Answers about AI Builder Challenge registration, teams, Daily Missions, submissions, judging, awards, and project publication.
The Challenge is open globally to people at every experience level, including developers, AI engineers, students, researchers, founders, product builders, and no-code or low-code builders. We particularly encourage women and other underrepresented groups in AI and technology to take part.
Challenge signup includes a free Explorer conference pass if you do not already have a pass. You do not need to complete a separate ticket checkout.
Challenge signup closes on October 6, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time, at the end of the first build day. Complete your participant profile and confirm your team before the deadline.
Yes. You can build solo or participate as part of a confirmed team of up to four people.
A team can have up to four participants. The team creator can invite up to three teammates from the participant dashboard. Each teammate accepts the invitation through their own account.
Yes. You can create a team, invite teammates, or accept an invitation until team formation closes at the end of the first build day. If you have already started your own project and then join a team, you continue on the team's shared project and your own draft is set aside. Once a project is submitted, its team can no longer change. Build solo if you prefer.
Teams must be confirmed by October 6, 2026 at 11:59 PM Eastern Time, at the end of the first build day.
No professional development experience is required. Choose a code, low-code, no-code, or mixed approach that fits your skills and project.
There is no required stack. You may use the AI models, APIs, frameworks, open-source libraries, developer tools, and no-code or low-code platforms that fit your solution.
No. The Inspiration Areas are examples, not competition tracks. Build in any domain as long as you identify a real user or community, address a meaningful problem or opportunity, and give AI a clear role.
Yes. In your final submission, document the starting state and clearly distinguish what existed before the Challenge from what you create or change during the five build days. Your dashboard opens project editing and check-ins on the kickoff day, and anything you build before the first build day counts as existing work.
Each build day has one Daily Mission that moves your project toward a working result, and a daily check-in on your dashboard: a short progress note, with optional screenshots and an optional video link. Check-ins are part of the final submission and build a timeline of your project. They lock when you submit and can appear on your public project page only if your project is accepted and you gave gallery consent.
A team maintains one shared project draft. Teammates do not submit duplicate project drafts individually.
The time depends on your project, experience, and build approach. Scope the project so your team can make meaningful progress on one Daily Mission each day.
You can continue building, and missing a check-in on the day carries no penalty. Daily progress is part of the final submission, so before you submit you write a short progress note for each build day you missed. Final eligibility is based on the required project fields, the daily progress notes, and an on-time final submission.
No. Support sessions and Office Hours are optional. Complete the required project fields and final submission before the cutoff.
Session times and available recordings will be shared with registered participants in the Challenge workspace as the schedule is confirmed.
Official deadlines use Eastern Time, America/New_York. The participant dashboard shows the equivalent deadlines in your local time zone.
Submit a functional AI application, a public working link, a concise project summary, the problem and target user, AI's role, your starting point, what you built, and responsible-build notes. A recorded demo and technical materials are optional.
Yes. The final submission requires a working URL that reviewers can access. Do not submit a private dashboard or a link that requires reviewer credentials. You may add a recorded demo or walkthrough as supporting material.
No. Source code is not required. You may optionally share a repository or additional technical documentation.
Eligible projects enter Peer Review first. Organizers then manage the shortlist and jury review outside the participant dashboard using the published criteria. Every project uses the same criteria regardless of domain or build stack.
Each eligible participant reviews three assigned projects and gives constructive feedback. Completing the three assigned reviews is part of the evaluation process. Reviews are assigned automatically when Peer Review starts. If you know the builder or worked on an assigned project, hand it back from your dashboard and you get a different one, for up to two projects. Participants who finish early may be offered optional extra reviews for projects still short of three.
After Peer Review and internal shortlisting, organizers validate exactly 10 finalists to present on October 15. If fewer than 10 eligible projects are submitted, every eligible accepted project is a finalist. The jury then selects one Jury Winner from the finalists using the published criteria.
No. Exactly 10 jury finalists present live at the Community Showcase on October 15.
Community Choice is open to every eligible accepted public project, including projects outside the 10 jury finalists. Voting opens when submissions close on October 10 at 11:59 PM ET and ends on October 15 at 12:00 PM ET, before the Awards. Its cash prize is capped at exactly USD 5,000. Community voting does not change the Jury Winner.
The jury selects one Jury Winner from up to 10 finalists. Community Choice separately selects a winner from every eligible accepted public project. Its cash prize is capped at exactly USD 5,000. Verified support above USD 5,000 supports the AI Builder Challenge and AI Builders Global Conference sponsorship purpose.
Yes. You retain ownership of the project you create. Participation does not transfer ownership to AI Builders.
Only projects with publication consent can appear in the public Challenge gallery. The project owner or team creator controls that consent in the participant dashboard.
Yes. Explain your AI's role and consider data use, privacy, transparency, accessibility, human oversight, and potential risks or harms.
The participant dashboard provides the submission requirements and phase-specific instructions. The AI Builders Code of Conduct applies throughout the Challenge and conference.