Qdrant Hackathon 2026
Qdrant GmbH
About the Event
Qdrant Hackathon 2026, officially titled “Think Outside the Bot” Virtual Hackathon, is a global online hackathon by Qdrant where participants must build creative vector-search projects using Qdrant. The challenge specifically asks developers to go beyond regular RAG chatbots and explore ideas like multi-modal search, recommendation systems, AI agents, and advanced vector search applications. The hackathon is connected with Vector Space Day San Francisco 2026.
ℹ️ Event Details
- Mode of Conduct: Fully virtual / online
- Theme: Build innovative applications using Qdrant and vector search
- Main Focus: Projects should explore multi-modal applications, recommendations, semantic search, AI agents, and vector search use cases beyond chatbots
- Key Requirement: Every submission must use Qdrant technology as a core part of the project
- Team Size: Participants can compete solo or in teams of up to 4 members
- Official Submission: Project must be submitted through the official Qdrant hackathon page/form with a GitHub repository and demo video
📅 Important Dates
- Hackathon Period: Now through June 1, 2026
- Submission Deadline: June 1, 2026, 11:59 PM Pacific Time
- India Deadline Equivalent: June 2, 2026, 12:29 PM IST
- Winner Announcement: June 11, 2026
- Announcement Platform: Winners will be revealed at Vector Space Day in San Francisco and online, with winners also notified by email
🎯 Eligibility & Rules
- Eligibility: Open to participants worldwide
- Age Requirement: Participants must be at least 18 years old at the time of registration
- Team Rule: Participants may join individually or in teams of 1–4 members
- Employee Restriction: Employees, directors, officers of Qdrant and their immediate family/household members are not eligible
- Project Rule: All code must be created during the hackathon period; previous projects are not allowed
- Qdrant Usage: Submissions must use Qdrant as a material part of the project
- Chatbot Restriction: Projects that are only simple chatbots are not allowed; the focus is on creative vector search interactions beyond Q&A bots
- Submission Requirements: Each project must include a GitHub repository, README.md, basic code documentation, and a demo video of up to 3 minutes
- Evaluation Criteria: Submissions will be judged on functionality, originality/creativity, innovative use of technology, and user experience/usability
- Disqualification: Plagiarized, incomplete, ineligible, rule-breaking, or non-compliant submissions may be disqualified.
🏆 Prize Details and Value
- Total Prize Pool: Over $10,000
- First Prize: USD 5,000
- Second Prize: USD 3,000
- Third Prize: USD 2,000
- Recognition: Winners will be announced during Vector Space Day San Francisco 2026 and shared online
- Networking Value: Participants get a chance to showcase their work in the Qdrant and vector-search developer community
- Skill Benefit: The hackathon is useful for students, developers, and AI builders interested in GenAI, vector databases, recommendation systems, semantic search, and AI infrastructure.