Build, Ship, Shape: Amazon Developer Hackathon – Apply by October 23

The Build, Ship, Shape: Amazon Developer Hackathon is an online, worldwide hackathon from Amazon Developer, administered on Devpost. It is designed for builders working with Amazon Devices and developer tools, including Fire TV, Alexa+, Bee wearable AI, Ring, AWS, AI-enhanced viewing, agentic and MCP integrations, wearable AI, IoT and home automation, accessibility, open-source work and AWS builder mini challenges.

As of 2026-10-05, the submission window is open, and teams have until October 23, 2026 at 12:00pm PDT to submit. Because the hackathon is online, participants can build from wherever they are eligible to participate, subject to the legal and sanctions restrictions in the official rules.

What participants and winners can get

The Devpost overview lists $138,000 in cash for the hackathon. The official page also describes a broader $190K value in cash and AWS credits, with benefits that may include track prizes, AWS credits, Amazon Developer meetings and project features.

Beyond the prize pool, this is a practical chance to build a working product around Amazon’s device and developer ecosystem. A strong submission can demonstrate your ability to create an app, integrate with relevant tools, gather product feedback and present a usable demo to judges.

Who can apply

The hackathon is open to individuals above the legal age of majority, teams and organizations. Applicants must also comply with the official legal, sanctions and conflict-of-interest restrictions.

Excluded locations include Brazil, Quebec, Russia, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea and comprehensively U.S.-sanctioned countries or territories. Sponsor, administrator and promotional parties, judges and people with conflicts are also excluded under the official rules.

How to register and submit

  1. Join the hackathon on Devpost. Visit the official hackathon page and use Devpost to join the challenge.
  2. Create or log in to a free Devpost account. You will need an account to manage your participation and submit your project.
  3. Choose a primary track. Build a project that fits one of the eligible tracks, such as Amazon Devices, Alexa+, Fire TV, Bee wearable AI, Ring, AWS or the other listed challenge areas.
  4. Build or substantially update a working app. The project should be functional, not just a concept, and should align with the hackathon requirements.
  5. Prepare your submission materials. Required elements include a demo, a code repository and product feedback, along with the other details requested in the submission form.
  6. Submit before the deadline. Complete your Devpost submission during the submission window and before October 23, 2026 at 12:00pm PDT.

Key dates

  • Submissions opened: August 31, 2026 at 10:15am PDT.
  • Submission deadline: October 23, 2026 at 12:00pm PDT.
  • Judging: Official pages conflict on the start date. One schedule page says judging starts October 26, 2026, while the rules say judging starts November 9, 2026.
  • Winners announced: Around December 3, 2026.

Practical tips to stand out

Build a focused team around the track. If you are entering as a team, assign clear roles early: product direction, engineering, device or API integration, demo production and submission writing. A small team with clear ownership can move faster than a larger group without a plan.

Pick an idea that matches Amazon’s ecosystem. Judges will likely want to see more than a generic app. Choose a concept that clearly uses the primary track, whether that is Fire TV, Alexa+, Bee wearable AI, Ring, AWS, accessibility, open-source or home automation. Make the connection obvious in your title, description and demo.

Make the demo easy to understand. Your demo should quickly show the problem, the user, the working product and the value of the Amazon-related integration. Avoid spending too long on setup. Show the strongest user flow first, then use the repository and written submission to explain technical details.

Before applying, confirm every detail, date, eligibility rule, prize description and submission requirement on the official website. Legitimate programmes never charge an application fee, and the official rules for this hackathon state that no purchase or payment is necessary.