Just a quick reminder: Build Small Hackathon sign-up closes on June 3! Total cash prizes: ~$40K $10K @OpenBMB Special Awards for the best projects using #MiniCPM models. Don’t miss out! Register now：https://huggingface.co/build-small-hackathon… We highly recommend using MiniCPM models — they’re small, powerful, and perfect for this hackathon. Let’s build something awesome together!

build-small-hackathon (Build Small Hackathon)

Source: https://huggingface.co/build-small-hackathon

Hosted byGradio·Hugging FaceAnchor SponsorsOpenBMB·OpenAI·NVIDIACash & Prizes**$40k+**

Joining this Hugging Face org ismandatoryto participate.

Register through the app below and join the org.Registrations close June 3, 2026.

→ Register Now ←

❋Chapter Zero — Why this exists

The pace of AI over the last year has been anxiety-inducing. Labs release larger and larger models that do more of the things that make us feel human — writing, drawing, speaking, coding. No wonder more than half of us think the risks of AI outweigh the benefits.

We’re sponsoring a hackathon to take things back to how they felt in 2021 — when models were small enough to tinker with, and the vibe was fun and hopeful about how this technology could improve our lives.

This hackathon is different. Rather than using a giant LLM to ship yet another B2B SaaS, we want you tothink small. Armed with only32 billion parameters, solve a problem someone you know is facing — or build something whimsical.

❋Two Tracks · Pick your trail

Choose your own adventure.

Chapter One

🏡

Backyard AI

Solve a real problem for someone you actually know. Pick a person — a neighbor, a parent, a small-business owner on your street — and build something that makes their day measurably better.

Judged on

• Problem is specific and real
• The person actuallyused it
• Honest fit between problem and the small-model constraint
• Polish of the Gradio app

Chapter Two

🍄

An Adventure in Thousand Token Wood

Build something delightful that wouldn’t exist without AI. Wander somewhere weirder. A toy, a tiny game, a strange interactive story, an art experiment that surprises you. The AI should be doing the fun thing — not just helping you build it. Strange is good. Joyful is the bar.

Judged on

• Genuinely delightful (would you show a friend?)
• AI is load-bearing for the experience
• Originality of concept
• Polish of the Gradio app

❋The Constraints — Three rules of the trail

Pack light.

1

Small Models Only

Total parameters must be**≤ 32 billion**. The model fits on a laptop. So should your ambition.

2

Built on Gradio

Your app must be aGradio app, hosted as aHugging Face Space. That’s the canvas.

3

Show, Don’t Tell

A shortdemo videoand asocial-media postare part of the submission. Make it sing.

❋Bonus Quests · Six earnable merit badges

Stack ’em on your sash.

None required. Each one grants extra points for your submission. Hover a patch to see it lift.

❋How to Participate

Four steps. No application. No waitlist.

II

Find your people

Hop into the Gradio Discord. AMAs. Connect with Gradio and HF folks. Potential teammates live there.

III

Build & ship

Build your Gradio app and host it as a Space under this org.

IV

Submit

Drop your Space link, a short demo video, and a social post by the deadline.

❋How to Get Started · Tools for the trail

Useful trailheads.

❋Timeline · A hand-drawn map

Two weekends in the woods.

Trail map

I

May 07, 2026

**Registration opens.**Sign up, join Discord, start sketching.

II

June 5, 2026

**Hack window begins.**Two weekends to build, ship, and demo.

III

Mid-window

**Live AMA.**Ask the sponsors and Gradio team anything.

IV

June 15, 2026

**Submissions close.**Space, demo video, social post locked in.

V

[date TBD]

**Winners announced.**Per track, plus bonus-quest leaderboard.

Build somethingsmall.

Two weekends. Two tracks. The model on your laptop. The neighbor next door.

→ Register on Hugging Face ←

Registrations are open till June 3!