New York Hub (Columbia) - 7th Hack-Nation Global AI Hackathon
about this event
Hey Columbia, kick off your fall semester by building something that matters! Secure your spot at the Columbia Hub for the 7th Global AI Hackathon, October 3-4, 2026; a weekend for ambitious builders who want to meet exceptional peers, tackle some of the world's most pressing challenges, and turn bold ideas into real ventures.
Build, prototype, and pitch in just 24 hours, with feedback from mentors and judges whose backgrounds include OpenAI, Meta, Apple, and other leading AI startups.
What's in it for you? $30K+ in cash prizes and API credits across approximately 6-8 AI challenges $200K+ in AI tools and credits available to participating teams An invitation for the top 1% of teams to join our Venture Lab and continue incubating their startups after the hackathon The opportunity to meet and build alongside Columbia students, researchers, engineers, designers, and founders
No idea or team required. Come ready to build. Challenge tracks will be provided.
Agenda October 3 11:00 AM: Local kick-off at Columbia October 4 9:00 AM: Project submission deadline 9:30-10:30 AM: Local pitches at Columbia October 8 Finalists notified October 10 12:00-1:00 PM: Finalist pitches and award ceremony (virtual)
Spots at Columbia are limited and application-only. No walk-ins.
Hosted with the MIT Club of Northern California, MIT Club of Germany, and Hack-Nation. Previous partners and sponsors have included OpenAI, Databricks, Lovable, ElevenLabs, and more. Learn more: hack-nation.ai
tracks
AI Challenges
Approximately 6-8 AI challenges; exact challenge tracks will be provided at the event.
when
Local kick-off at Columbia
Local kick-off at Columbia to start the 24-hour build weekend.
◍ Columbia UniversityProject submission deadline
Project submission deadline.
◍ Columbia UniversityLocal pitches at Columbia
Local pitches at Columbia.
◍ Columbia UniversityFinalists notified
Finalists are notified.
◍ TBAFinalist pitches and award ceremony (virtual)
Finalist pitches and award ceremony, held virtually.
◍ Onlinetickets
| tickets | price | Fee | Status | description |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Columbia Hub Registration | Free | TBA | Available | Spots at Columbia are limited and application-only. No walk-ins. |
prizes
| # | PRIZE | price |
|---|---|---|
| Overall | $30K+ in cash prizes and API credits across approximately 6-8 AI challenges | $30,000+ |
| Overall | $200K+ in AI tools and credits available to participating teams | $200,000+ |
| Top 1% of teams | An invitation to join the Venture Lab and continue incubating their startups after the hackathon | TBA |