PayPal AI Hackathon 2026: $67,500+ Prize Pool, Submission Deadline November 13

Project submissions for the PayPal AI Hackathon 2026 close on November 13, 2026 (1:30 AM IST), according to the programme's listing on Course Joiner. Organised by PayPal and run on Devpost, the hackathon is 100% online and open to builders globally, including participants from India.

The total prize pool is $67,500+ in cash, plus sponsor API credits and subscriptions. The main awards are 1st place: $12,000, 2nd place: $8,000 and 3rd place: $5,000, with special category prizes of $5,000 each for Most Creative, Most Impactful, Best Demo Delivery, Best Use of PayPal + AI and Best Use of Agentic Commerce, alongside sponsor-track awards from AG Grid, APIMatic, Bryntum, Render and others.

Eligibility: entrants must be above the legal age of majority in their country of residence; the hackathon is aimed at university students, early-career developers, software engineers, designers, tech founders and independent builders. Participation is free, and entries may be solo or team — both brand-new projects and existing projects receiving meaningful updates during the hackathon window qualify.

What to build: projects must meaningfully integrate at least one PayPal API, SDK or developer capability using the free PayPal Sandbox environment and incorporate AI/ML models or agentic automation into the core experience, submitted as a working prototype (static mockups do not qualify). There are no fixed tracks — builders can create any application, tool or automated agent. PayPal hosted preparatory webinars through October, including sessions on October 12 and 13. Apply at paypalaihackathon.devpost.com before the November 13, 2026 deadline.