About this event
PayPal is opening its developer platform to builders worldwide and asking what happens when you put AI behind the wheel. Build an agent, an app, an automation, a new way to pay and get paid, a business tool, or something nobody has built yet. There are no tracks and no set problem statements: the one requirement is that your project meaningfully uses both PayPal and AI. Online, free, and open worldwide. Hosted by PayPal and run on Devpost.
What to build: an app that integrates the PayPal developer platform (in the free sandbox) with any AI tool, model or platform. Sponsor tools you can use (optional): AG Grid, APIMatic, Astropods, Bryntum, Channel3, Elastic, KERNEL, Postman, Render and Zapier. New projects and existing ones both count, as long as you make meaningful progress during the hackathon. Join solo or as a team.
What to submit: a text description, a working demo judges can run (setup instructions in the repo or a hosted URL; mockups don't count), the AI tools you used and how, a public open-source repo on GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket with a licence file, and a public YouTube demo video under 3 minutes.
Prizes: $67,500 in cash, about $69,750 including Render credits.
• 1st $12,000 · 2nd $8,000 · 3rd $5,000
• $5,000 each: Most Creative, Most Impactful, Best Demo Delivery, Best Use of PayPal + AI, Best Use of Agentic Commerce
• Sponsor prizes: AG Grid ($5,000 / $2,000 / 3 × $1,000), APIMatic (3 × $1,000 + 6 months of APIMatic Business), Bryntum (3 × $1,000), Channel3 ($1,500), Render ($1,000 / $750 / $500 in credits)
Judged on technical implementation, design, potential impact, innovation and presentation.
Key dates (IST):
• Submissions: 1 Oct, 9:45 PM to 13 Nov, 1:30 AM (12 Nov, 12:00 PM PST)
• Judging: 2 to 15 Dec
• Winners announced: around 22 Dec
Who can join: anyone above the age of majority in their country (18+ in India), solo or in teams; organisations can enter too. Not open in Brazil, Quebec, Russia, Crimea, Cuba, Iran, North Korea or other US-sanctioned regions; see the official rules.