About Banana Hacks 2026
Banana Hacks 2026 is a free, fully virtual hackathon dedicated to generative AI and image creation. Over one long weekend you'll sketch prompts, fine-tune diffusion models, and ship a creative AI project — whether it's your first hackathon or your fiftieth.
At a glance
- 4
- Days
- Oct 9–12, 2026
- 100%
- Virtual
- Join from anywhere
- $0
- Entry fee
- Free for everyone
- 1–4
- Team size
- Solo hacking welcome
What is Banana Hacks?
Banana Hacks is an online hackathon built around one idea: generative AI has made image creation absurdly powerful, and almost nobody has figured out what to do with it yet. Over October 9–12, 2026, participants from anywhere in the world form teams, pick a track, and build something that didn't exist on Friday.
There is no venue, no travel, and no entry fee. The community runs on Discord, workshops and ceremonies happen on Zoom, and every session is recorded so you can hack across time zones without missing anything. You can see the full breakdown on the schedule page.
The hackathon is deliberately beginner-friendly. Dedicated beginner workshops run alongside the deep-dive technical sessions, mentors are available throughout the weekend, and first-time hackers are actively celebrated rather than quietly out-competed.
What you'll build
Projects tend to fall into four loose tracks. You're not locked into one — they exist to give you a starting point.
Image Generators
Text-to-image tools, style transfer, inpainting systems
AI Pipelines
Fine-tuned diffusion models, LoRA adapters, ControlNet workflows
Creative Tools
AI-assisted drawing apps, prompt engineering interfaces
Multi-modal Apps
Combine image + text + audio generation in novel ways
Who can participate
- Open to everyone, worldwide — students, professionals, hobbyists
- Teams of 1–4 people
- All skill levels welcome — first-timers encouraged
- Must submit by Oct 11, 2026 at 11:59 PM AoE
Ready to build?
Registration is free and takes about a minute. Still deciding? The FAQ covers eligibility, team rules, allowed tools, and how judging works.
Register for Banana Hacks 2026