Saturday, 24 October 2026 — 25 October 2026
Prize Pool
$2,400 cash + Codex credits for the top 3 Codex builders
Registration closed
Registration Deadline
24 Oct 2026
Team Size
1 – 1 members
HackerRank Orchestrate (October 2026) is a 24-hour online hackathon where you design, build and ship an AI agent that solves a real-world problem. It is free, solo, and open to anyone, anywhere.
Key dates Challenge starts: 24 October 2026, 6:00 PM IST. The problem arrives by email at that time and you have 24 hours to build. AI judge interview: opens as soon as you submit. Live evaluation: 26 to 27 October 2026. Results: 27 October 2026.
Who can take part Anyone, worldwide, including college and university students. You take part on your own (no teams). No prior AI experience is needed.
How it works Build with whatever tools you already use (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Copilot or anything else). Submit your code, your agent's output and your AI chat transcript on the HackerRank Community Platform; the link is shared by email. Then take a 30-minute voice interview with an AI judge, who asks about your architecture, decisions, trade-offs, safety choices and code.
How you are judged Four signals: your code, your agent's output, your AI chat transcript and the judge interview.
Prizes 1st place: $1,200 cash, plus opportunities with tech companies, a 1:1 chat with industry experts and HackerRank merchandise. 2nd to 5th place: $300 cash each, plus opportunities with tech companies and HackerRank merchandise. That is $2,400 in cash in total. Codex credits for the top 3 who build with Codex: $5,000 (1st), $2,500 (2nd) and $1,000 (3rd). Every participant gets 10 HackerRank AI Mock Interview credits and a certificate of participation.
How to apply Register free on the official page before the challenge starts at 6:00 PM IST on 24 October. The page does not state a separate registration closing time.
Sources HackerRank's official Orchestrate page and the Internshala listing, checked 19 October 2026.
Anyone, worldwide, including college and university students. Individual participation only (no teams). No prior AI experience needed. Free to enter.
1st
$1,200 cash
2nd-5th
$300 cash each
Top 3 building with Codex
$5,000 / $2,500 / $1,000 in Codex credits
All participants
10 HackerRank AI Mock Interview credits + certificate
Prize Pool
$2,400 cash + Codex credits for the top 3 Codex builders
Registration closed
Registration Deadline
24 Oct 2026
Team Size
1 – 1 members