Open competitions
What you can win, when it closes, and where to enter. Everything here is free to enter — if a competition charges a fee, it isn't in the library.
The three big ones
Where a closing date exists I've put it here. Where the organizer hasn't published one, the entry says so rather than inventing a date — always confirm on their page before you plan around it.
XPRIZE Active Competitions
XPRIZE Foundation
XPRIZE runs several huge challenges at once, each in its own field with its own phases. Registration is free; the work is serious and multi-year.
- Prize
- Multi-million-dollar purses, $5M to $119M per challenge
- When
- Each challenge runs on its own multi-year schedule
- Deadline
- No single closing date — registration windows open and close per challenge and per phase, listed on each challenge page below.
- Cost
- Free to register
- Who it's for
- Teams with a working technical solution, not individuals with an idea
World's Biggest Business Competition
World's Biggest Business Competition
A free four-week online competition with live expert sessions, tools and business support alongside the prize money. Worth entering for the coaching even if you don't place.
- Prize
- Over $1 million in prizes
- When
- Four weeks online, starting 24 October 2026
- Deadline
- Enter before the 24 October 2026 start — no separate closing date is published.
- Cost
- Free to enter
- Who it's for
- Anyone starting or running a small business
Westly Prize for Young Innovators
Westly Foundation
A prize for young innovators with community impact rather than a polished startup. No fee, and the application rewards a clear problem you've actually worked on.
- Prize
- Cash awards
- When
- Runs in annual cycles
- Deadline
- No open deadline published right now — the application window is announced each cycle, so check the page before planning around it.
- Cost
- Free — no application fee
- Who it's for
- Young people solving a real problem in their own community
XPRIZE's individual challenges
XPRIZE runs several challenges at once, each on its own multi-year schedule with its own registration phases. These are the currently active ones — the years show the competition window, not an entry deadline, so open the challenge page for the phase dates that apply to you.
| Challenge | Prize purse | Stage | Window | Field |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| XPRIZE Water Scarcity | $119 million | Active — semifinals | 2024–2028 | Food, water and waste |
| XPRIZE Healthspan | $101 million | Active — finalists selected | 2023–2030 | Health |
| XPRIZE Quantum Applications | $5 million | Active — finals, with registration open on later tracks | 2024–2027 | Deep tech and exploration |
| XPRIZE Wildfire | $11 million | Finals — closed to new teams | Ends 2026 | Energy, climate and nature |
More open competitions in the library
14 openEverything else still open — challenges, hackathons and capture-the-flag events — soonest closing first. Finished ones drop off this list on their own.
- Competition
AI Pitch Competition (Connecticut SBDC)
Pitch competition for established Connecticut businesses with a practical way to use AI, data or analytics to solve a current business challenge. Competition November 12, 2026, 6-8pm at SCSU School of Business, New Haven, CT. Applications close October 16, 2026.
- Closes
- October 16, 2026
- Run by
- Connecticut Small Business Development Center
- Competition
PayPal AI Hackathon
Online hackathon run by PayPal on Devpost: build something new with PayPal and AI. $67,500 in cash prizes. Submissions close November 12, 2026 at 12:00pm Pacific.
- Closes
- November 12, 2026
- Run by
- PayPal
- Competition
InIt CTF
A free eight-hour online beginner-focused Jeopardy CTF on November 14, 2026, 15:30–23:30 UTC. Participants may enter solo or in teams of up to four, including international players. Challenges cover web, cryptography, forensics, OSINT and miscellaneous topics.
- Closes
- November 14, 2026
- Run by
- Hackers in India
- CTF
InIt CTF 2026
8-hour online jeopardy CTF, teams of 1-4, explicitly described as 'free and open to participants across India and internationally.' Marked 'casual' by organizers. Runs Nov 14, 15:30-23:30 UTC.
- Closes
- November 14, 2026
- Run by
- CTFtime
- Hackathon
NASA International Space Apps Challenge 2026
A free global hackathon on November 14–15, 2026 using NASA and partner open data to address space and Earth challenges. Participation is available at in-person or virtual local events and through a virtual Universal Event. An account and registration are required; minors have guardian requirements.
- Closes
- November 15, 2026
- Run by
- NASA
- Hackathon
NASA Space Apps Challenge 2026
A free global hackathon on November 14–15, 2026 using NASA and partner open data to address space and Earth challenges. Participation is available at in-person or virtual local events and through a virtual Universal Event. An account and registration are required; minors have guardian requirements.
- Closes
- November 15, 2026
- Run by
- NASA
- Hackathon
UGREEN Hackathon 2026 (AI on NAS)
An online competition to create AI Skills for UGREEN NAS using its developer package. Eligible adults in permitted jurisdictions can enter without owning NAS hardware. Round 1 closes November 15, 2026 at 11:45 p.m. Pacific; invited finalists receive limited free remote hardware access and submit by November 30.
- Closes
- November 15, 2026
- Run by
- Devpost
- Competition
River Pitch Competition
Pitch competition from the Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute at the University of Alabama for innovators and early-stage businesses. Ten $1,000 prizes. November 17, 2026; registration portal is open.
- Closes
- November 17, 2026
- Run by
- Alabama Entrepreneurship Institute
- Hackathon
HerHack 2026
Devpost-hosted hackathon encouraging women's participation in technology; teams of 2-5 build a project and submit online.
- Closes
- November 21, 2026
- Run by
- Devpost
- CTF
EyesOpenCTF 2026 (7th edition)
A free online jeopardy-style capture-the-flag run as part of the 7th EOCON conference. 20 November 2026, 10:00 UTC to 22 November 2026, 10:00 UTC.
- Closes
- November 22, 2026
- Run by
- Eyes Open Security
- CTF
SwampCTF 2026
Free 48-hour online jeopardy-style capture-the-flag competition November 20-22, 2026, run by the University of Florida Student InfoSec Team, with challenges in pwn, reverse engineering, forensics, and cryptography.
- Closes
- November 22, 2026
- Run by
- University of Florida Student InfoSec Team
- Hackathon
Build Your First AI App
A free online AI-application hackathon for eligible students above the local age of majority. Submissions close November 27, 2026 at 5 p.m. Eastern. No paid software, API subscription or purchase is required; Devpost registration and platform eligibility requirements apply.
- Closes
- November 27, 2026
- Run by
- Devpost
- Hackathon
QNX Global Hackathon
An online QNX 8.0 development hackathon with submissions open November 2–December 15, 2026, closing at 2 p.m. Eastern. Eligible adults can submit applications, components, ports or developer tools targeting QNX. Entry and non-commercial development tools are free; account, licensing and geographic restrictions apply.
- Closes
- December 15, 2026
- Run by
- BlackBerry QNX
- Hackathon
Codegeist 2026: Build with context. Ship with confidence.
Atlassian's online hackathon accepts Forge apps integrating Atlassian products or platform capabilities from October 27 through December 22, 2026 at noon Pacific. Entry uses free Devpost and Atlassian developer accounts. Age, geographic and conflict-of-interest restrictions apply.
- Closes
- December 22, 2026
- Run by
- Atlassian
See these on a calendar on the events page, or search the whole library.