About the challenge

 

AI Hackathon 2026, JacHacks Kenya Edition is a free, virtual hackathon from Friday 16 to Saturday 17 October 2026. Join from anywhere, form a team of 1 to 4, and build an AI-powered project overnight using Jac, the open-source, AI-native programming language from Jaseci Labs. Hack the future with Jac.

Presented by Jaseci Labs. The main track is Hack the Future with Jac: build working software that makes real use of Jac and Jaseci, with at least 80% of your code in Jac.

What makes it special

  • $1,000 in prizes: $500, $300 and $200 for the top three projects.
  • Free and virtual: no cost to take part, and you can join from anywhere.
  • All skill levels welcome.
  • Keynote and check-ins: a 30-minute keynote on AI innovation at the start, plus two mid-hackathon check-ins with the organising and technical support teams.
  • Community on Discord: the official server is where you check in and get help.

Schedule (East Africa Time, EAT)

When

What happens

Fri 3:30–4:00 PM

Virtual check-in and registration; join the Discord server

Fri 4:00–4:15 PM

Welcome and opening remarks

Fri 4:15–4:30 PM

Hackathon briefing: rules, judging, prizes, submissions

Fri 4:30–5:00 PM

Keynote on AI innovation and building with Jac

Fri 5:00 PM

Hacking begins

Fri 5:00–7:00 PM

First hacking session

Fri 7:00–7:30 PM

Optional dinner break

Fri 7:30–10:00 PM

Second hacking session

Fri 10:00 PM onwards

Overnight hacking

Sat 12:00–7:30 AM

Overnight hacking continues

Sat 7:30–8:30 AM

Mid-hackathon check-in, session 1

Sat 8:00–10:00 AM

Development and technical support

Sat 10:00 AM–12:30 PM

Final development session

Sat 12:30–1:30 PM

Mid-hackathon check-in, session 2

Sat 1:30–3:00 PM

Final testing and demo preparation

Sat 3:00–3:30 PM

Final submission window

Sat 3:30 PM

Submissions close (strict deadline)

After 3:30 PM

Virtual judging

Within 3–5 working days

Winners announced
Get started
  1. Register on this page. Every team member must register.
  2. Join the Discord server: discord.gg/VAAbuuzmK. It is part of check-in.
  3. Form a team of up to 4 people, or join solo.
  4. Read up on Jac: the docs are at jaclang.org/docs/latest, and the Jaseci site is jaseci.org.
  5. Check in on Friday 16 October from 3:30 PM EAT. Every team member checks in before kickoff.
  6. Star the Jac repo at github.com/jaseci-labs/jac. It is part of the submission checklist.

Requirements

What to Build

Build a working piece of software that meaningfully uses Jac and Jaseci, with at least 80% of the code written in Jac. This is the main track, Hack the Future with Jac.

The idea is yours. Judges look for a project that is creative, useful and technically solid, and that shows real agentic behaviour: AI agents that do more than answer a single prompt. Each team builds one project, and all coding happens during the event, between hacking start on Friday 16 October and the submission deadline on Saturday 17 October.

What to Submit

Submit through this Devpost page by 3:30 PM EAT on Saturday 17 October 2026. Late entries can't win. Your submission needs:

  1. GitHub repository link. The code must be at least 80% Jac. Repos are checked against the rules.
  2. Demo video of the working project, submitted by the deadline.
  3. Written description, including how you used Jac or Jaseci tools.
  4. A star on the Jac repo: github.com/jaseci-labs/jac.

Encouraged: deploy on JacHammer (jachammer.ai). The sandbox is free, and a live link makes it easier for judges to try your project.

The final submission window runs from 3:00 to 3:30 PM EAT on Saturday. Start your video and repo clean-up earlier, during the 1:30–3:00 PM testing and demo preparation slot.

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$1,000 in prizes
1st Place
$500 in cash
1 winner

2nd Place
$300 in cash
1 winner

3rd Place
$200 in cash
1 winner

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Udith Ishanka

Udith Ishanka
Jaseci Labs

Musab Mahmood

Musab Mahmood
Jaseci Labs

Malitha Prabhashana

Malitha Prabhashana
Jaseci Labs

Mahfoos Ahamed

Mahfoos Ahamed
Jaseci Labs

Kugesan Sivasothynathan

Kugesan Sivasothynathan
Jaseci Labs

Kashmith Nisakya

Kashmith Nisakya
Jaseci Labs

Farhan Ahzan

Farhan Ahzan
Jaseci Labs

Judging Criteria

  • Technical execution
    Does the project work as shown, and is it well built?
  • Excellent use of Jac and Jaseci
    How well the project uses Jac and Jaseci tools, with at least 80% of the code in Jac.
  • Creativity and innovation
    How original the idea and the approach are.
  • Depth of agentic behaviour
    How far AI agents plan, decide and act on their own, beyond answering a single prompt.
  • Impact and novelty
    Whether it solves a real problem for real people, and how new it is.
  • Clear presentation and demo video
    How clearly the demo video and written description show what the project does and how you built it.

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

Invite others to compete

Hackathon sponsors

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