🤖 Agents & MCP Hackathon: November 2025 🚀 (Tentative/Placeholder name)

The MCP revolution continues. The June 2025 version of Hackathon was a huge success with over 4200 registrations, 1 Millions+ free API credits for participants, and $16000+ awards in cash. Six months later, we are bringing you the next edition of this world event! When we launched this hackahon in June 2025, MCP was experimental. Six months later, OpenAI, Microsoft, and Google have adopted it. The revolution we started is now mainstream—be part of the second wave.

Note: To have your entry considered for prizes, you MUST be a member of this organization and submit your apps here.
Join our Discord Community channel gradio-hackathon-nov-2025🏆 for active support during the hackathon.

🌟 Welcome to Agents & MCP Hackathon: November 2025

Join us for the definitive AI agents and Model Context Protocol (MCP) development event—now bigger, better, and more accessible than ever. Build cutting-edge agentic applications powered by Gradio 6, leverage vibe coding to accelerate development, and compete for over $50,000 in cash prizes and credits.

What's New This Year:

• Powered by Gradio 6 with enhanced mobile capabilities and visual editing
• 3 full weekends to build (Nov 14 - Nov 30)
• Mobile-first AI track to showcase gradio's mobile-friendly features
• Vibe coding friendly — build faster with gradio vibe editor
• Social amplification — share your work, gain visibility

Key Details
📅 Dates: November 14 - November 30, 2025 (17 days, 3 weekends)
📍 Location: Global & Online
🏆 Prizes: $50,000+ in cash prizes and credits
🎁 Bonus: $3 MILLION+ in FREE API/Compute Credits from our sponsors

💰 Why MCP Matters More Than Ever

Since our June hackathon:

• OpenAI officially adopted MCP (March 2025)
• Microsoft integrated MCP into Windows 11 (Build 2025)
• Google DeepMind joined the ecosystem
• 90% of organizations projected to use MCP by end of 2025

MCP is no longer experimental—it's the foundation of modern agentic AI. This is your opportunity to build on the protocol that's reshaping how AI systems connect to the world.

💸 Sponsors & Credits

API & Compute Credits (Details announced soon):

• $250-500 per participant from major AI providers
• Access to latest models from Anthropic, OpenAI, and more
• GPU compute credits from Modal labs for intensive workloads
• Huggingface's Inference Provider credits for all participants, and more

Confirmed & Pending Sponsors: Announcements rolling out weekly. Follow @Gradio for the latest.

📝 How to Participate

1. Join our Organization: Click "Request to join this org" at the top right
2. Register: Complete the registration form (placeholder link)
3. Build Your Project: Choose your track and start creating (Nov 14)
4. Share on Social: Post about your project on X, LinkedIn, or other platforms
5. Submit: Push your Space to this organization before November 30, 2025, 11:59 PM UTC

NEW REQUIREMENT: Include a link to your social media post (X, LinkedIn, etc.) about your project in your Space README. This helps amplify community work and qualifies you for Community Choice awards.

🛠️ Hackathon Tracks

🔧 Track 1: MCP Tools & Servers

Build MCP servers using Gradio 6 that extend LLM capabilities. Any Gradio app can be an MCP server—create tools for data analysis, API integrations, specialized workflows, or novel capabilities that make AI agents more powerful.

What to Build: MCP servers, tool integrations, protocol extensions, multi-tool systems

🤖 Track 2: Agentic Applications

Create complete AI agent applications that showcase autonomous reasoning, planning, and execution. Use MCP tools, vibe coding, or traditional development—whatever brings your agent vision to life. This is the showcase for production-ready agentic systems.

What to Build: Full-stack agent apps, multi-agent systems, autonomous workflows, AI assistants

📱 Track 3: AI-First Mobile Experiences

Leverage Gradio 6's mobile capabilities to create AI applications designed for mobile-first interaction. Build responsive, touch-optimized experiences that demo the best use of AI on smartphones and tablets.

What to Build: Mobile-optimized AI apps, touch interfaces, on-device experiences, progressive web apps

🎁 Prize Structure (tentative)

Total Prize Pool: $50,000+ USD

Main Track Prizes (Per Track):

• 🥇 First Place: $5,000 USD
• 🥈 Second Place: $2,000 USD
• 🥉 Third Place: $1,000 USD

Special Awards:

• 👑 Title Sponsor Grand Prize: $10,000 USD (Best Overall)
• 🎨 Most Innovative Mobile UX: $2,000 USD
• 💫 Best Vibe-Coded Project: $1,500 USD
• 🎬 AI Video Generation Excellence: $1,000 USD
• 🌟 Community Choice Award: $1,500 USD (most social engagement)
• 💎 Most Innovative Use of MCP: $1,500 USD
• 🏢 Sponsor Choice Awards: Multiple $500-$2,000 prizes (announced with sponsors)
• 🤗 Hugging Face Merch: Top 50 most engaging participants

