Sketch & Search: Google Deepmind x Qdrant x Freepik Hackathon + Kickoff Event
Over $25,000 in prizes for the winners! 🏆
Combine Google DeepMind’s generative models (Banana Nano, Gemini, Flash) with Freepik’s all-in-one creative suite and Qdrant’s vector search engine to build a pipeline that delivers beautiful and trustworthy content.
What’s happening:
Hackathon Kickoff (SF, in person): Saturday, November 22, 10:00 AM–2:00 PM PT
Build window (virtual): Saturday, November 22 2 PM– Sunday, December 14, Midnight PST
Demos & Awards (virtual): Wednesday, December 17, 8:00 AM-9:00 AM PST
Registration
Choose “Kickoff + Hackathon” (in-person) if you plan on attending the kickoff event or “Hackathon-only (virtual)” if you just want to participate in the hackathon.
Details: https://sketchandsearch.dev/
Overview
Join us at the Sketch and Search hackathon kickoff to learn how to leverage Google DeepMind’s Banana Nano & Gemini models with Freepik’s image & video generation studio and Qdrant’s vector search engine. We'll show you how to craft creative pipelines with consistent characters, ensure brand-safe assets, master style memory, and accelerate your content creation.
And this is just the beginning! The fun continues for two weeks with a virtual hackathon where you’ll build an application. The best submissions will be invited to present on demo day where we announce the winners.
Who should join?
Whether you’re a designer, developer, or just someone who loves pushing creative boundaries, this is the perfect opportunity to test the limits of your imagination.
Why join?
Learn how to leverage Google DeepMind’s Nano Banana & Gemini, Freepik’s image & video generation studio, and Qdrant’s vector search engine to:
Supercharge generation & orchestration with Nano Banana & Gemini
Use image-as-prompt and img→video in Freepik Studio
Keep characters/styles consistent and find assets fast with Qdrant (visual embeddings, search, recommendations)
Build guardrails for copyright/brand safety and tune speed/quality/cost
Agenda (Kickoff • Sat, Nov 22)
10:00–10:30 Doors open, breakfast, check-in
10:30–10:50 Google DeepMind — Paige Bailey: Nano Banana & Gemini
10:50–11:10 Freepik — Alex: image-as-prompt, img→video, pipelines, MCP
11:10–11:30 Qdrant — Thierry Damiba: visual embeddings, vector search, recs, character/style memory
11:30–11:50 Hackathon kickoff: rules, prizes, credits, template app demo
11:50–12:10 Team formation: join Discord & pitch ideas
12:10–2:00 Onsite hacking + mentor office hours (then virtual until Sunday, Dec 14th @ 11:59 PM PT)
Build window (virtual): Saturday, November 22 2 PM– Sunday, December 14, Midnight PST
Demos & Awards (virtual): Thursday, December 17, 8:00 AM-9:00 AM PST
Judging rubric
Creative Quality – Innovative DeepMind/Freepik/Qdrant use; polish; coherent multi-asset story
Search & Similarity – Effective Qdrant usage; retrieval/recs; transparent scoring
Guardrails – Copyright & brand-safe by design
UX & Tradeoffs – Clear speed/quality/cost controls; parameter clarity
Real-World Fit – Practical use cases; measurable impact
Prizes
1st Place: $1,500 Cash & 500 Gift Card
2nd Place: $500 Cash & 300 Gift Card
3rd Place: $250 Cash & 150 Gift Card
DeepMind Track:
Best use of Nano Banana — $10,000 Gemini API Credits
Best use of Gemini — $10,000 Gemini API Credits
Participation Prizes/Raffles (Must submit to be eligible — $500 total)
Apple AirPods Pro — $249 value (1 winner)
Qdrant Swag Stack — $150 value (1 winner)
Digital Gift Cards — $150 x 2 (2 winners)
How to submit
Due: December 14, 11:59 PM PT
What: Public GitHub repo + 2-minute demo video + Google Form Submission
Submission link: Open Google Form
Support
Discord: Join for mentor hours, Q&A, and sharing WIPs Join Discord Server
Search for Sketch and Search
Privacy policy: By signing up for the event, you are explicitly opting it to receive communications about the event. You may unsubscribe from these communications at any time. Please review our Privacy Policy: https://cloud.qdrant.io/privacy-policy