Eazo.ai NYC Hackathon: Build an App in One Day! $17k in Local Cash Prizes! $300k for Global Prizes!
Have an app idea? Build it in NYC.
On May 23 & 24 2026, creators around the world will come together to turn everyday ideas into real, live apps.
Not mockups.
Not pitch decks.
Not “maybe one day” ideas.
This Luma page is for the New York in-person hackathon only.
❗️To keep the competition fair, both SF and NY now support in-person and online participation, with symmetrical prize pools.
Online Registration: https://tally.so/r/J9edWd
With Eazo Creator, you can build, deploy, and share a product without setting up servers or writing traditional code.
Don't forget, there are some big prizes for NYC in-person hackers and even more for global and online participants.
You might build
A tool for your family, classroom, community, or workplace
A memory game for someone you love
A habit tracker for your ADHD brain
A meal planner for your household
A budget tool for roommates
A tiny app that solves one real problem
You bring the idea. Eazo Creator helps you build, deploy, and share it.
Who should join
This is for you if you have ideas, not necessarily coding skills.
You should join if you are:
A student with a product idea
A designer who wants to build without waiting for engineers
A creator who wants to turn content or community needs into tools
A founder testing a small concept
A parent, caregiver, organizer, or problem-solver
A first-time vibe coder who wants hands-on support
A technical builder who wants to ship quickly
No coding experience required. No technical background required. No team required.
Important: NYC in-person event
Approved NYC in-person attendees are expected to attend in person on May 24 at the designated NYC venue.
May 23 is online only. No in-person attendance is required on May 23. Participants — both online and in-person — could join the online opening session on May 23. This is where the hackathon will officially kick off, and participants will receive key instructions for building, submission, voting, and prize eligibility.
The Zoom link and detailed May 23 schedule will be sent by email.
Approved attendees are expected to attend in person at the designated event start time. In-person attendance is required to participate in the NYC hackathon, team formation, workshops, judging process, demos, and NYC prize consideration.
Global judging and global prizes, if applicable, are administered by Eazo under Eazo's official rules.
NYC prizes
NYC regional prize pool: $17, 000 total
1st place: $5,000
2nd place: $3,000
3rd place: $2,000
4th-10th place: $1,000 per team
Prize eligibility, judging, winner selection, tax reporting, and prize payment are governed by Eazo's official hackathon rules: Terms & Conditions
What you'll do
During the NYC hackathon, you will:
Learn how to build with Eazo Creator
Turn an idea into a working app
Get support from mentors and event staff
Form or join a team if needed
Submit your project by the NYC deadline
Demo your project if selected as a NYC finalist
Compete for NYC prizes under Eazo's official hackathon rules
Agenda
• 9:00–10:00 · Check-in (in-person)
• 10:00–10:30 · MC Day 2 opening + QA
• 10:30–11:30 · Panel sharing
• 12:00–13:00 · Lunch provided
• 16:00 · Submission deadline · Peer review voting opens simultaneously
• 16:00–17:00 Peer review voting & Open mic
• 17:00–17:30 · Top 30 calculation + shortlist announcement + Demo prep
• 17:00–18:00 · Dinner provided
• 17:30–19:30 · Demo opens · 30-team pitches (3 minutes each)
• 20:00 · Global voting closes （public & peer）
• 20:00–20:30 · 🏅 Special Awards + NY Regional Awards revealed
• 20:30–21:00 · 🌐 Global Awards livestream (from SF)
Lunch and dinner
Lunch and dinner are served from BigNorm (Korean) and WokWok (Malaysian). Enjoy some of the best Korean and Malaysian food in NYC!
Judging overview
Projects must be submitted by the NYC deadline with a valid project link to be eligible for NYC judging and prizes.
NYC finalist selection:
Up to 20 NYC teams will be selected for live demos.
Finalist selection uses referral/public vote performance and on-site peer review, subject to Eazo's official rules.
Duplicate finalist slots are removed and backfilled according to Eazo's rules.
NYC final scoring:
50% normalized public voting score
40% normalized expert judge score
10% normalized peer review score
Full judging criteria, voting rules, anti-fraud rules, tie-breakers, and eligibility requirements: Terms & Conditions
Judges
Donnie D'Amato BFA., MA. (LinkedIn) - Principle Design Engineer, Design Systems Architect based in New York. Author of Mise en Mode (mode.place). International Speaker.
Jennifer Wong (LinkedIn) - Senior Product Designer at Brisk Teaching
Yuna Chu (LinkedIn) - Lovable Hackathon Committee, Founder of Let's Vibe
Noah Liu (LinkedIn) - cofounder of WeKruit, alliance alum
Hang Xu (LinkedIn) - Former Staff UX designer, Community Organizer at Designer Friends, Designer Content Creator
Zoey Zhu (LinkedIn) - sr.Creative Technologist, IDEO; co-founder, FuturePIXEL
YangQi Yang (LinkedIn)- Computational Designer, Digital Artist, Founder of YYSpace, Future PIXEL Production Lead
Leo Wan (LinkedIn) - Design lead, Founder of WknD Project, Future PIXEL Executive Creative Producer
Nuoran (LinkedIn) - Product Designer, The New York Times; Inclusive design specialist
Global prize note
NYC teams with valid submissions may be eligible for Eazo-administered global recognition or prizes under Eazo's official rules.
Global judging, global prize selection, global prize communication, and global prize payment are administered by Eazo. Designer Friends LLC is supporting NYC event operations only.
Participation requirements
To participate in NYC judging and prize consideration, teams must:
Register through this Luma page and be approved to attend
Attend the NYC event in person at the designated event start time
Complete any required Eazo team registration process
Submit a valid project link by the NYC deadline
Follow the event code of conduct
Follow Eazo's official hackathon rules
Avoid fraudulent, paid, automated, bot, or manipulated votes/referrals
Hosted by
Eazo.ai · Streaml · Gen · FuturePixel · AI Valley · CUB - Columbia AI Club
AI Valley is a community supporting exceptional first-generation builders, founders, and researchers through curated hackathons, workshops, and gatherings across AI and emerging technology.
🌐 https://aivalley.io
📅 https://lu.ma/aivalley
👥 https://discord.gg/QESCnSUPC9
📰 https://aivalleyio.substack.com
FuturePIXEL is a curated technology, art, culture platform. It brings together founders, artists, brands, technologists, and thinkers to explore how digital systems, creative expression, and global innovation shape the future.
This is not a brand showcase — it is a shared conversation.