πŸ€– Agents & MCP Hackathon - Winter 2025 πŸš€

Gradio Agents & MCP Hackathon - Winter 25 - Banner

πŸ“… Duration πŸ’° Prize Pool 🎯 Tracks πŸ‘₯ Team Size 🌍 Location
Nov 14-30, 2025
(17 days, 3 weekends)
$15,000+ USD Cash Prizes
+ Free API Credits
2 Main Tracks
4 Categories
Solo or Teams of 2-5 Global & Online

The MCP revolution continues. The June 2025 version of Hackathon was a huge success with over 4200 registrations, 1 Millions+ free API credits for participants, and $15000+ awards in cash. Six months later, we are bringing you the next edition of this world event! When we launched this hackathon in June 2025, MCP was experimental. Six months later, OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google have adopted it. The revolution we started is now mainstreamβ€”be part of the second wave.

πŸ‘‰ Register for the Hackathon

To qualify for prizes, you MUST:

  • βœ… Be a member of this organization (click "Request to join this org" above)
  • βœ… Submit your apps to this organization
  • βœ… Include appropriate track tags in your Space README
  • βœ… Include a link to your social media post about your project
  • βœ… Submit by November 30, 2025, 11:59 PM UTC

Join our Discord Community β†’ Channel: agents-mcp-hackathon-winter25πŸ† for latest information and active support during the hackathon.


πŸš€ Quick Start (3 Easy Steps)

1️⃣ Join & Register
β†’ Click "Request to join this org" (top right) + Complete registration form

2️⃣ Pick Your Track
β†’ Track 1: MCP Tools & Servers or Track 2: Agentic Applications

3️⃣ Start Building (Nov 14)
β†’ See submission examples | Join HF Discord for help | Access resources


🌟 Welcome to Agents & MCP Hackathon: Winter 2025

Join us for the definitive AI agents and Model Context Protocol (MCP) development eventβ€”now bigger, better, and more accessible than ever. Build cutting-edge agentic applications powered by Gradio 6, leverage vibe coding to accelerate development, and compete for some of the most amazing πŸ€‘cash prizes and credits.

Why Participate?

πŸŽ“ Learn & Master πŸ† Win Big 🀝 Network πŸš€ Build & Ship
Latest AI tech stack
MCP Protocol
Gradio 6 features
$15K+ in cash prizes
Free API credits
Sponsor rewards
1000s of developers
Industry experts
Large AI community
Production-ready apps
Portfolio projects
Real-world impact

What's New This Year


πŸ’° Why MCP Matters More Than Ever

Since our June'25 hackathon, MCP has gone from experimental to mainstream:

MCP is no longer experimentalβ€”it's the foundation of modern agentic AI. This is your opportunity to build on the protocol that's reshaping how AI systems connect to the world.


πŸ› οΈ Hackathon Tracks

πŸ”§ Track 1: MCP Tools & Servers

Build MCP servers using Gradio 6 that extend LLM capabilities. Any Gradio app can be an MCP serverβ€”create tools for data analysis, API integrations, specialized workflows, or novel capabilities that make AI agents more powerful.

What to Build:

  • MCP servers
  • Tool integrations
  • Protocol extensions
  • Multi-tool systems

Track Tag: "mcp-server-track"

Example Submissions:

πŸ’° Prize Pool:

  • πŸ₯‡ First Place: $1,500 USD
  • πŸ₯ˆ Second Place: $500 USD

πŸ€– Track 2: Agentic Applications

Create complete AI agent applications that showcase autonomous reasoning, planning, and execution. Use MCP tools, vibe coding, or traditional developmentβ€”whatever brings your agent vision to life.

Three Categories:

  1. Productivity/Workflow Automation - Tag: "agent-app-track-productivity"
  2. Multimodal Applications - Tag: "agent-app-track-multimodal"
  3. Gaming or Other Applications - Tags: "agent-app-track-game" or "agent-app-track-other"

Example Submissions:

πŸ’° Prize Pool (Per Category):

  • πŸ₯‡ First Place: $2,500 USD
  • πŸ₯ˆ Second Place: $1,000 USD
  • πŸ₯‰ Third Place: $500 USD

You can submit the same app to multiple tracks! (See example)
You can submit multiple entries! Build as many projects as you want.


