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RevenueCat · HackathonRevenueCat Shipaton 2026
A two-month online build-and-ship hackathon with $740,000+ in prizes and, unusually, a student-only category: the Next Gen Award pays $15,000 / $10,000 / $5,000 and is judged on a video plus open-source code, so it needs no paid Apple or Google developer account. Submissions close 30 September 2026.
Dates & timeline
Prizes
- $740,000+ in prizes across all categories
- Grand Prize: $100,000
- Next Gen Award (students only): 1st $15,000, 2nd $10,000, 3rd $5,000
- #BuildInPublic Award: 1st $30,000, 2nd $20,000, 3rd $10,000
- Keep Them Coming Back Award (OneSignal): 1st $25,000, 2nd $15,000, 3rd $5,000
- Most other categories pay $15,000 / $10,000 / $5,000 for the top three
- Roughly twenty separate award categories, so far more than one winner
- Two-month build window rather than a weekend
- Student category judged on a video and open-source code, not a published app
Why it's worth your time
The Shipaton is RevenueCat's annual online hackathon, and the format is different from a weekend build: you have two months to actually ship an app. The submission period runs 31 July to 30 September 2026, entries must integrate the RevenueCat SDK to power at least one in-app purchase or serve ads through RevenueCat Ads, and the main competition expects the app to launch on the App Store, Google Play or the Samsung Galaxy Store inside the window. The prize table is large and unusually spread out — $740,000+ across a $100,000 grand prize and roughly twenty separate award categories, most paying $15,000 / $10,000 / $5,000 for first, second and third.
The reason it earns a place here is the Next Gen Award: a student-only category for active students, which pays the same $15,000 / $10,000 / $5,000 and is judged on a video submission and open-source code rather than a published app store listing. The official rules state that no paid Apple or Google developer account is required for it, which removes the single biggest cost barrier between an Indian undergraduate and a US app-store hackathon. You need a .edu or equivalent email address to enter that category.
Be clear-eyed about the shape of it. Twenty-odd categories means many more winners than a single-prize hackathon, but you are still shipping a real product against people who do this professionally, and there is a hard 30 September cutoff. Read your target category's own criteria before you start building — the awards reward very different things, from build-in-public documentation to design to raw revenue.
How to apply
Register on the official Devpost event page and read your target category's judging criteria before writing any code.
If you are a student, target the Next Gen Award — you will need a .edu or equivalent email address, and it does not require a paid Apple or Google developer account.
Integrate the RevenueCat SDK to power an in-app purchase or ads, which is the entry requirement for the hackathon.
Build in public if you want a second shot at a prize — the #BuildInPublic Award is judged on the documentation trail, not only the app.
Submit before 30 September 2026, 11:45pm PDT. Late is late.
Frequently asked questions
Can students in India enter the Shipaton?
Yes. The official rules exclude only residents of countries where US or local law prohibits participating or receiving a prize — Russia, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and other OFAC-designated jurisdictions. India is not among them. You must be at least the age of majority where you live.
What is the Next Gen Award?
It is a student-only category for the best app submitted by active students — high school, university, bootcamp or campus dev club — and it pays $15,000 for first place, $10,000 for second and $5,000 for third. It is judged on a video submission and open-source code instead of a published app store listing, and the official page states that no paid Apple or Google developer account is required. Entry needs a .edu or equivalent email address.
Does it cost anything to enter?
No entry fee is charged, and participants receive a "Ship Kit" of sponsor tools and credits. For the main categories you would normally need a developer account to publish an app, which is exactly the cost the student Next Gen Award waives.
What is the deadline?
The submission period runs from 31 July 2026 at 8:00am PDT to 30 September 2026 at 11:45pm PDT. Apps entering the main competition must launch on the App Store, Google Play Store or Samsung Galaxy Store between 1 August and 30 September 2026.
Is this realistic if I have never shipped an app?
Two months is enough time to ship something small and finished, and with roughly twenty award categories there are many more prizes than a typical hackathon. The honest catch is that you are competing against professional indie developers, so pick one narrow category and build for its specific criteria rather than trying to win the grand prize.
Official links
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