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PayPal (run on Devpost) · HackathonPayPal AI Hackathon 2026
Six weeks to build an app that combines PayPal's free developer sandbox with any AI tool, for $67,500 in cash spread across 20 paid places rather than one podium. Five $5,000 honourable mentions pay the same as a 3rd-place grand prize, and the whole pool is cash — the only non-cash prizes, Render credits, sit on top of it.
Dates & timeline
Prizes
- $67,500 in cash in total, per the official rules
- Grand prizes: 1st $12,000, 2nd $8,000, 3rd $5,000
- Honourable mentions, $5,000 each: Most Creative, Most Impactful, Best Demo Delivery, Best Use of PayPal + AI, Best Use of Agentic Commerce
- Sponsor prizes: AG Grid $5,000 / $2,000 / $1,000 × 3; APIMatic $1,000 × 3 (+ 6 months of APIMatic business subscription); Bryntum $1,000 × 3; Channel3 $1,500
- Render prizes ($1,000 / $750 / $500) are Render credits, not cash, and are not counted in the $67,500
- A project can win at most one grand prize or honourable mention, plus one sponsor prize
- 20 cash-paying positions
- 16,830 registered participants as of 19 October 2026 — up from 11,990 on 12 October
- Judged by PayPal developer advocates, engineers and product managers, plus sponsor judges
Why it's worth your time
PayPal's AI Hackathon, administered by Devpost, asks you to build — or significantly update — an application that integrates the PayPal developer platform through its free sandbox environment together with an AI tool, model or platform of your choice. Any AI tool qualifies; sponsor tools (AG Grid, APIMatic, Bryntum, Channel3, Render, Elastic, Postman, Zapier and others) are optional and only matter if you want a sponsor prize. Judges include PayPal developer advocates, engineers and product managers.
The reason it earns a place here is the shape of the prize table. The official rules itemise $67,500 in cash: grand prizes of $12,000, $8,000 and $5,000; five $5,000 honourable mentions (Most Creative, Most Impactful, Best Demo Delivery, Best Use of PayPal + AI, Best Use of Agentic Commerce); and sponsor prizes — AG Grid $5,000 / $2,000 / $1,000 × 3, APIMatic $1,000 × 3 (plus six months of its business subscription), Bryntum $1,000 × 3 and Channel3 $1,500. That is 20 cash positions. Render's three prizes ($1,000 / $750 / $500) are paid in Render credits and are not part of the $67,500. A project can win at most one grand prize or honourable mention, plus one sponsor prize.
On contention: 16,830 had registered as of 19 October 2026, under a third of the 56,965 on Amazon's Build Ship Shape for roughly twice the money — so the cash per entrant here is about 1.7 times as high. What you submit: a working project, a public code repository carrying an open-source licence file visible on the repo page, a text description, and a public YouTube demo video under three minutes. Rules are standard Devpost terms: free to enter, age of majority where you live, individuals, teams or organisations, and the excluded list is Brazil, Quebec, Russia, Crimea, Cuba, Iran and North Korea plus OFAC-sanctioned countries — India is not on it.
How to apply
Register on paypalaihackathon.devpost.com and create a free account at developer.paypal.com for the sandbox environment.
Build an app that integrates the PayPal developer platform (sandbox) with any AI tool or model; if you use a sponsor's tool too, you also become eligible for that sponsor's prize.
Put the code in a public repository with an open-source licence file that shows at the top of the repo page.
Record a demo video under three minutes showing the project running, and upload it publicly to YouTube.
Submit the project, description, repo link and video before 12 November 2026, 12:00pm PT — which is 1:30am IST on 13 November.
Frequently asked questions
Can students in India enter?
Yes. The official rules exclude residents of Brazil, Quebec, Russia, Crimea, Cuba, Iran and North Korea, plus OFAC-sanctioned countries; India is not on the list. You must be at least the age of majority where you live, which is 18 in India.
Is it all cash?
The $67,500 is all cash: three grand prizes, five $5,000 honourable mentions and the AG Grid, APIMatic, Bryntum and Channel3 sponsor prizes. The three Render prizes are paid in Render credits and are separate from that figure.
Does it cost anything?
No. The rules state no purchase or payment is necessary, and the PayPal developer sandbox you build against is free.
Do I have to use a particular AI tool?
No. Any AI tool, model or platform works as long as the project integrates the PayPal developer platform. Sponsor tools are optional and only matter if you want to compete for that sponsor's prize.
What do I have to submit?
A working project built during the submission period (or an existing one significantly updated during it), a public code repository with a visible open-source licence, a text description, and a public YouTube demo video under three minutes.
Official links
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