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Build Small Hackathon Registration
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Hosted by Gradio · Hugging Face
Sponsored by [ coming soon ]
Cash Prizes $15k
May 29 – June 8, 2026
✦ The Build Small Hackathon ✦
Making AI Fun
Again.
❋ Chapter Zero — Why this exists
The pace of AI over the last year has been anxiety-inducing. Labs release larger and larger models that do more of the things that make us feel human — writing, drawing, speaking, coding. No wonder more than half of us think the risks of AI outweigh the benefits.
We're sponsoring a hackathon to take things back to how they felt in 2021 — when models were small enough to tinker with, and the vibe was fun and hopeful about how this technology could improve our lives.
This hackathon is different. Rather than using a giant LLM to ship yet another B2B SaaS, we want you to think small. Armed with only 32 billion parameters, solve a problem someone you know is facing — or build something whimsical.
❋ Two Tracks · Pick your trail
Choose your own adventure.
Chapter One
🏡
Backyard AI
Solve a real problem for someone you actually know. Pick a person — a neighbor, a parent, a small-business owner on your street — and build something that makes their day measurably better.
Judged on
- Problem is specific and real
- The person actually used it
- Honest fit between problem and the small-model constraint
- Polish of the Gradio app
Chapter Two
🍄
An Adventure in Thousand Token Wood
Build something delightful that wouldn't exist without AI. Wander somewhere weirder. A toy, a tiny game, a strange interactive story, an art experiment that surprises you. The AI should be doing the fun thing — not just helping you build it. Strange is good. Joyful is the bar.
Judged on
- Genuinely delightful (would you show a friend?)
- AI is load-bearing for the experience
- Originality of concept
- Polish of the Gradio app
❋ The Constraints — Three rules of the trail
Pack light.
1
Small Models Only
Total parameters must be ≤ 32 billion. The model fits on a laptop. So should your ambition.
2
Built on Gradio
Your app must be a Gradio app, hosted as a Hugging Face Space. That's the canvas.
3
Show, Don't Tell
A short demo video and a social-media post are part of the submission. Make it sing.
❋ Bonus Quests · Six earnable merit badges
Stack 'em on your sash.
None required. Each one grants extra points for your submission. Hover a patch to see it lift.
🔌
🎯
🎨
🦙
📡
📓
❋ How to Participate
Four steps. No application. No waitlist.
I
Register
Join this org on Hugging Face. Register on the app.
II
Find your people
Hop into the Gradio Discord. AMAs. Connect with Gradio and HF folks. Potential teammates live there.
III
Build & ship
Build your Gradio app and host it as a Space under this org.
IV
Submit
Drop your Space link, a short demo video, and a social post by the deadline.
❋ How to Get Started · Tools for the trail
Useful trailheads.
❋ Timeline · A hand-drawn map
Two weekends in the woods.
Trail map
I
May 07, 2026
Registration opens.Sign up, join Discord, start sketching.
II
May 29, 2026
Hack window begins.Two weekends to build, ship, and demo.
III
Mid-window
Live AMA.Ask the sponsors and Gradio team anything.
IV
June 8, 2026
Submissions close.Space, demo video, social post locked in.
V
[date TBD]
Winners announced.Per track, plus bonus-quest leaderboard.
Build something small.
Two weekends. Two tracks. The model on your laptop. The neighbor next door.
→ Register on Hugging Face ←Registrations are open till May 27!
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