RYZE AI HACK — SMALL MODELS

Build big things
with small models

A 4-week virtual hackathon. Build an application powered entirely by on-device AI models with 500 million parameters or fewer — no cloud APIs.

Hacking ends in…
—
Days
—
Hours
—
Min
—
Sec

Prize

🥇 Winner takes all

$1,000

One project wins everything. Plus a certificate and gallery feature for all participants.

The challenge

Apply on-device AI meaningfully.

We’re looking for projects that show what’s possible with small, on-device AI. Solve a problem that actually exists—something where running AI locally makes the solution faster, cheaper, more private, more accessible, or simply possible—or use small models in a genuinely creative way we haven’t seen before. We want thoughtful applications, clever engineering, and ideas that feel authentic rather than AI bolted onto a project just for the sake of it. The model doesn’t have to be impressive. What you do with it does.

500M parameter cap

Every model you use must fit this cap. You can use multiple models

No cloud AI API calls

Models run in your app. No OpenAI, Anthropic, or inference APIs. Non-AI APIs are fine.

On your terms

Desktop, mobile, browser, edge device — anything goes.

$1,000 Prize Pool

Winner takes all. Every participant gets a certificate and a spot in our gallery.

See example small models on Hugging Face
Schedule

Timeline

Virtual event — all times UTC.

Sep 8, 2026
Registration opens.
Sep 29, 2026
Kickoff livestream. Hacking begins.
Oct 27, 2026
Submissions due.
Nov 12, 2026
Winners announced (livestream).

Repos must be created after Sep 10, 2026 to qualify.

Rules

Rules & acceptance criteria

Read these before you start — they determine whether you're accepted.

01
500M parameter limit

Every AI model you use must have ≤500M parameters. Multiple models are fine, as long as each is under the cap.

02
No external AI APIs

Models must run locally inside your app. No OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, or inference APIs. Non-AI APIs are fine.

03
GitHub repo + compliant README

Your project must live in a public GitHub repo created after Sep 10 with a README whose first line is:

This project was submitted to the ryze.ai hackathon by [NAME OF SUBMITTER].

As long as this line is present and compliant, your project is accepted.

04
Join Discord

Everyone must join our Discord server to get updates and instructions.

Read the full rule book