PayPal AI Hackathon 2026
PayPal Inc
📌 About the Event
The PayPal AI Hackathon 2026, titled “Build What’s Next with PayPal and AI,” is a global online hackathon sponsored by PayPal Inc. It invites developers, designers, founders, students, and other builders to create innovative applications combining PayPal’s developer platform with artificial intelligence. Participants can explore AI agents, payment experiences, business tools, automations and other new applications for digital commerce. Projects must meaningfully integrate both PayPal technology and AI.
ℹ️ Event Details
- Organizer: PayPal Inc.
- Competition Type: International AI Hackathon
- Mode of Conduct: Online
- Team Size: Individual participation, teams, and eligible organizations are permitted
- Eligibility: Individuals who have reached the legal age of majority in their country of residence, subject to the official rules and country restrictions.
- Challenge: Build or significantly update an application integrating the PayPal developer platform with an AI tool, model, or platform.
- Project Requirements: Working prototype or proof of concept, project description, public open-source code repository, and a public YouTube demonstration video under three minutes.
- Evaluation Criteria: Technical implementation, design, potential impact, innovation and presentation.
- Registration Fee: Free
📅 Important Dates
- Submissions Open: 1 October 2026
- Submission Deadline: 13 November 2026, 1:30 AM IST
- Judging Period: 1–15 December 2026
- Expected Winners Announcement: On or around 21 December 2026
🎯 Eligibility & Rules
- Open to eligible individuals aged at least the legal age of majority in their country of residence, teams and organizations.
- Projects must meaningfully integrate PayPal technology and an AI tool, model or platform.
- Participants may create a new project or significantly update an existing project during the submission period.
- Submissions must include a functional demo or clear setup instructions, a project description, a public GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket repository with an open-source licence, and a public YouTube demo video under three minutes.
- All submission materials must be in English or include the English translations specified in the official rules.
- Participants must comply with the official eligibility, intellectual property, and submission requirements.
🏆 Benefits for the Participants
- First Place: US $12,000
- Second Place: US $8,000
- Third Place: US $5,000
- Special Awards: US $5,000 each for Most Creative, Most Impactful, Best Demo Delivery, Best Use of PayPal + AI, and Best Use of Agentic Commerce.
- Sponsor Awards: Additional cash prizes for selected uses of AG Grid, APIMatic, Bryntum, and Channel3, along with Render credits and other sponsor benefits.
- Total Prize Pool: The official page advertises US $67,500+ in prizes, including cash and additional non-cash benefits.
- Learning Opportunities: Experience working with PayPal APIs, AI tools, agents, automation, and developer technologies.
- Showcase Opportunity: Present projects to PayPal judges and the wider hackathon community.
Disclaimer: This event is hosted on Devpost and listed on Internshala for informational purposes only. Internshala is not affiliated with the organisers and is not responsible for event execution, registration, or prize fulfillment.