🗓️ Schedule

Pre-Hackathon

• October 10 - November 13: Sponsor announcements, content releases, registrations open

Hackathon Period

• November 14 (Friday, 12:00 AM UTC): Hackathon opens
• November 14/15: Live kickoff event on YouTube (time TBA)
• November 18-22: Office hours with Gradio team and sponsors
• Mid-Hackathon: Check-in workshops and Q&A sessions
• November 30 (Saturday, 11:59 PM UTC): Final submissions due

Post-Hackathon

• December 1-14: Judging period
• December 15: Winners announcement and showcase

💻 Resources & Getting Started

Technical Documentation

• Getting Started with MCP in Gradio
• Gradio 6 Documentation (placeholder)
• Building Mobile-First AI Apps (placeholder)
• Custom Components Guide
• Vibe Coding with Gradio (placeholder)
• Agent Development Patterns

Educational Content (tentative)

• Video Tutorials: ...
• Blog Posts / Guides: Case Studies from June Hackathon
• Office Hours: Live sessions with experts (schedule announced Nov 10)

🎯 Submission Guidelines

All Tracks - General Requirements:

1. Publish your project as a Hugging Face Space
2. Add the appropriate track tag to your Space README.md:
   • "mcp-server-track" for Track 1
   • "agent-app-track" for Track 2
   • "mobile-ai-track" for Track 3
3. Include a link to your social media post (X, LinkedIn, etc.) about your project
4. Include a demo video (2-5 minutes) showing your project in action
5. All work must be original and created during the hackathon period (Nov 14-30)

Track 1: MCP Tools & Servers

• Must be a functioning MCP server built with Gradio
• Include video showing integration with an MCP client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, etc.)
• Document the tool's purpose, capabilities, and usage

Track 2: Agentic Applications

• Must demonstrate autonomous agent behavior (planning, reasoning, execution)
• Can use MCP tools, custom tools, or external APIs
• Show clear user value and practical application

Track 3: AI-First Mobile Experiences

• Must be optimized for mobile devices (responsive, touch-friendly)
• Test on actual mobile devices or emulators
• Include screenshots/video of mobile experience

🏅 Judging Criteria (tentaive)

Projects evaluated on: ...

Community Choice Award based on:

• Social media engagement (likes, shares, comments)
• Space interactions on Hugging Face
• Discord community engagement

👥 Connect & Community

• Discord: Join #agents-mcp-hackathon-nov25
• Twitter/X: @Gradio
• LinkedIn: Gradio
• YouTube: Subscribe for tutorials

⚖️ Policies & Rules

By participating, you agree to:

• Code of Conduct
• Submission Guidelines
• Intellectual Property Policy

Important:

• All submissions must be original work
• Projects must be created between November 14-30, 2025
• Open source licenses encouraged (MIT, Apache 2.0, etc.)
• Participants retain IP rights to their work
• By submitting, you grant Hugging Face/Gradio right to showcase your work

❓ FAQ

Q: I'm new to MCP. Can I still participate?
A: Absolutely! We're releasing comprehensive tutorials and will have office hours throughout. Track 2 and 3 don't require MCP knowledge.

Q: Can I use vibe coding tools like Bolt, Lovable, or Cursor?
A: Yes! Use any tools that help you build. We celebrate results, not just process.

Q: Do I need to build everything from scratch?
A: No. You can use existing libraries, frameworks, and tools. Just ensure your core contribution is original and created during the hackathon.

Q: Can I participate solo or do I need a team?
A: Both! Participate individually or in teams of 2-5 members.

Q: What if I participated in the June hackathon?
A: Welcome back! Build something new or significantly evolve your previous project. Previous winners are eligible.

Q: Is there a specific programming language requirement?
A: Gradio is Python-based, but you can integrate other languages/services as needed.

Q: How do I get help during the hackathon?
A: Discord support, office hours, documentation, and community help available throughout.

Q: Can I submit to multiple tracks?
A: Yes, go for it!

Q: What counts as "mobile-first" for Track 3?
A: Responsive design, touch optimization, mobile-appropriate interactions. Doesn't need to be a native app—PWAs and responsive web apps qualify.

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🚀 From June to November: The Evolution

June 2025: 4,200 registrations, 630 submissions, $1M+ in credits
November 2025: Targeting 12,000 registrations, 3x the prizes, establishing the Gradio agents hackathon as a industry standard definitive event

Join the community that launched the MCP developer movement. Build the future of agentic AI.

Registration opens: November 1, 2025
Building starts: November 14, 2025

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Questions? Reach out in Discord or email: [email protected]