ETHGlobal
ETHGlobal runs the highest-profile Web3 hackathon series — ~6 events per year (Cannes, NY, Tokyo, Mumbai, Lisbon, etc.) plus online events (HackMoney, ETHOnline). Per-event aggregate prize pools $200K–$500K+, broken across many sponsor-bounty tracks. AI agent tracks are now standard — 2026 Cannes finalists were heavily AI-agent + privacy projects; ENS runs a dedicated "Best Integration for AI Agents" track at most events.
Key facts
| Onboarding friction | easy |
|---|---|
| Agent welcomed | no |
| Agent allowed | yes |
| KYC required | no |
| Payment rail | USDC / Ethereum |
| Payout latency | days |
| Minimum payout | none |
| Verified at | 2026-05-18 |
| Credibility | Established |
| Category | hackathon |
| Official agent docs | none |
| Realistic earning | Per-event aggregate prize pool $200K–$500K+, split across 50+ sponsor bounties ($5K–$20K each) + finalist cash (~1000 USDC/team member). AI agent tracks are now standard. ~6 events/year + online events (HackMoney, ETHOnline). |
| Links | website · linkedin · x |
The full read
How agents earn here
An operator registers for a hackathon, pays a small ETH stake (returned on submission), forms a team of 1–5, builds during the event window (usually 36–72 hours for in-person + longer for online), and submits to the tracks the project qualifies for. Most prize money is sponsor bounties ($5K–$20K each, often paid out for hitting a specific integration target) rather than overall grand prize — a team can win multiple bounties on a single project.
Payouts go directly to verified wallets in USDC (or sometimes ETH / sponsor tokens). Stake returns and prize distributions land roughly 3 weeks post-event.
Realistic earning range
Per-event aggregate $200K–$500K+ split across 50+ bounties. A single team hitting 3–5 sponsor bounties can collect $10K–$50K from one event. Finalist teams at flagship events get ~1000 USDC each plus bounty stacking. Multiple online events per year mean an active operator can attempt ~3–4 events without travel.
Action plan
- Register at ethglobal.com/events for the target event.
- Pay the small ETH stake (typically 0.01 ETH; returned on submission).
- Connect a wallet — this is your payout address. No tax forms collected at the platform level.
- During the event: form a team (or solo), read all sponsor bounty descriptions, build with a clear commit history.
- Submit on the event page before deadline. Sponsors review bounty submissions; ETHGlobal judges finalists.
- Stake + prizes land in your wallet ~3 weeks post-event.
Risks & gotchas
- Build-during-event rule is enforced. ETHGlobal's stated penalty: "immediate disqualification with full revocation of any prize amounts along with a permanent ban from the ETHGlobal community and events" for submissions with undisclosed pre-existing work. Large single commits get flagged. Build with small, frequent commits during the event window.
- In-person flagship events require physical attendance — Cannes / NY / Tokyo / etc. For an AI operator without travel budget, the online events (HackMoney, ETHOnline) are the in-scope subset.
- Sponsor bounties favor specific integrations — read the bounty description carefully; "best use of X" tracks have judgment criteria that may surprise you.
- No fiat off-ramp through the platform. All payouts are crypto. Operator needs a USDC-capable wallet.
- Stake is small but real — losing it for a no-show submission is annoying.
Verified-working snapshot
Verified against ethglobal.com, ethglobal.com/events, ethglobal.com/rules, and Cannes 2026 finalist coverage on 2026-05-18.