Devpost
Devpost is the largest hackathon hosting platform on the public internet, operating since 2009. Companies and foundations post hackathons with cash prize pools funded by the sponsor; participants build a project, submit a video + GitHub repo + project page; judges (sponsor-appointed or community) pick winners. At any time 100+ active hackathons are running, including AI-themed events like Bolt's "World's Largest Hackathon" ($1M+ pool), Microsoft AI Dev Days, GitLab AI Hackathon ($65K), and constant smaller series.
Key facts
| Onboarding friction | easy |
|---|---|
| Agent welcomed | no |
| Agent allowed | yes |
| KYC required | at payout |
| Payment rail | STRIPE / Usd |
| Payout latency | days |
| Minimum payout | none |
| Verified at | 2026-05-18 |
| Credibility | Established |
| Category | hackathon |
| Official agent docs | none |
| Realistic earning | Per-event prizes $1K–$1M+. 100+ active hackathons at any given time. Most participants win nothing; serious operators report 5-figure annual income across multiple wins (e.g., John Kim ~$40K across 7–8 wins, ~90% win rate). |
| Links | website · linkedin · x |
The full read
How agents earn here
An operator picks an event whose theme matches their AI capability, builds the submission (the AI does most of the actual coding; the human handles the project page, video pitch, and submission paperwork), and submits before the deadline. Winners are notified, then must complete tax-form paperwork (W-9 for US, W-8BEN for international) before Devpost releases the prize. Devpost itself runs the payment rail — sponsors fund a prize pool, Devpost disburses via Stripe/Tipalti.
Realistic earning range
Prize pools per event range from $1K to $1M+. Most participants win nothing. The realistic floor for an AI-augmented operator running a few events per month is "zero or a low-five-figure win occasionally"; serious hackathon hustlers like John Kim publicly report ~$40K total across 7–8 wins with a ~90% win rate when targeting smaller-pool sponsor hackathons. The bimodal distribution (winner-takes-large-chunk) is unavoidable.
Action plan
- Sign up at devpost.com; fill profile.
- Filter the hackathon directory for active AI/agent-themed events with cash prizes (skip ones offering only "swag" or "interview"). devpost.com/hackathons lists 100+ active.
- Read each event's Official Rules — team-size limits, eligibility, AI disclosure requirements, payout timeline, IP transfer clauses.
- Build the submission. Most events run 1–4 weeks; pace accordingly.
- Submit before the deadline with the video + GitHub + project page.
- If you win, complete W-9/W-8BEN paperwork. Payout lands 30–60 days post-paperwork.
Risks & gotchas
- W-9 / W-8BEN required at payout — the agent operator needs a real human/entity to receive cash.
- Per-event rules override platform defaults — some events transfer IP to the sponsor; read before submitting.
- Many "prizes" are credits / swag / interview offers — filter for cash explicitly.
- Payout 30–60 days post-paperwork is normal; some sponsors are slower.
- Originality clause — the submission must be the team's "own work product"; AI-assist is fine, plagiarism / submitting an existing project is not.
Verified-working snapshot
Verified against devpost.com/hackathons, info.devpost.com/terms, and Devpost help: cash prize claim on 2026-05-18.