How Microsoft hackathons continue to inspire innovation

Explore how past Microsoft hackathons on Devpost—spanning AI, cloud, security, and more—align with this year’s Microsoft Build themes.

Stephanie Rochon

Content Marketing Manager at Devpost

Text reads "Inspiring innovation with Microsoft hackathons" next to Devpost and Microsoft logos

With Microsoft Build 2025 just around the corner, we’re revisiting standout Microsoft hackathons hosted on Devpost over the years. Each example ties directly to one of the six key session themes at this year’s conference—proving just how powerful well-executed hackathons can be for sparking long-term momentum for product innovation, community engagement, and developer growth.

Even if you aren’t attending Build, these examples show the lasting impact hackathons can have, especially if you run developer programs or product marketing initiatives.

Let’s dive into the key session topics at Microsoft Build 2025 and take a closer look at a relevant hackathon for each.

1. AI, Copilots, and Agents

Hackathon: Accelerate App Development with GitHub Copilot

Details: This hackathon challenged developers to build smarter, faster, and more efficient workflows using GitHub Copilot. This hackathon:

Demonstrated how AI tools like GitHub Copilot can boost productivity, enhance code quality, and support innovative problem-solving.
Required participants to complete the GitHub Universe Learning Challenge to build the skills needed to code in the cloud with GitHub Copilot.
Attracted strong participation from teams eager to adopt generative AI tools in their development workflows.

‍Highlights: Over 2,200 participants from around the world took on the challenge by signing up for GitHub Copilot and building new apps leveraging Azure services. Explore the Project Gallery to see all the submitted projects.

2. Cloud Platform

Hackathon: Microsoft Developers AI and Learning Hackathon

Details: This hackathon showcased the depth of Microsoft’s cloud platform and challenged participants to use Azure Cosmos DB and the Azure OpenAI API to build copilots. This hackathon had two phases:

Phase 1 taught teams how to build their own AI applications powered by vCore-based Azure Cosmos DB for MongoDB and use the Azure OpenAI API.
Phase 2 gave teams the chance to refine and integrate their custom AI copilots into new or existing projects on Azure.

Highlights: Nearly 10,000 participants joined and showed their interest in building their skills with Microsoft, as the hackathon required them to sign up for Microsoft Learn. Check out the huge variety of project submissions in the Project Gallery.

3. Data and Analytics

Hackathon: Microsoft Fabric and AI Learning Hackathon

Details: This event focused on helping developers, AI enthusiasts, and database gurus explore the power of Microsoft Fabric. This hackathon:

Offered free access to Microsoft Fabric and an Azure Open AI Proxy service—growing Microsoft’s ecosystem.
Gave participants the chance to build a Fabric solution in one of five categories: Microsoft + AI Innovation, Real-Time Intelligence in Microsoft Fabric, Azure Database for PostgreSQL Integration, SQL and AI Integration, and Azure Cosmos DB + Microsoft Fabric Integration.

‍Highlights: Over 4,500 participants took on the challenge and built real-world solutions using Microsoft Fabric’s integrated platform that combines data engineering, data warehousing, and data science in a seamless environment. View the Project Gallery to see all the submissions.

4. Developer Tools and .NET

Hackathon: Azure AI Developer Hackathon

Details: This hackathon invited developers to gain hands-on experience building intelligent applications on the Azure platform, supercharged by the power of GitHub Copilot. This hackathon:

Allowed participants to use multiple tools, including GitHub Copilot with VS Code or Visual Studio.
Included three categories for participants to submit projects to: Best Use of GitHub Copilot, Best Azure App Integration, and Best Use of Azure AI.

Highlights: With over 3,300 participants, this hackathon surfaced a diverse set of projects, including an AI-Powered Job Application Assistant, a real-time group chat translation web app, and an AI-Powered Architectural Design Platform. Check out all the submissions in the Project Gallery.

5. Security

Hackathon: Azure Sentinel Hackathon 2021

Details: This hackathon invited developers to build security solutions using Azure Sentinel, Microsoft’s cloud native Security Incident and Event Management (SIEM). This hackathon:

Encouraged participants to build solutions that deliver enterprise value by collecting data, managing security, detecting, hunting, investigating, and responding to cybersecurity threats.
Gave participants access to Microsoft security tools like Azure Sentinel and APIs to integrate different types of apps.

Highlights: Developers built innovative security workflows, including a Discord threat detection tool, demonstrating real-world applications of Azure Sentinel and expanding its potential for enterprise adoption. See the Project Gallery for all the submissions.

6. Windows

Hackathon: Mixed Reality Challenge: StereoKit (C# and OpenXR)

While not a traditional desktop Windows event, this hackathon showcased what's possible on the Windows platform when it comes to immersive experiences built with mixed reality. This hackathon:

Allowed participants to build spatial computing apps using StereoKit, which is optimized for Windows Mixed Reality.
Gave participants access to cutting-edge tools for developing cross-platform MR experiences that can run on Windows.

Highlights: Experienced developers pushed the boundaries of what’s possible in mixed reality, combining spatial interaction, 3D interfaces, and real-world utility. Check out the Project Gallery to see all the submissions.

The long-term value of hackathons

Great hackathons do more than generate prototypes—they cultivate developer ecosystems. If you’re engaging external developer communities, these programs show how hackathons can:

Accelerate product adoption
Surface new use cases
Strengthen your developer community

Microsoft’s history of investing in outcomes-driven hackathons is part of what makes its ecosystem thrive. These examples show that when a hackathon aligns with a strategic product theme, its value continues long after the final submission deadline.

Heading to Build 2025?

We’ll be at Microsoft Build this year—and we’d love to meet up. We can help you plan and manage outcome-driven hackathons that align with your strategic goals. Meet our team at Build and learn how you can run more impactful, scalable hackathons.