Meta sets October 26 start for $1 million AI hackathon, capped at 20,000 builders

Developers seeking a share of $1 million in prizes have until October 25 to apply for Meta and Cerebral Valley’s virtual AI hackathon—unless its 20,000 places fill sooner. The organizers’ event listing schedules the start for October 26, 2026, at noon, labeled EST. A kickoff livestream is planned, but a direct watch link is not yet listed.

The remote competition runs through November 4, with no physical venue listed. The event page is the place to check for schedule changes: organizers reserve the right to revise dates. Its header labels the start time EST, while the detailed deadlines use ET. It does not separately specify the kickoff broadcast’s start time, so the listed event start should not be treated as a confirmed livestream time.

A free event with a selection gate

Entry is free for selected applicants, not automatic for everyone who registers. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, and the portal can close as soon as 20,000 applicants have been accepted. The published schedule lists applications as opening October 13, with a deadline of October 25 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Approval notifications are due by October 26 at 9 a.m. ET.

Selection gives equal weight to the proposed project and demonstrated technical skill. Organizers assess whether an idea is clear, feasible and aligned with the event’s themes, alongside an applicant’s description of an AI project they have built. GitHub, LinkedIn or shipped-product links can help verify experience, but are optional. Eligible applicants meeting minimum scoring cutoffs receive automatic acceptance until the cap; others may be accepted by score if space remains.

The worldwide invitation has exclusions. The eligibility rules bar participation from several countries, including China, Russia, Belarus, Ukraine and Syria, and impose sanctions-related restrictions. Meta and Cerebral Valley employees, contractors and interns, government-affiliated individuals, and specified family or household members are also ineligible.

Two tracks, different tests

Every project enters one of two tracks sharing the $1 million cash pool. The judging criteria distinguish an inventive working project from a product expected to withstand production use:

• Indie developer track: Individuals and students are judged on creativity, technical ambition and whether their project works.
• Startup track: Teams and founders building a real product are judged on technical execution and whether it holds up in production.

Both tracks use the same two themes. Build for Your World asks entrants to solve a problem in a domain they know firsthand. Push the Frontier targets challenges in software, robotics, manufacturing, energy, materials and related fields, including scientific experiments and physical systems.

Models, credits and the rules still to come

The build menu includes the Muse Spark series, Muse Wonder, Muse Image and SAM 3.1 through Meta Model API. Participants can also run Meta’s open-weight models and use Muse Code, its agentic coding tool. Meta’s promotional page lists $150 in Meta Model API credits for every participant.

Partner support is narrower: Baseten and Modal each offer $100 in credits to selected participants, while Fireworks offers $25. Baseten also lists a two-million-token-per-minute rate limit. Modal’s offer covers model access and computing tools; Fireworks adds a workshop with Sinan Ozdemir.

One document remains pending: organizers say the official rules will be published before the hackathon begins on October 26. Selected participants must accept those rules.