AI Tools that Earn: a hackathon by Apify
βAbout this hackathon π‘
βMost hackathon projects die on Sunday night. This one is designed so yours doesn't.
βThe AI Tools that Earn Hackathon is a one-day event hosted by Apify at a Zostel Plus hacker house in Whitefield, Bangalore. The challenge: build solutions someone would pay for, not just a demo. Extract data, combine tools, draw conclusions, trigger actions. Raw data is worthless until it becomes a conclusion someone acts on: a report that writes itself, a score instead of a haystack, a paragraph that replaces an hour of reading. If you can name who'd pay for it, you're on theme.
βNeed inspiration? A sales team doesn't want 10,000 company names; they want the 40 that raised funding this month, with contacts attached. A lender doesn't want three days of manual checks; they want one due diligence brief. These are examples to get you thinking, not themes: build whatever you want, for whichever buyer you know best.
βYou'll build on the Apify platform and ship your project as an Actor to Apify Store, where 10k+ developers already publish and earn, and every Actor works with AI agents out of the box via MCP and agent plugins. Thirteen of the top creators from India and Nepal will be in the room all day as your mentors and judges. Several of them make a living from projects that started exactly like yours.
βHow judging works βοΈ
βEvery project is judged against one question: would someone actually pay for this? Picture a real person who needs the output of your Actor. Your demo should name that person, show what they get, and run live. The judges earn from their own Actors, so they'll know a real answer when they hear one.
βYour mentors and judges π§βπ«
βThese creators build and earn on Apify Store, and they'll be with you all day: Harsh Maur, Pratik Dani, Shanskar Bansal, Dhrumil Bhankhar, Anas Nadeem, Jay Kumar Yadav, Sachin Kumar Yadav, Govind Sehrawat, scrapeverse, Sourabh Kumar, Manoj Karki, Surendra Tamang, and Tara Prasad Gurung.
βThe Apify team on the ground π
βSaurav Jain, Senior Developer Community Manager Β· Eva Nunez, Developer Community Manager Β· Juan Galilea, Senior Engineer Β· Nishad Manerikar, Senior Engineer
βSchedule (November 22, 2026) ποΈ
β8-9 am: β Breakfast and registration
β9-9:30 am: π¬ Opening
β9:30-10:15 am: π οΈ Workshop and resource sharing
β10:15 am-2:30 pm: π» Hacking (lunch from 12-1 pm, mentors around all day)
β2:30-3:15 pm: β±οΈ 2-minute demos to judges
β3:30-4:30 pm: π€ Top 5-10 teams demo on stage
β4:30-5:15 pm: π§ Snacks
β5:15-6 pm: π Winners and closing
βPrizes π
βFirst team: π₯ $750 / βΉ75,000
βSecond team: π₯ $500 / βΉ50,000
βThird team: π₯ $250 / βΉ25,000
βFourth to tenth place: β‘ $50 in prepaid the Apify platform usage for every team member
βWhat you get π
βMentorship from creators who earn on Apify Store
βBreakfast, lunch, snacks, and chai all day
βWinning teams get featured on Apify's social media and take home big cash prizes
βPlatform credits for every participant
βGood to know π
βTeams of 1-4. Come with a team or form one at breakfast. Solo builders are welcome as well.
βIdeally, come with an idea beforehand.
βResources will be shared with you a week before, but the Apify docs and Apify Store come in handy.
βBring your laptop and charger
βSome coding experience needed; no Apify experience required.
βVenue: Zostel Plus Whitefield, Bangalore (map). Metro and autos recommended; parking is limited
βFree to attend, registration required, spots are limited