In a landmark push to democratize software development and accelerate innovation in AI-powered solutions, the DEV Community, in collaboration with Bolt, has announced the launch of the World’s Largest Hackathon. With a record-setting prize pool of over $1 million (approximately ₹8.3 crore), the event aims to bring together developers, technologists, and creators from across the globe in a month-long sprint to build cutting-edge, production-ready applications.
The hackathon, now open for registration via DevPost, signals a significant expansion in access to tools, resources, and mentorship for both professional developers and first-time coders. Participants will be able to leverage Bolt’s AI-native development environment and receive thousands of dollars’ worth of credits for tools like UI generation, AI voice, infrastructure automation, and pre-trained API integrations.
An Ecosystem Designed for Scale
The DEV-Bolt hackathon is more than just a coding contest; it’s being framed as an entry point into a growing ecosystem of AI-powered application development. Registered participants will be granted access to a Builder Pack — a curated toolkit of high-performance services and cloud credits — allowing them to build robust applications that go beyond prototypes.
“There’s a deliberate effort here to shift focus from just hacks to scalable software,” said a spokesperson from DEV. “This isn’t about weekend projects — this is about building production-ready systems with AI at their core.”
Community-Driven Knowledge Sharing
To support participants throughout the event, DEV has lined up a series of livestream sessions and workshops that will guide developers through real-world use cases, ranging from creating conversational video agents to integrating dynamic APIs and domain-specific models. These sessions will be hosted by industry experts and thought leaders, creating a learning curve aligned with practical output.
In parallel, a writing contest will launch later this month within the DEV platform, giving participants a space to document their journeys, showcase their progress, and share insights with a global developer community.
Judging the Future of AI Development
The judging panel includes respected names in the developer space, such as Jess Lee, co-founder and COO at Forem, the company behind the DEV platform. Entries will be evaluated based on creativity, technical excellence, and real-world impact, offering builders a chance not just to win prizes, but to earn industry recognition and community prestige.
The hackathon is poised to become one of the most inclusive global technology contests in recent memory, lowering entry barriers and emphasizing open-access learning and application development.