Live Agent Gauntlet
⚠️ You must hold a valid GTC 2026 pass and attend on-site to participate. Participation is limited to attendees physically present at GTC.
⚠️ You must build your agent before arriving. There is no coding time on stage - only execution.
Overview
Step into this unique NVIDIA first-of-its-kind autonomous agent challenge. Featuring you and your pre-created agents live on stage in a head-to-head battle with other developers. Build your best, win prizes, and join the developer community at the center of GTC.
Your mission is to build an agent capable of dynamic exploration using the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Upon kickoff, your agent will be connected to a "Black Box" MCP server filled with hidden tools, unknown functions, and encrypted data. Your agent won’t know what’s inside—it will have to explore the server, identify available tools, and uncover a series of hidden challenges nested within the architecture.
If selected, you’ll face off against other developers live on stage at GTC. Battle your pre-built agent to the top of the leaderboard to win a powerhouse GPU and ultimate bragging rights.
The Discovery Path: Your agent will need to navigate the server to find and solve challenges across four domains:
Text: Analyzing unstructured documents, parsing logs for anomalies, or decoding complex semantic riddles.
Image: Identifying hidden patterns, metadata, or anomalies within high-resolution images.
Audio: Processing audio files to extract hidden triggers, transcripts, or tonal shifts.
Video: Analyzing video sequences to track objects or describe specific temporal events.
🏆 Prizes
First Place: Dell Pro Max with GB10 + $5,000 cash from Mayfield + up to three (3) tickets to GTC 2027 (one for each team member).
Second Place: NVIDIA GeForce RTX 5090 + $500 in Brev credits (for up to 3 team members).
Third Place: $300 in Brev credits.
All Participants: Exclusive NVIDIA swag!
⚠️ Participation Requirements
Please read carefully before applying:
Team Size: You may compete as an individual or as a team of no more than three (3) people.
GTC Registration Required: This is an in-person event. You must have a valid GTC 2026 conference pass to participate.
On-Site Only: Participation is limited to attendees physically present at GTC.
The Arena Atmosphere: Consider this an arena event - you'll be building in the spotlight with a live audience watching as your agents battle it out to solve the gauntlet in real-time.
Public Performance & Exposure: Your progress will be visible on-screen to a live audience, offering a unique opportunity to showcase your work on a major GTC stage.
👾 Join the Community
Ready to get started? Join our Discord and head over to the #gtc-live-agent-gauntlet channel to connect with other developers, ask questions, and start sharing what you are building!
👉 discord.gg/nvidiadeveloper