The Global AgentBuild-a-thon
Build in public. Ship open-source agents. Compete for adoption.
A summer-long global competition for builders creating the next generation of open-source AI agents. Build the next OpenClaw, the next Hermes Agent, the next ZeroClaw, or something nobody has imagined yet.
What is the Build-a-thon?
The Global Agent Build-a-thon is not a weekend hackathon. It is a summer-long competition for builders who want to create open-source agents people actually use.
Participants will build in public, publish weekly demos, open-source their work, track adoption, and compete on a live leaderboard. The best projects will become deployed on Maritime and advance to a final showcase in San Francisco.
What You Can Build
Build an open-source agent, framework, runtime, template, or tool.
Personal Assistant Agent
Build the next OpenClaw-style personal assistant that handles everyday tasks autonomously.
Persistent Agent with Memory
Build a Hermes-style persistent agent with long-term memory, skills, and evolving capabilities.
Lightweight Agent Runtime
Build a ZeroClaw-style lightweight agent runtime that runs anywhere with minimal overhead.
Domain-Specific Agent
Build a specialized agent for founders, researchers, recruiters, educators, operators, developers, or creators.
Deployable Template
Build a deployable Maritime template that others can launch and customize in minutes.
Something New
Build something weird, useful, and impossible to ignore. The things nobody has imagined yet.
How It Works
Apply
Submit your application in mid-May. Tell us what you want to build and why.
Get Selected
Up to 1,000 global builders will be selected to participate.
Start Building
Program kicks off June 1. Start building your open-source agent project.
Build in Public
Post weekly public updates. Share demos, progress, and learnings.
Submit & Track
Submit demos, GitHub repos, and adoption metrics. Climb the leaderboard.
Showcase in SF
Top teams advance to the final showcase in San Francisco.
What We Judge
The winners will not just be the coolest demos. They will be the projects people actually use.
Prizes
Winners and finalists will compete for meaningful rewards that accelerate their projects and careers.
Timeline
Applications Open
Submit your application and project idea.
Program Starts
Selected builders begin their projects.
Weekly Leaderboard
Build in public, submit weekly demos, climb the rankings.
Semifinals
Top projects are reviewed and evaluated.
Final Showcase in San Francisco
Finalists demo their work to judges, sponsors, and the community.
Who Should Apply
You do not need to have a company. You do need to be serious about shipping.
Rules
For Sponsors
The Global Agent Build-a-thon gives sponsors direct access to one of the highest-signal AI builder communities in the world: developers actively shipping open-source agents, frameworks, and deployable templates.
Sponsors can support prize tracks, provide credits, host workshops, judge finalists, meet top builders, and help shape the next wave of open-source agent infrastructure.
FAQ
No. Projects can run locally, on your own stack, or on Maritime. But projects that are easy to deploy and share will be more competitive.
Yes. To be eligible for prizes, your project must be open source by the end of the competition.
Yes. Solo builders and teams are welcome.
Yes. The competition is global and mostly virtual. Finalists may be invited to the final showcase in San Francisco.
Users, deployments, GitHub stars, forks, demos, template installs, testimonials, community usage, and real-world feedback.
Yes, but you must make meaningful new progress during the competition.