XPRIZE

Corporate Sponsor Prospectus

$1.5M Moonshots XPRIZE

The world's largest hackathon prize pool — focused on using AI coding tools to positively impact the lives of one billion people.

Presented by Google Gemini  |  September 25, 2026  |  Los Angeles

3M+

Developers via Devpost

50M+

Projected Impressions

$1.5M

Total Prize Purse

109+

Lives Impacted Goal

What Is Moonshots XPRIZE

A five-month global competition challenging AI-powered builders to solve real problems at scale.

Moonshots XPRIZE launches May 19th, 2026 at Google I/O and culminates at the Moonshot Gathering on September 25th in Los Angeles. The $1.5 million prize pool is a new world record for hackathons.

Google Gemini is the confirmed presenting sponsor. DevPost and Hacker Fund are operating partners. The infrastructure is built, partners are signed, and the builder community is ready.

The Audience

The Moonshots XPRIZE attracts a premier technical audience — developers, engineers, AI practitioners, and technical founders focused on solving real problems. Distribution leverages DevPost's 3M+ developers, Hacker Fund, Peter Diamandis's 3M+ audience, established XPRIZE channels, and Google's co-marketing, plus 40+ global university partnerships for emerging AI talent.

Every interaction places your brand before the builders of the future.

Why This XPRIZE Is Different

Unlike traditional, multi-year, closed-door XPRIZEs, this is a five-month, build-in-public competition.

Teams share progress in real time across social platforms, creating immediate, visible proof of concept and generating live, recurring impact that audiences, media, and sponsors can follow as it unfolds — not years later. The competition's repeatable design ensures each cycle builds on the last, growing the community and compounding evidence that AI can solve big problems and build abundance.

Sponsorship Opportunities

$250K

Innovation Sponsor

  • 10 Moonshot Gathering summit tickets
  • 4 VIP dinner tickets
  • Premium logo placement on all materials
  • Logo on participant emails
  • 3-minute speaking opportunity
  • 3 co-branded social media posts
  • Dedicated newsletter feature
  • Content creation rights

$500K

Title Sponsor

Everything in Innovation Sponsor, plus:

  • 20 Moonshot Gathering summit tickets
  • 8 VIP dinner tickets
  • Largest & first logo placement
  • Logo on press & media coverage
  • 5-minute keynote at the Gathering
  • 45-second ad slot at event & livestream
  • Newsletter feature to 300K+ subscribers
  • Exhibition & activation space

Prize Distribution

Grand Winner$800K
2nd Place$350K
3rd Place$200K
4th Place$100K
5th Place$50K

Key Dates

May 19, 2026

Launch at Google I/O

May 19 – Sep 10

Build Period

Sep 10, 2026

Submissions Due

Sep 25, 2026

Moonshot Gathering — LA

Appendix: Operational Details

Problem Framing & Open Call

Focused problem prompts inspired by YC's "Request for Startups" — specific, solvable challenges affecting real communities.

  • Detailed problem prompts across multiple themes
  • ITN Framework for evaluating problem importance
  • The "Hair on Fire" Test for validating real user need

Build Period (May 19 – Sep 10)

  • Build in public encouraged
  • Solo or team — no restrictions on team size
  • All net-new work — must start from zero
  • Use any AI coding tools
  • Solutions must be live with real usage

Submission Requirements

  • Working product (live link + demo video)
  • Build documentation
  • Impact metrics
  • Revenue data (if applicable)
  • 3-5 minute pitch video
  • ITN Framework analysis
  • "Hair on Fire" validation

Judging Criteria

  • 40% — Impact (scale + measurability)
  • 30% — ITN Framework (importance, tractability, neglectedness)
  • 30% — Revenue Generated (product-market fit)

Selection Process

  • Initial filter: Hacker Fund verifies authenticity
  • Top 25: Expert panel evaluation
  • Top 5 Finalists: Travel paid to Moonshot Cup
  • Live Finals: Shark Tank-style pitch, winner announced

Year 1 Success Metrics

  • 10,000+ global registrations
  • 5 exceptional finalists with demonstrated impact
  • 50M+ social media impressions
  • Major media coverage
  • Biggest hackathon prize pool in history

Long-Term Vision (3-5 Years)

  • Annual flagship with growing prize pool
  • Regional competitions globally
  • 3-5 winners become venture-backed companies
  • Shift builder culture to meaningful impact