafting a masterpiece of digital art, engineering the next big thing in creative tech, or turning data into an impactful product that solves real-world challenges, this open-ended hackathon let participants use their creativity to push the boundaries of what’s possible with generative AI.
The Results: In total, there were eight winning projects. "Nested" took home the overall first-place prize. Nested helps you move to a new city with ease by matching you with places based on your lifestyle. It analyzes your Google Maps search history to understand your preferences, and then provides tailored suggestions to nearby grocery stores, gyms, museums, or any type of place you can think of!
Feeling inspired? Check out all the open AI hackathons on Devpost or talk to our team about running your own.
We’ll update this post throughout the year to add more AI hackathon examples to help get your creative juices flowing and show the huge impact these events have on developer communities.
