Jan 29–31, 2027 · Fully remote · Free

Theme:
[Sealed]

A 48-hour, fully remote, AI-leveraged hackathon. Every builder on the planet hears the theme at the same minute — and starts from zero.

Seal breaks inFRI 01.29 · 6PM ET
Opening ceremony streams live, worldwide.
Apply to build → Sponsor a track
300–1,000 builders Teams of 1–4 Ages 13+ · worldwide
★ The seal breaks everywhere at once Vancouver 3:00 PM Fri Toronto 6:00 PM Fri São Paulo 8:00 PM Fri London 11:00 PM Fri Lagos 12:00 AM Sat Delhi 4:30 AM Sat Singapore 7:00 AM Sat Sydney 10:00 AM Sat

The premise

Nobody knows what
we're building.

The theme — and the four tracks under it — stay sealed until the opening ceremony. Every team starts from zero at the same minute, so judging rewards speed of thinking, not weeks of quiet pre-building. AI tools aren't just allowed — they're the point.

90+
Hackers, first edition
$18K
Sponsor value raised
6
Founding sponsors
100%
Remote · worldwide
01

You apply.

Two minutes on the application, decisions within 48 hours. Confirm on Devpost, land in the Discord. Solo or teams of up to four.

Applications open Oct 2026
02

The seal breaks.

Friday, 6:00 PM ET. Theme and four tracks revealed live on stream — to everyone on Earth at the same minute. Briefs, judges, and prizes drop in that moment.

Fri Jan 29 · live worldwide
03

You build for 48 hours.

Hack from wherever you are with any AI tools you like. Ship a repo, a demo video under three minutes, and a write-up before the clock dies.

Submissions lock Sun 8 PM ET

Four tracks · all withheld

Pick your lane blind.

Track 01Prize pool + judges

Brief, judging criteria, prize pool, and naming sponsor — issued live at the opening ceremony.

OPENS 01.29 · 6:00 PM ET
Track 02Prize pool + judges

Brief, judging criteria, prize pool, and naming sponsor — issued live at the opening ceremony.

OPENS 01.29 · 6:00 PM ET
Track 03Prize pool + judges

Brief, judging criteria, prize pool, and naming sponsor — issued live at the opening ceremony.

OPENS 01.29 · 6:00 PM ET
Track 04Prize pool + judges

Brief, judging criteria, prize pool, and naming sponsor — issued live at the opening ceremony.

OPENS 01.29 · 6:00 PM ET

No venue. No visa.
No plane ticket.

DevNest is remote because a hackathon shouldn't depend on where you live. The schedule converts to your timezone, mentors cover the clock across regions, and judging happens over stream and video.

Ages 13+ Discord-based Every timezone welcome

The weekend

What happens when

Times in ET (UTC−5)

Friday

Jan 29
  • 6:00 PMOpening ceremony — seal brokenTheme + four tracks revealed live
  • 6:45 PMTeam formationFind teammates in Discord, 1–4 per team
  • 8:00 PMHacking beginsThe 48-hour clock starts
  • 9:00 PMWorkshop: AI-first buildingShipping fast with modern AI tooling

Saturday

Jan 30
  • 11:00 AMIndustry panelOperators from the theme's industry — you'll know them by then
  • 2:00 PMMentor office hoursTechnical and domain mentors on call
  • 6:00 PMCheckpointOptional progress check, early feedback
  • 11:59 PMLate-night socialsMini-events and challenges in Discord

Sunday

Jan 31
  • 8:00 PMSubmissions closeDevpost locks — repo, demo video, write-up
  • 8:30 PMJudgingLive demos for finalists
  • 10:00 PMClosing ceremonyWinners announced, prizes awarded

Sponsors & judges

Put your name on the drawings

Edition one drew 90+ hackers and six sponsors. The 2027 edition targets 300–1,000 builders. Sponsors see the sealed theme and tracks in advance under NDA — so a track, a judge seat, or a challenge statement is built around your product before any participant knows what's coming. Tiers run $1K–$5K CAD plus in-kind.

  • Title sponsor1 available
  • Track sponsor4 available
  • Community partnerOpen
  • API credits / in-kindOpen
  • Judge or mentorOpen

Notes

FAQ

Who can participate?
Anyone 13+, anywhere in the world — students, new grads, and working engineers alike. No specialized background needed: every track is approachable from a general software stack, and the brief tells you everything when the seal breaks.
I'm not in North America. Is this still for me?
Completely. The event is built remote-first: the schedule above converts to your timezone, mentors are staggered across regions, and core moments are streamed and recorded. If a finalist demo time is brutal in your zone, we'll work around it.
Can I use AI tools?
Yes — it's encouraged. DevNest is an AI-leveraged hackathon: use coding assistants, LLM APIs, and generation tools freely. You're judged on what you shipped against your track brief, and on whether you can explain how it works.
Why is the theme sealed?
Fairness. When a theme is public for weeks, the winners are usually whoever quietly built in advance. Sealing it means every team starts from zero at the same minute, and 48 hours actually means 48 hours.
Can I prepare anything beforehand?
Yes — anything theme-agnostic. Set up your dev environment, accounts, boilerplate, and team. Project code written before the clock starts is grounds for disqualification, and finalists walk judges through their commit history.
What does it cost?
Nothing. Applying and competing are free, and sponsor-provided API credits and tools are available to all participants during the event.

Applications open Oct 2026

Same theme.
Same minute.

Anywhere on Earth. 48 hours, four sealed tracks — nobody knows what's coming, including the favourites.

Apply to build →