Featured in Prompt Driven Development

Build Fast Launch Loud Prompt Driven Hackathon

# Prompt Driven Development Hackathon ## Build Fast.

~ pdd-hackLIVE

JUL25

Saturday, July 25, 2026 – Sunday, July 26, 2026

5:00 PM – 4:00 AM

555 University Ave, Palo Alto, CA 94301

Registration

Past Event

About Event

The prompt-driven hackathon

Prompt Driven Development Hackathon

Build Fast. Launch Loud.

The Prompt Driven Development Hackathon is a one-day build event where developers, founders, students, and AI builders turn ideas into working products.

Using Prompt Driven Development (PDD), teams will direct AI agents through structured prompts to build, test, iterate, and deploy software faster. The goal is not just to prototype—it is to ship a functional product in a single day. Teams will demo their projects to investors, industry leaders, and fellow builders, with standout projects gaining exposure and opportunities beyond the event.

What You’ll Do

Build an AI-powered product using PDD
Rapidly test and refine through prompt-based workflows
Use leading AI models, APIs, and developer tools
Deploy and present a live application

Who It’s For

Developers, students, founders, designers, and anyone interested in building with AI.

What You’ll Gain

A shipped product
Hands-on experience with AI-native development
A chance to pitch to investors and industry leaders
Connections with builders across the AI ecosystem Come ready to build quickly, experiment boldly, and launch something real. Build Fast. Launch Loud.

Resources

Start with the right tools

Prompt Driven Discord Channel
For questions, support, community, and a place to find teammates for PDD hackathons, explore the Prompt Driven Development discord channel.
Join the Discord

Required Tools

Arrive set up

Tools and accounts to install or sign up for before the event.

Nexla Resource 1
Utilize Nexla in your work through credits to participate with.
Get Started
Nexla Resource 2
Get Started
Cerebras
Cerebras is providing API credits for participating hackers to build and experiment with ultra-fast AI inference during the event.
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Band
Band is sponsoring a $500 cash prize for the Best Project with Band. All hackers will also receive access to 1 month of Band Pro through a special event code, which will be shared on the day of the hackathon. Please review Band’s hacker guide to get started.
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MiniMax
MiniMax is providing API credits to help hackers build with its advanced AI models, including powerful text, coding, and multimodal capabilities. Use these credits to prototype, test, and launch AI-powered applications throughout the hackathon.
Get Started
PDD (Required)
Prompt-Driven Development (PDD) - Your project MUST demonstrate PDD principles: Prompts define behavior; code is generated Changes made by modifying prompts and regenerating (not patching) Intent preserved in prompts, not buried in code
Prompt Driven Development
Rtrvr.ai
Utilize Rtrvr.ai in you work and receive $30/person in credits to participate with.
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ElevenLabs
Utilize ElevenLabs in your work and participate to win 3 months of their Pro tier for each participant in the overall winning team. Additionally the team with the Best Project Built with ElevenLabs: Each team member receives 6 months of our Scale tier ($1980 value/team member).
Hacker Guide
Render
Render is supporting Build Fast. Launch Loud. with cloud credits for hackathon participants and additional prize credits for top teams that build with Render Workflows. Eligible Render track prizes: - 1st place: $500 in Render credits - 2nd place: $300 in Render credits - 3rd place: $100 in Render credits Registered participants will receive the Render credit-claim link at the event.
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Tencent EdgeOne Makers
Tencent EdgeOne Makers is offering participants free project deployments and free tokens for its built-in AI models. Use it to build, deploy, and host your hackathon project while adding AI-powered features without managing separate infrastructure.
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Featherless
Featherless provides access to thousands of open-source AI models through one OpenAI-compatible API. Use it to add text generation, reasoning, coding, and other LLM capabilities to your hackathon project without managing model infrastructure.
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mem0
mem0 provides a memory layer for AI applications and agents. Use it to help your product remember past conversations, user preferences, and important context so it can deliver more personalized and consistent experiences.
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Respan
Respan provides observability, evaluations, prompt management, and performance monitoring for AI applications. Use it to trace agent behavior, debug model outputs, compare prompts, and improve the reliability of your product.
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RocketRide
RocketRide is an open-source AI runtime that lets you define an AI pipeline in a single JSON file. Use it to connect models, manage context, route requests, monitor performance, and run the same application locally or in the cloud.
Get Started

Tracks & Challenges

Build something prompt-driven

Best Project with Band
- > $500 Cash Prize
Best Use of MiniMax
- > 1st place: $3,000 in credits for Best Use of MiniMax
- > 2nd place: $2,000 in credits for Best Use of MiniMax
- > 3rd place: $1,000 in credits for Best Use of MiniMax
Ophanim
Best defense-adjacent product wins. Build anything with a defense or dual-use angle: perception, autonomy, sensing, logistics, comms, security, decision support, anything that would matter when the stakes are high.
- > $500 Cash Prize
Best Use of RocketRide
The project that pushes RocketRide furthest. Submit your project via the Prompt Driven Discord.
- > $1,000 worth of AirPods for the winning team (non-cash reward).
Technical Constraints
Use RocketRide meaningfully in the project and submit via Discord.

Prizes

What you can win

Grand Prize
Must Render Workflows
$2,300 value in credits + VC pitch opportunity
Second Place
Must use Render Workflows
$1,100 value in credits
Third Place
Must use Render Workflows
$500 value in credits

Judges & Special Guests