by Mainloop
A one-week remote build with AI agents and tools for early-career engineers in Europe. Up to €10,000 in prizes.
Mainloop, a Barcelona engineering company, runs a one-week hackathon where each participant picks one of three real-world engineering briefs and builds a small web app using their own AI agents and tools. Entries are solo and include code with commit history, a presentation and a write-up. Judging focuses on decision-making, verification and how entrants directed their tools rather than polish. Five to fifteen finalists are chosen from submissions alone and present at finals on 23 January 2027, in Barcelona or over video with identical scoring. Prizes are €10,000, €7,000, €5,000, €2,000 and €1,000 for the top five and €500 each for places six to ten. Finalists get a guaranteed interview with the Head of Engineering, and the top three skip to the paid final-round assessment day.
18 or older, based in Europe: final-year students, recent graduates and engineers in their first few years. Solo entries only; must have used at least one AI coding tool.
€27,500
€10,000, €7,000, €5,000, €2,000 and €1,000 for the top five, plus €500 each for places 6-10.