docs/build-small-hackathon-org-card.md

# Build Small Hackathon

> Org profile for **Build Small Hackathon** on Hugging Face.
> Source: https://huggingface.co/build-small-hackathon

![Build Small Hackathon — small models, big adventure](https://cdn-uploads.huggingface.co/production/uploads/60d2dc1007da9c17c72708f8/Z0dKQfn56SAMmjVQTEaA0.png)

Hosted by **Gradio** · **Hugging Face**
Anchor Sponsors: **OpenBMB** · **OpenAI** · **NVIDIA** · **Modal**
Cash & Prizes: **$48k+**

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## Backed by the best in AI

The folks making this adventure possible — the full roster, locked in.

### From Your Hosts

- **Hugging Face** — **$15,000** into the cash prize pool, plus **$20** in Hugging Face credits for **every participant**. We're not just hosting the trail — we're packing the provisions too.

### Anchor Sponsors

- **OpenAI** — **$10,000** in cash prizes, plus **$100** in Codex credits for the first **1,000** participants.
- **NVIDIA** — Two **RTX 5080 GPUs 🔥** as physical prizes.
- **Modal** — **$250** in Modal credits for **every participant**, plus **$20,000** in credits for the winners.
- **OpenBMB** — **$10,000** in special category prizes — split across both tracks for the standout OpenBMB picks.

### Supporting Sponsors

- **Cohere** — **$5,000** in cash prize contribution to the pool.
- **JetBrains** — **$5,000** in cash prize contribution to the pool.
- **Black Forest Labs** — **$3,000** in cash prize contribution to the pool.

**Total Prize Pool: $48,000+** in cash & physical prizes across both tracks — plus per-participant credits ($100 Codex · $250 Modal · $20 Hugging Face).

> Registrations are closed — and the trail is _open!_
> Sign-ups wrapped on **June 3, 2026**. Registered builders — the hack window is live, **June 5–15**. Hop into the [Discord](https://discord.gg/YHECTft87Z), find your teammates, and start building.

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## ❋ 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.

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## ❋ Two Tracks · Pick your trail

### 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

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## ❋ 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.

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## ❋ Bonus Quests · Six earnable merit badges

None required. Each one grants extra points for your submission.

- 🔌 **Off the Grid** (Local-first) — No cloud APIs. The whole thing runs on the model in front of you.
- 🎯 **Well-Tuned** (Fine-tuned) — Your app uses a fine-tuned model you've published on Hugging Face.
- 🎨 **Off-Brand** (Custom UI) — A custom frontend that pushes past the default Gradio look.
- 🦙 **Llama Champion** (llama.cpp) — Your model runs through the llama.cpp runtime.
- 📡 **Sharing is Caring** (Open trace) — You shared your agent trace on the Hub for everyone to learn from.
- 📓 **Field Notes** (Tentative) — You wrote a blog post or report about what you built and what you learned.

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## ❋ How to Participate

**Four steps. No application. No waitlist.**

1. **Register** _(Closed)_ — Registrations closed June 3, 2026. If you registered and joined this org, you're all set for the trail.
2. **Find your people** — Hop into the Gradio Discord. AMAs. Connect with Gradio and HF folks. Potential teammates live there.
3. **Build & ship** — Build your Gradio app and host it as a Space under this org.
4. **Submit** — Drop your Space link, a short demo video, and a social post by the deadline.

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## ❋ How to Get Started · Tools for the trail

- 📓 [ML Intern](https://github.com/huggingface/ml-intern)
- 📚 [Gradio Guides](https://www.gradio.app/guides/quickstart)
- 🛠 [Gradio's gr.Server — fully custom UIs](https://huggingface.co/blog/introducing-gradio-server)
- 🦙 [Getting Started with Llama.cpp](https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp)

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## ❋ Timeline · A hand-drawn map

**Two weekends in the woods.**

- ✓ **May 07 – June 3, 2026** — Registration window. Now closed. Sign-ups wrapped June 3.
- **June 5, 2026** — Hack window begins. You are here. Two weekends to build, ship, and demo.
- **Mid-window** — Live AMA. Ask the sponsors and Gradio team anything.
- **June 15, 2026** — Submissions close. Space, demo video, social post locked in.
- **[date TBD]** — Winners announced. Per track, plus bonus-quest leaderboard.

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## Build something _small_.

Two weekends. Two tracks. The model on your laptop. The neighbor next door.

[→ Join the Discord ←](https://discord.gg/YHECTft87Z)

> Registrations closed June 3 — the trail is open through June 15!

[Gradio docs](https://www.gradio.app/docs) · [Hackathon org](https://huggingface.co/build-small-hackathon)