OpenAI Open Model Hackathon 2025

OpenAI Open Model Hackathon 🚀

Hosted by: OpenAI, Hugging Face, NVIDIA, Ollama, vLLM, LM Studio

Duration: 6 Weeks

🤖 What is the OpenAI Open Model Hackathon?

The OpenAI Open Model Hackathon is a six-week global challenge to push the boundaries of open-source language models. Participants are invited to use the gpt-oss-120b and gpt-oss-20b models (free to download on Hugging Face) to build inventive, unexpected applications, fine-tune unique agents, or create hardware that redefines what's possible in open AI.

This hackathon is an opportunity to surprise the world with creative solutions—whether your project benefits humanity or simply showcases an incredible new use for open models.

🎯 Categories

Submit your project under any or all of these categories:

- Best Overall

The single most interesting and impactful application.

- Best in Robotics

Showcase gpt-oss models powering a real-world robot (video demo required).

- Weirdest Hardware

Creative, surprising hardware using gpt-oss models.

- Best Local Agent

Offline agentic applications—useful without internet access.

- Most Useful Fine-Tune

Specialized fine-tuning for unique domains.

- Wildcard

The most unexpected application OpenAI didn't anticipate.

- For Humanity

Projects benefiting society at large.

🏆 Prizes

- Best Overall: Sponsored by Hugging Face

- Best in Robotics: NVIDIA RTX6000 PRO GPU

- Weirdest Hardware: $5,000 USD (Ollama), NVIDIA RTX5090 GPU

- Best Local Agent: NVIDIA RTX5090 GPU

- Most Useful Fine-Tune: Sponsored by LM Studio

- Wildcard: Sponsored by vLLM

- For Humanity: Sponsored by OpenAI

📝 Requirements

- Project must utilize gpt-oss models (with demo-ready code provided)

- Brief description of features and functionality

- <3-minute demo video

- Public code repository (README with test instructions recommended)

- OSS/Apache License encouraged (not required)

- Assign category/categories and explain the choice

👨‍⚖️ Judging Criteria

- Application of gpt-oss: Effective use and category fit

- Design: Thoughtful UX, usability, safety, and technical balance

- Potential Impact: Importance for the target audience and broader world

- Novelty: Creativity and uniqueness of the idea

🏅 Panel of Judges

- Experts from OpenAI, Hugging Face, NVIDIA, Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM

If you’re a builder, tinker, or dreamer with a penchant for pushing the frontiers of open models, this hackathon is your chance to shine.

Build for the edge, benefit humanity, or simply surprise us with your creative genius!