🚀 Build, Innovate, and Ship working AI!
The JavaScript AI Build-a-thon is a focused, hands-on initiative that helps builders quickly move from exploration to working AI prototypes. Through concise quests and practical demos, you'll gain real skills with modern AI tools in a clear, outcome-driven format.
This isn't just another hackathon. It's your launchpad into the Agentic future of JavaScript and TypeScript development.
📅 Key Dates
- 🎬 Build-a-thon Begins: Monday, March 2, 2026
- 📚 Quests & Livestreams: March 2 – March 13, 2026
- 🔥 Hackathon Launches: Friday, March 13, 2026
- 🏁 Hackathon Ends: Tuesday, March 31, 2026
🎟️ Registration
Sign up and browse the livestream schedule to register for sessions you're interested in.
Once you're registered, introduce yourself in the Build-a-thon channel and connect with other builders.
⚙️ How It Works
The Build-a-thon runs in two phases:
📚 Phase 1: Learn & Skill Up (March 2 – March 13)
Complete guided quests and attend expert-led livestreams to build the skills you need. Each quest is hands-on, self-paced, and teaches a core AI development pattern with JavaScript/TypeScript.
Participation Requirement
Complete at least 2 quests (including the guided project) to be eligible for the hack.
🔥 Phase 2: Hack! (March 13 – March 31)
Build something that matters. Use everything you learned — and beyond — to create an AI-powered project that solves a real problem, delights users, or pushes what's possible.
🚀 Hackathon Details Coming March 13
Full details on submission, judging criteria, award categories, prizes, and the hack phase schedule will be published when the hack goes live. Here's what we can tell you now:
- 🏆 3 award categories with cash prizes
- 💻 Product demo showcases throughout the hack phase to keep you building with the latest tools
- 👥 Teams of up to 4 or solo — your call
🎥 Livestream Schedule
Expert-led sessions streamed live on Microsoft Reactor.
Week 1: March 2 – March 6
| Day/Time (PT) | Topic | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 3/2, 8:00 AM | Local AI Development with Foundry Local | Lee Stott, Maanav Dalal |
| Mon 3/2, 9:05 AM | Discord Office Hour: Open QnA on Foundry Local | — |
| Wed 3/4, 8:00 AM | End-to-End Model Development on Microsoft Foundry | Nitya Narasimhan |
| Wed 3/4, 9:05 AM | Discord Office Hour: Open QnA on Microsoft Foundry | — |
| Fri 3/6, 9:00 AM | Advanced RAG Deep Dive + Guided Project | Pamela Fox |
| Fri 3/6, 10:05 AM | Discord Office Hour: Open QnA on RAG | — |
Week 2: March 9 – March 13
| Day/Time (PT) | Topic | Presenter |
|---|---|---|
| Mon 3/9, 8:00 AM | Design & Build an Agent E2E with Agent Builder (AITK) | April Gittens |
| Mon 3/9, 9:05 AM | Discord Office Hour: Open QnA on AI Toolkit | — |
| Wed 3/11, 8:00 AM | Build, Scale & Govern AI Agents + Guided project | Wassim Chegham |
| Wed 3/11, 9:05 AM | Discord Office Hour: Open QnA on designing & building AI Agents | — |
| Fri 3/13, 8:00 AM | Build-a-thon Global Hack Launch | Julia Muiruri |
| Fri 3/13, 8:35 AM | Discord Office Hour: Hack! | — |
💬 Community & Support
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GitHub Discussions
Engage in focused discussion topics, share ideas, and find teammates
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Discord
Office hours throughout the build-a-thon, plus quick questions and community support
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Social
Share your progress with #JSAIBuildathon on social media