About the challenge

Welcome to GatewayHacks 2026, the flagship virtual hackathon presented by the Gateway nonprofit organization! 🚀

At Gateway, our mission is to open doors and break down barriers. We believe that the next generation of developers, designers, and innovators holds the key to solving some of humanity’s biggest challenges.

This fully virtual, 4-week hackathon challenges you to build software, hardware, or AI solutions that create tangible social good. Whether you are a seasoned machine learning engineer or a high school student writing your first lines of HTML, there is a place for you here.

Get started

1. Register: Click "Join Hackathon" on this Devpost page.

2. Mandatory Join the Community: Join our official Gateway Discord Server to find teammates, chat with mentors, and get real-time updates. https://discord.gg/XgsX3f7JV

3. Form a Team: You can hack solo or form a team of up to 4 members.

4. Build & Submit: You have 4 weeks to build your prototype. Submit your project on Devpost with a link to your public code repository (GitHub) and a 3-minute video demo explaining how it works.

Requirements

What to Build

The mission of GatewayHacks 2026 is to create solutions that open doors to a better, more equitable future.

For this hackathon, you are tasked with building a working software, hardware, or AI prototype that aligns with one of our core Social Good Cause Tracks. Your goal is to solve a real, documented problem faced by a community, nonprofit, or educational institution.

You have the freedom to build with whatever technology you choose, but we strongly encourage you to leverage the specific tools offered in our Partner-Driven Dynamic Tracks (listed in the Prizes section) to qualify for additional awards.

Step 1: Choose Your Tracks

Every submission must select one of these three primary tracks to address:

Best No-Code AI App built with Momen Track Use https://momen.app/ to build apps and agents without code! Entering this track qualifies you for the Momen-specific track award, as well as the other track awards!

🌐 Track 1: Accessibility & Health Empower individuals with disabilities, improve mental health access, or democratize healthcare information. (Example projects: A neurodivergent-friendly UI overlay, an ambient listening device for therapy, or a tool that helps patients easily read and understand medical bills.)

📚 Track 2: Equity in Education Create tools that bridge the digital divide, personalize learning, or connect students with mentors and resources. (Example projects: An AI tutor that adapts to unique learning styles, a platform that gamifies coding for local students, or an app connecting high schoolers with specialized college prep mentorship.)

🌍 Track 3: Environmental Sustainability Build solutions focused on climate action, conservation, green technology, and building a circular economy. (Example Projects: A carbon footprint tracker for local businesses, a hardware device that monitors local water quality, or an app that helps neighbors share leftover food to reduce waste.)

💡 Track 4: Open Impact & Community A wildcard track for solutions focused on community building, civic engagement, financial empowerment, or any broad social impact that doesn't quite fit the first three tracks.

What to Submit

To be eligible for judging, you only need to submit:

A Devpost Project Page: Include a title, a short description of the problem you are solving, and at least one visual (like a screenshot, photograph, or sketch).
A Video Pitch (Max 5 mins): Provide a link (YouTube, etc.) explaining your idea. You can show a working prototype, a no-code app, or just a presentation of your design.
(Optional): A link to a code repository (GitHub) or a live website, if you have one.

GatewayHacks 2026 | Software & AI

Prize breakdown

Timeline