About the challenge

Build something useful—and show how you made it trustworthy.

Indy Init is a free, one-day AI Builders Hackathon & Conference hosted by Indy Hackers on Saturday, November 7, 2026, at Launch Fishers.

Working solo or in teams of up to four, start with a blank repository and use AI to build a production-grade app addressing a problem you choose. Show the engineering behind your app: the standards, tests, security, and delivery process that make your approach repeatable.

Compete for three prizes: Software Factory, Community Impact, and Wildcard. Judges visit your table to see your demo and discuss your technical decisions.

Get started

Register free at indyinit.com. Throughout the day, explore sessions on Building with AI, Building the Factory, and Building an AI Career.

Event schedule — Eastern Time

  • 8:00 AM: Check-in
  • 9:00 AM: Welcome
  • 9:30 AM–5:00 PM: Build
  • 10:00 AM–5:00 PM: Conference sessions
  • 5:00–6:00 PM: Judging and awards
  • 6:00–9:00 PM: Social happy hour

Requirements

What to Build

Use AI to build a production-grade application of your choosing, along with a reusable process for developing, testing, securing, and shipping it.

What to Submit

Submit your project on Devpost by 5:00 PM Eastern Time on November 7. Include:

  • Project overview: Briefly describe what you built, who it helps, and the problem it solves.
  • Code repository: Link to your project’s source code, with a README explaining how to run it. Make sure judges can access the repository.
  • Demo recording or slides: Include either a recording of up to 3 minutes or a deck of up to 5 slides. Show what your application does, how you used AI to build it, and the development process behind it. Highlight your testing, security, and delivery approach, along with any known limitations.
  • Live application link, if available: Include a link if your project is deployed.

Be ready to demonstrate your project and explain your technical decisions at your table during floor judging.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

1 non-cash prize
TBD
1 winner

Prizes will be announced shortly before the event!

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

TBD

TBD
TBD

Judging Criteria

  • Software Factory & Repeatability
    How well does the team’s AI-assisted development process support building, testing, and shipping software? Could it be reused for a different project?
  • Engineering Quality & Readiness
    How convincingly does the team demonstrate reliability, security, observability, scalability, and cost awareness? What evidence supports its claims, and what limitations remain?
  • Working Application & Impact
    How well does the application work, and how effectively does it address a clear problem for its intended users?
  • Technical Understanding
    Can the team explain and defend its architecture, use of AI, engineering decisions, and tradeoffs?
  • Creativity & Originality
    Does the project demonstrate an inventive application of AI or an unexpected approach to solving a problem?

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Invite others to compete

Hackathon sponsors

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