Forge the Future
with AI.
October 3 - 10, 2026 · Fully online, worldwide
500+ Builders
Where students forge
the future with AI.
This is the first edition of ForgeHacks, a fully online hackathon created for one reason: to give innovative students everywhere a space to invent, collaborate, and grow without limits.
We're going beyond basic coding and going towards Artificial Intelligence. Whether you’re experimenting with generative AI, building autonomous agents, creating intelligent tools, or exploring entirely new ideas, we want to see what you can create when given time and support.
You’ll get 10 days to build, along with mentor meetings, hands-on workshops for all levels, and prizes celebrating the most innovative projects.
Build within the theme.
Each track's actual prompt drops on Day 1 — you'll be solving a specific problem, not building anything you want. Come with skills and an open mind, not a finished idea.
AI + Healthcare
Tools that improve care, access, or wellbeing.
AI + Education
Reimagining how people learn and teach.
AI + Climate
Tackling sustainability and environmental challenges.
AI + Business
Automating workflows and driving smarter decisions.
AI + Cybersecurity
Protecting digital systems, privacy, and infrastructure.
AI + Creativity
Pushing the boundaries of art, media, and expression.
The schedule.
ForgeHacks Starts!
Workshops, Mentor Meetings, and more start here.
Prompts Revealed
Prompts for tracks will be revealed today.
Mentor office hours
1:1 sessions with engineers from our sponsor teams.
Workshops
Beginner Coder? Join this to learn more about CS basics.
Ask Questions
If you have questions or need help, ask away. We and Mentors are here to support you.
Hacking ends
Submissions lock. Step away from the keyboard.
Judging
Judges will now start to grade your projects.
Gallery Opens
Look at all of the submissions here. Not graded yet, just for show.
Judging weekend
Judges will be grading all of your projects.
Public Voting
Vote for your favorite projects
Provide Feedback
This is out first hackathon, so we would really appreciate some feedback to do even better next time!
Winners Announced
Winners will be revealed, and prizes will be given out!
What you'll walk away with.
- $50 Cash
- $25 AoPS Giftcard
- 5 Saily 3GB plans
- 1-year CodeCrafters VIP for each team member (4x $360 = $1,440)
- 1-year DevSwarm Pro for each team member (4x $96 = $384)
- CleanShot X license for each team member (4x $29 = $116)
- $100 Cash
- $300 Featherless Credits
- $2,000 Momen Credits
- $1,000 Adaption Credits
- $50 AoPS Giftcard
- 5 Saily 3GB plans
- 2-year CodeCrafters VIP for each team member (4x $720 = $2,880)
- 1-year DevSwarm Pro for each team member (4x $96 = $384)
- CleanShot X license for each team member (4x $29 = $116)
- $25 Cash
- $25 AoPS Giftcard
- 5 Saily 3GB plans
- 6-month CodeCrafters VIP for each team member (4x $180 = $720)
- 1-year DevSwarm Pro for each team member (4x $96 = $384)
- CleanShot X license for each team member (4x $29 = $116)
Participation Perks
What you get just for joining
$25 free API credits • Instant Open-Source AI
Access 30,000+ AI models via API without managing GPUs.
$100 Momen credits • Build Web Apps Fast
Skip backend setup and launch web apps fast with zero code.
($96) 1 Month Free Devswarm Pro • Code Faster Together
Boost team collaboration and ship cleaner code with AI dev tools.
$299 Credits (1-Mo Growth Plan) • Autonomous AI Growth Agent
Tin Computer is an autonomous growth agent that connects to a project's GitHub, analytics and Stripe and ships pull requests to grow it: SEO pages, landing-page fixes, ads and support replies. Every eligible team at ForgeHacks gets $299 in Tin Computer credits, one month of the Growth plan.
$500 in Adaption platform credits • Build Web Apps Fast
Automate website optimization, run growth experiments, and handle bug fixes autonomously.
($65) 1 month n8n Cloud Pro • Automate Any Workflow
Automate website optimization, run growth experiments, and handle bug fixes autonomously.
$40 in Kariaa credits • AI-Powered Work & Jobs
Automate website optimization, run growth experiments, and handle bug fixes autonomously.
Every team that submits a project earns one.
Standout projects get featured on our site and socials.
Voted on live by fellow hackers at the showcase.
Meet the judges.
Our judging panel brings real industry and technical experience to evaluating every ForgeHacks project. Hover a card to read more.
Aditya Shrivastava
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Nevasini Sasikumar
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Sashank Agarwal
Senior Cloud Software and Infrastructure Engineer - NVIDIA
Viraj Sabhaya
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Prakshal Doshi
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Eesha Tariq
AI Researcher & Software Engineer - MIT Critical Data / The Islamia University of Bahawalpur
Saylee Mhatre
Director of Engineering - Electronic Arts Inc
Sharath Chandra Kampili
Staff Enterprise Architect - Cockroach Labs
Dwiken Kirtania
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RatnaKumar Bonagiri
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Tamim Sangrar
Senior Product Manager - AI Identity Governance - Microsoft
Aishwarya Kannoth Putlumbath
Business Analyst - AMDGuided by builders
who've been there.
Our mentors bring real engineering and AI experience to help teams get unstuck. Hover a card to read more.
Sachin Gurjar
AI Researcher - Apexlayer Technologies
Anudeep Bonagiri
CEO & Co-founder - Cruze Maps
Sai Prasad Saladi
Senior Software Engineer / Technology Leader - U.S. Bank
Swapneswar Sundar Ray
Assistant Vice President | Principal Machine Learning Engineer - U.S. Bank
Aatishkumar kumardhami
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Nilesh Dhage
Director Product Management - Financial Services
Ujwal Suresh Vanjare
Software Engineer - BNSF Railway
Saiprasad Charudatta Shrikhande
Senior Manager - Cognizant Technology SolutionsWant to mentor at ForgeHacks?
Your guidance can be the spark that turns a stuck idea into something life-changing. Join our mentor bench and help students bring their AI ideas to life.
Become a Mentor →Inspire the next generation of AI builders
Share your experience and expertise
Make a real impact in just a few hours
Bring ForgeHacks
to your school.
Join our Ambassador Program and help build the future of innovation at your school.
Ambassador Program: Now Forming
Ambassadors help spread the word at their school, organize local meetups, and receive early access, exclusive perks, and recognition in return.
Make an Impact
Grow your community and inspire future builders.
Early Access
Get first access to announcements, updates, and launches.
Exclusive Perks
Earn swag, rewards, and recognition for your contributions.
Applications are now open. Join the first cohort today.
Sponsors & partners.
Partners & Sponsors: Join Early
We're opening up sponsorship for this event soon. Gain early access to innovative AI projects, connect with top student talent, and showcase your brand to hundreds of ambitious builders.
Become a SponsorGood to know.
Yes — ForgeHacks is a fully online hackathon, so you can take part from anywhere in the world with an internet connection.