Getting Started with the Open Source AI Hackathon

[Table of contents:]
In this video, I will answer the following questions:

1. Why are we hosting a hackathon?
2. Why should you participate?
3. What can you build?
4. How do you register?
5. What do you do after registering?
6. What are the requirements?
7. What about prizes?
8. What should we focus on building?
9. Do we have any resources to help?
10. Are there any tutorials?
11. Who are the judges? Will they be fair?
12. I’m stuck, nervous, or tired. Who will help me?
13. Is there developer support?
14. Who should I DM if there’s an issue?
15. Motivate us in two words.
16. The end, lol.

[content]
Hey, what’s up, everyone?!

Welcome to the Open Source AI Hackathon. This is my first time organizing a hackathon instead of competing in one. But I’m still down to hack with you if you want me on your team. Just ping me on Discord (link is in the description).

I love hackathons. So far, I’ve participated in over 70, and I’ve failed in 60 of them. It’s crazy, but it doesn’t bother me. I focus on enjoying the process. I like building things in a short time, using AI, generating code, and just chilling. I also like meeting new people, even if we sometimes get confused or disagree. It can be awkward, but it’s fun and memorable.

Anyway, let’s talk about our hackathon. I believe it will be unique, super cool, and powered by AI. Anyone can join, and you can build anything—from a simple “customizable chill guy app” to a bigger “AI code editor.” Maybe you’ll even apply to YC Winter ’25 and get accepted. Who knows?

[Register]
How do you register? Go to Google and type “chillguy.devpost.com.” Press Enter, then click “Join Hackathon.” Fill out the quick form, and you’re done. You’ve successfully registered for the Open Source AI Hackathon. (No worries, the link is also in the description below.)

[getting started]
Now, go watch the trailer. It’s worth it, trust me.
[playing the video and watching together]
Wow, that’s a super cool trailer.

If you scroll down, you’ll see “ADDITIONAL PRIZES FOR ALL OPEN SOURCE PROJECTS!!!” What does that mean? It means everyone who builds something cool gets a prize. Nobody walks away empty-handed. Believe me.

Also, join our Discord server—our open community. We’ll share updates, tutorials, and helpful resources there. You can form teams, ask me for help, or just hang out. (Link is in the description as well.)

[requirements]
We have only one requirement: build something cool or fun, ideally with AI. That’s it.

[prizes]
We currently have $63,128 in total prizes. Some will be paid in cryptocurrency. Here’s a spoiler: invite your friends, classmates, and share the link everywhere. The more hackers who join, the bigger the prizes become.

Right now, we have four prize categories, and we may add more before the hackathon starts. Again, more participants means bigger prizes. If you love Web3, crypto, or meme coins, make something cool and you could win 0.2 SOL in crypto. We might increase that amount—let me know on Discord. (If you hate Solana, you can swap it for another coin.)

Do you love AI music? Build a music app to win the world’s first AI startup studio album and 0.2 SOL in crypto. You’ll get full download and usage rights to 30 high-quality tracks created by our open community, I AM STARTUP.

Anyone who submits a COOL project will get access to all my applications, research, fellowship programs, essays, Q&A essays, statements of purpose, motivation letters, and more. Two PhDs will analyze my work deeply. You’ll learn how to write convincing letters and essays. This access is for 12 months, and it’s actually pretty cool!

I’m also offering free mentorship (normally $40 per person) to the top 10 open source AI projects. Learn more about me here: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdibrokhim/ (also linked below).

[resources]
If you visit the “Resources” tab, you’ll find many helpful tools the community prepared for you. They’ll guide you to successfully submit your project. Feel free to use AI or any other tools to speed up development. We also listed a few project ideas to spark your creativity. For example, an “AI coding interviewer,” a basic “AI text humanizer,” or a “Chat with PDF” tool that uses a vector database for question-answering without hallucination or bias.

You can find more tutorials and examples on theopencommunity.co, topmate.io/abdibrokhim, GitHub, Medium, Dev.to, YouTube, Twitch, and LinkedIn.

[judges]
So far, we have four judges:

1. Vladislav Shakhrai – ML Tech Lead at Snap with 6+ years of AI/ML experience, launching products reaching over 100M+ engagements.
2. Darshan Kapashi – Software engineer with more than a decade at Meta, now co-founder of an AI startup. Passionate about innovation and supporting new talent.
3. Bekzod Usmanov – Ex-Accenture Application Developer and ex-TikTok Quality Engineer.
4. Ibrohim Abdivokhidov – That’s me! Founder and CEO of Open Community and over 60 projects. I have two years of experience, published 4+ AI research papers (one indexed by Springer), contributed to open source, participated in 70+ hackathons, failed 400+ times, and helped mentor more than 200K creators, builders, and students. I also experimented with meme coins like OC, TROC, PhDs.

LinkedIn:

• Vladislav Shakhrai: https://www.linkedin.com/in/shakhrayv/
• Darshan Kapashi: https://www.linkedin.com/in/darshan-kapashi
• Bekzod Usmanov: https://www.linkedin.com/in/bekzod-usmanovv/
• Ibrohim Abdivokhidov: https://www.linkedin.com/in/abdibrokhim/

If you need help at any point—before, during, or after the hackathon—reach out to me on Discord. Join the Open Community (link below). Don’t be nervous or afraid. Just build something, learn, and have fun.

GOOD LUCK :P

Join here https://discord.gg/nUdcd9p8Ae ASAP!