About the event
DevFest is Google’s global developer festival, connecting hundreds of thousands of developers in 100+ countries each year. For the first time ever, Linz joins the global DevFest network with a full day dedicated entirely to AI.
This hackathon brings together AI & CS students, developers, designers, and builders from across Upper Austria to create real, working AI prototypes in a single day. The event is designed to be practical, fast-paced, and community-driven. Hosted at JKU Linz, home to 3,000+ AI students, one of the most significant AI student communities in Europe and organized by Google Developers Group Linz and Young AI Leaders Linz.
✨ What to expect:
Hands-on Hacking: 12 hours of dedicated coding time.
Mentorship: Access to experts and judges from the industry.
Networking: Connect with the best local developers and tech companies.
Swag & Food: Coffee, lunch, and snacks are on us!
Agenda:
Thursday Intro Event Notion Prep Event, Team Matching (Onsite JKU or Online)
Thursday Evening Challenge Announcement Challenges/Track are published, brainstorm, general planning.
08:30 – 09:00: ☕ Registration & Morning Coffee (Lobby)
09:00 – 09:30: 🎤 DevFest Opener: Introduction, Sponsors & Rules (Main Stage)
09:30 – 10:00: 💡 Tech briefing
10:00 – 10:15: 🤝 Team Creation (Find your squad!)
10:15 – 10:30: 🚀 Hackathon Start
10:30 – 13:00: 💻 Coding Session 1 + Mentorship
13:00 – 13:30: 🍕 Lunch Break
13:30 – 17:00: 💻 Coding Session 2 + Mentorship
17:00 🏁 SUBMISSIONS DEADLINE
17:15 – 19:00: 🗣️ Project Presentations (Demo Time)
19:30 – 19:30: ⚖️ Judging & Scoring
19:30 – 20:00: 🏆 Awards Ceremony
20:00 – 20:30: 🎉 Cool down, Afterparty & Networking
Requirements
To qualify for judging at DevFest Linz: Great AI Hackathon, every team must complete two things:
Build a working prototype (What to Build)
Submit all required materials on DevPost by the deadline (What to Submit)
What to Build
Your team must build a functioning AI prototype that fits the hackathon challenges announced during the hackathon. Projects may be built using any tools, but recommended tools include Lovable, n8n, Google Gemini / Vertex AI, Supabase, Pinecone, and ElevenLabs.
Your build must:
Include the core functionality of your idea. It does not need to be perfect, but it must run and demonstrate the key experience.
Be created during the hackathon
Architecture, backend logic, and prep may begin during Build Week (Mon–Fri)
Lovable code and UI must be created on Saturday only
Final integration and polish must happen on Saturday
Be built by your team only: Teams of 3–5 members are permitted. All team members must be registered participants.
What to Submit
All projects must be uploaded to Devpost including the mandatory Deliverables:
Devpost Project Page: Filled with the core info of your project.
PDF Presentation: A wide-format PDF used for your pitch. Must include:
Project Name, Challenge Track, and Team Members' Names. Rules
Architecture Slide: A visual diagram of your software architecture (e.g., "Lovable UI -> Webhook -> n8n -> Vertex AI").
Project Link: Link to code (GitHub) or deployed site.
Demo (Optional): If you have a running demo, feel free to include a QR code on a slide.
The Pitch
You only have 2 min Pitch + 2 min Q&A (Questions from Judges). Make sure you clearly, compactly and convincingly communicate:
What is your Project/Idea? What does it do?
Why is it important? Problems it solves, positive impact
How does it work? Architecture/Tool Visualization, Proof of Concept
Todos
Everything in English
Use your time effectively
Make it interesting, engaging, visually appealing, ...
Connect to real problems, use cases
Utilize unique strengths (e.g. all team members on stage, but you decide who presents/answers what, if you want, a single person can do the pitch)
Not Todos
Introduction of all team members
"My presentation has the chapters ..."
Repeat yourself unnecessarily
Overpromise or Misrepresent what your prototype can actually do (e.g. claiming you built something yourself thats done by an existing API)
Prizes
1st Place: €1,500 💶
2nd Place: €1,000 💶
3rd Place: €500 💶
Agenda