🎁 Prize Structure

Total Prize Pool: $15,000+ USD + API Credits + Sponsor Bonuses

πŸ† Main Track Prizes

MCP Track:

Agent Track (3 prizes per category Γ— 3 categories):

⭐ Special Awards


πŸ’Έ Sponsors & Credits

API & Compute Credits (Details announced soon):

Announcements rolling out weekly. Follow @Gradio for the latest updates.


πŸ—“οΈ Timeline

πŸ“… Pre-Hackathon Phase

October 13 - November 13

πŸ”¨ Hackathon Period

πŸ… Post-Hackathon Phase


πŸ“ Submission Guidelines

All Tracks - General Requirements

  1. Publish your project as a Hugging Face Space in this organization
  2. Add the appropriate track tag to your Space README.md:
    • "mcp-server-track" for Track 1
    • "agent-app-track-productivity", "agent-app-track-multimodal", or "agent-app-track-game" for Track 2
  3. Include a link to your social media post (X, LinkedIn, etc.) about your project
  4. Include a demo video (1-5 minutes) showing your project in action. For example, look at some of the submissions from the Hackathon in June:
  5. Original work only - All work must be created during the hackathon period (Nov 14-30)

Track-Specific Requirements

πŸ”§ Track 1: MCP Tools & Servers

πŸ€– Track 2: Agentic Applications


πŸ… Judging Criteria

Projects will be evaluated on:

Community Choice Award based on:


πŸ’» Resources & Getting Started

πŸ“š Click to see Technical Documentation

Official Documentation

Educational Content

  • Video Tutorials: Coming soon
  • Blog Posts / Guides: Case Studies from June Hackathon
  • Office Hours: Live sessions with experts (schedule announced soon)

❓ Frequently Asked Questions

❓ I'm new to MCP. Can I still participate?

Absolutely! We provide comprehensive tutorials on MCP and will have office hours throughout to support participants. Track 2 doesn't necessarily require MCP knowledge.

πŸ› οΈ Can I use vibe coding tools like Bolt, Lovable, or Cursor?

Yes! Use any tools that help you build. We celebrate results, not just process.

πŸ”¨ Do I need to build everything from scratch?

No. You can use existing libraries, frameworks, and tools. Just ensure your core contribution is original and created during the hackathon.

πŸ‘₯ Can I participate solo or do I need a team?

Both! Participate individually or in teams of 2-5 members.

πŸ”„ What if I participated in the June hackathon?

Welcome back! Build something new or significantly evolve your previous project. Previous winners are eligible.

πŸ’» Is there a specific programming language requirement?

Gradio is Python-based, but you can integrate other languages/services as needed.

❓ How do I get help during the hackathon?

Discord support, office hours, documentation, and community help available throughout.

🎯 Can I submit to multiple tracks?

Yes! Submit the same project to multiple tracks or create multiple separate projects.

πŸ“± What counts as "mobile-first"?

Responsive design, touch optimization, mobile-appropriate interactions. Doesn't need to be a native appβ€”PWAs and responsive web apps qualify.


πŸ‘₯ Connect & Community


βš–οΈ Policies & Rules

πŸ“‹ Click to see Policies & Guidelines

By participating, you agree to:

Important Rules:

  • βœ… All submissions must be original work
  • βœ… Projects must be created between November 14-30, 2025
  • βœ… Open source licenses encouraged (MIT, Apache 2.0, etc.)
  • βœ… Participants retain IP rights to their work
  • βœ… By submitting, you grant Hugging Face/Gradio right to showcase your work

πŸš€ From June to November: The Evolution

June 2025: 4,200+ registrations | ~650 submissions | $1M+ in API/GPU Credits

November 2025: Targeting trippling the registrations | 3x the prizes | Establishing Gradio agents-mcp hackathon as the industry-standard definitive event

Join the community that launched the MCP developer movement. Build the future of agentic AI.


πŸ“… Registration open
πŸ”¨ Building starts: November 14, 2025
⏰ Submissions close: November 30, 2025


🎯 REGISTER NOW & START BUILDING

Questions? Reach out in Discord or email: gradio-team@huggingface.co