Another year, another opportunity. For the nerdy ones, this is the right time to participate in some of the best hackathons that are out there. With hosts like Google DeepMind, Kaggle and Fractal having hackathons simultaneously, there is plenty of challenge on offer in 2026.
Here you’ll find 5 of the most trending hackathons that are active right now. From Big-Tech to Finance to SaaS hackathons, this article got every tech enthusiast covered. There are some which even offer recruiter visibility along with the prize money!
1. For Big-Tech, High-Visibility Hackathons
Gemini 3 Hackathon – Google DeepMind | Global AI builder challenge
This is where serious builders show up. You’re working with Google’s Gemini 3 models and competing against teams from all over the world. It’s less about toy demos and more about what you can actually build with frontier AI.
What does it offer?
- Google DeepMind backing
- $100,000+ prize pool
- Global participation
- Top-tier competition
- Huge recruiter and media visibility
Who should join?
Anyone who wants their work associated with Google and top-tier AI.
2. Career-Defining AI Exposure For ALL
iqigai AI Fellowship Challenge – Fractal Analytics | Industry-driven, GenAI focused competition
This is not a casual hackathon. It’s designed to recognize people who actually understand how GenAI works in practice. You’re evaluated on how you think, not just what you build. This hackathon also gives you exposure to recruiters, therefore good performers have hiring opportunities as well.
What does it offer?
- Real-world problem statements across GenAI, AI, ML and data tech
- Fellowship and recognition
- â‚ą20,00,000 prize pool
- Recruiter visibility via Analytics Vidhya
- Rewards for the top 1000 Rank holders
Who should join?
Those interested in leveredging their hackathon performance directly to hiring and fellowships. Even if you’re not the best, there is a lot in store for you.
Prize money and hiring opportunities for the remaining
Note: This hackathons is for Indian nationals only.
3. For Quant Finance & Predictive Modeling
Market Prediction – Kaggle | Financial forecasting, risk-adjusted strategy
This is where ML meets real markets. You’re not predicting labels, you’re building strategies that decide when to be in or out of the S&P 500. It’s about making models that survive volatility, not just look good on a dataset.
What does it offer?
- S&P 500 market data used for real-life exposure
- Risk-adjusted leaderboard scoring
- $100,000+ prize pool
- Strategy-driven modeling
- Award points and Medals for the display
Who should join?
Competitors who enjoy bridging machine learning with quantitative finance, feature engineering for time series, and building strategies that don’t just predict numbers but inform decisions.
4. For Mobile SaaS & Subscription Builders
RevenueCat Shipyard 2026 – RevenueCat | Build subscription and in-app revenue products
This hackathon is about building things people actually pay for. You work on subscriptions, billing, and monetization flows for real mobile products, with your project judged on how well it would work in the real world.
What does it offer?
- Subscription and in-app revenue challenges
- Demo-based Devpost submissions
- $140,000+ prize pool
- Prizes and public project visibility
- Access to RevenueCat tooling
Who should join?
Developers who want to push mobile apps beyond static demo builds into revenue-driving product features.
5. For AI and Data Strategy Challenges
Zerve.AI 2026 Hackathon – HackerEarth | Predictive modeling and AI-driven solutions
Zerve’s AI hackathon is a straight-up competitive AI challenge. You’re given real data, real evaluation metrics, and real leaderboards, and your goal is to build the smartest possible model under time pressure.
What does it offer?
- Real-world AI and data challenges with Zerve tools
- Cash prize pool of $10,000 for top 3 solutions
- Predictive modeling challenges
- Structured evaluation
Who should join?
Builders for whom competition is the name of the game. Being the best (or at least one of the best) is what matters in this AI hackathon.
The Choice
Even though hackathons all revolve around problem solving, they don’t all solve the same problem for you. Where you are in your journey, how much time you can commit, and how you like to work matter far more than chasing every popular event.
If you’re looking for visibility and credibility of big-tech hackathon, then Google DeepMind’s Gemini 3 challenge give your work instant weight. If you want career-oriented exposure working on challenge, then iqigai AI Fellowship would help translate effort into real opportunities. And if you enjoy sharpening specific skills, finance-focused competitions on Kaggle or platform-driven challenges on HackerEarth and Devpost let you go deep where it counts.
If you’re interested in the best platforms that offer Hackathons, use the following resources: 10 Hackathon Platforms
I specialize in reviewing and refining AI-driven research, technical documentation, and content related to emerging AI technologies. My experience spans AI model training, data analysis, and information retrieval, allowing me to craft content that is both technically accurate and accessible.
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