Hacktoberfest Hack Day Linz x Young AI Leaders Linz
Join us at JKU Linz on October 30 for Austria's exclusive MLH Hacktoberfest Hack Day, a free, beginner-friendly mini-hackathon where students and professionals build open-source AI prototypes without the sleepless nights. Team up to experiment with partner tools from Google Gemma, Lovable, and ElevenLabs, receive hands-on mentorship, and compete for unique Major League Hacking swag and prizes.
About
Join us at JKU Linz on October 30, 2026, for a mini-hackathon focused on open-source artificial intelligence. This free, in-person Hacktoberfest Hack Day is the perfect chance to bring our community together to learn and build with open-source AI tools and open-weight models. Whether you are a seasoned developer or looking to experience your very first hackathon, this is a great opportunity to enjoy the collaborative community feeling and hands-on learnings of a hackathon without the commitment of multiple sleepless days.
During the dedicated build time, you can team up, experiment, and create a working prototype in a low-pressure environment. The main theme of the event is the Best Open-Source AI Project challenge, where participants will get hands-on experience creating and submitting innovative solutions. In addition to the main open-source challenge, we are partnering with Google Gemma, Lovable, and ElevenLabs to provide you with extra tool access, side challenges, and special prizes. We will also have great mentors on site throughout the day to help you get unstuck and bring your ideas to life.
As the only location in Austria this season to host this event, participants will be eligible for unique Major League Hacking goodies, including exclusive shirts and badges. Bring your laptop, your curiosity, and your ideas. We will provide the space, the support, and a great dinner and networking session afterwards to cap off an inspiring day of building. Register now to secure your spot!
Prize Categories
4 categories- View Best Use of Gemma 4DDeepmind Google
Best Use of Gemma 4
It’s time to see how much you can build with a lightweight, open model. Gemma 4 packs multimodal intelligence into an open-weights model that you can access through the Gemini API. So, what can Gemma 4 bring to your project?
- Multimodal Experience: Work with text and images to create an assistant that understands more of what users share.
- Focused AI Tools: Build a focused AI tool for learning, creativity, productivity, or your community.
- Rapid Prototyping: Experiment with an open model while using the Gemini API to move quickly from an idea to a working prototype.
Bring your idea to life… what will you build with Gemma 4 today?
Build with Gemma 4View category - View Best Open-Source AI Project
Best Open-Source AI Project
Exclusive Hacktoberfest 2026 Winner DEV Badge & MLH Swag Bag
Build an original project that uses open-source or open-weight AI as an important part of how it works. Teams could create an agent skill, build with an open-weight large or small language model, or build or adapt an open-source model harness. These are examples within one challenge, and teams may combine them.
Open-source or open-weight AI must be an important part of the project.
The project must be published in a public GitHub repository and use an open-source license.
An agent skill must comply with the Agent Skill Open Standard.
A model-harness entry must include an original implementation or meaningful changes to an existing open-source harness.
Build with DigitalOceanView category - View LovableEvent prize
Lovable
Build an innovative project that integrates or leverages the Lovable platform. To help you build faster, every participating team receives a free 1-month Pro subscription, and the winning team will take home long-term Pro access!
View category - View ElevenLabsEvent prize
ElevenLabs
Build an innovative project that integrates or leverages the ElevenLabs platform. To help you build faster, every participating team receives a free 1-month Pro subscription, and the winning team will take home long-term Pro access!
View category