About the challenge
Welcome to the Elasticsearch Agent Builder Hackathon, running from January 22 to February 27, 2026. Build context-driven, multi-step AI agents that combine search, workflows, tools, and reasoning to automate real-world tasks. This isn’t about single prompt answers, it’s about agents that retrieve the most relevant context, select the right tools, and execute tasks across multiple steps. Your mission is to design agents that actually get work done. Compete for a share of $20,000 in prizes, collaborate with Elastic engineers, and get featured on our blog and social channels. We can’t wait to see the agents you develop
Why participate ?
Build agents for real work: Design agents that reason, use tools, keep context, and actually finish tasks.
Level up fast: Practice multi-step reasoning, tool orchestration, and stateful workflows under real constraints.
Win and get seen There is $20,000 on the table, plus exposure on blogs and social channels.
Judge Accessibility
Organizer email available25/25
Student-run event15/15
Actively looking for judges25/25
Small event (120 participants)10/10
No corporate sponsors10/10
New or emerging organizer10/10
Public registration available5/5
Online format (judge from anywhere)10/10
Top signals
Organizer email available
Student-run event
Actively looking for judges
Organizers
Alex Johnson
alex@example.org
Jamie Rivera
jamie@example.org
Sam Chen
sam@example.org
Estimated Audience
Mostly Students
ExperienceStudent
OccupationStudents
Beginner Friendly
Women in Tech
Technical Focus
AI95%
Web80%
Mobile25%
Industries
Healthcare
Education
Climate
Technologies
Python
React
OpenAI
Why this estimate
• Hosted by a university
• Open to students
• MLH member event
Estimate inferred from event metadata, not actual attendee data.