Track 01 · Tech≤ 50M params
Foundational LLM
Design the architecture, curate the data, write the training loop — and see how much capability you can pull out of a deliberately small model trained from scratch.
Track 01 in fullBUILD & INNOVATE
A global hackathon for foundational LLMs, applied AI, and open invention — fully online and student-led.
Submissions closed · judging until Oct 17
Winners announced on Devpost
Winners Oct 18 · virtual ceremony the week after
Oct 18 to winners
Descend
(01) Why GIBC
Getting code to run has never been easier. Getting a system to actually work — at scale, under real constraints — is still hard. That gap is what this hackathon is about.
552
1,737
over 3× V1!GIBC V1 brought together 552 participants worldwide. V2 grew to 1,737 — with three tracks, an international judging panel and a larger sponsor lineup.
10week build
3tracks
6max team size
5judges
13sponsors
(02) Challenges
Three tracks. One project each.
Build solo or in a team of up to six, pick the one track that fits, and submit a working build — not a slide deck.
Track 02 · AppliedReal, de-identified data
Med Tech & Finance
Predictive models, diagnostic pipelines or automated financial systems built on real, empirical datasets — turning raw input into something a person could act on.
Track 02 in fullTrack 03 · OpenNo limits
General invention
A functional prototype with technical novelty — software, hardware, interactive media, generative systems, or any combination. No architectural or resource limits.
Track 03 in fullScroll to turn the orbit
(03) Timeline · Taipei time (UTC+8)
Full schedule
Ten weeks to the verdict.
Hackathon opens
12:00 PM Taipei time. Register on Devpost and start building.
The build
Solo or in teams of up to six — one project, one track. Sponsor tools and the Discord on hand.
Deadline extended
Ten more days, so builders could make full use of the sponsor tools.
Submissions close
11:45 PM. All six required components on Devpost; late entries aren’t reviewed.
Judging
Each project is scored against its own track’s criteria, based entirely on the Devpost submission.
Winners announced
11:45 AM Taipei time, on Devpost.
Closing ceremony
Virtual. How to join is posted on Devpost and in the Discord ahead of time.
(04) Prizes
Six prize categories.
All prizes are non-cash: sponsor perks, credits and official certificates. Every finisher takes something home.
Grand Champion · 1 winner
Every prize
The highest-scoring project across all three tracks wins the Featherless AI Grand Award — $300 in Featherless credits — and keeps its track prize.
(05) Judging
The panel.
Industry professionals and academic experts. Judges score each project only against the criteria of its own track.
Judges & criteria
(06) Sponsors
13 sponsors.
Security suites, LLM inference, AI credits, dev courses, free domains and more — every logo below is a sponsor of GIBC V2.
(07) Venues
Online, worldwide.
GIBC V2 runs entirely online, open to students in every country — with a home campus community at KCIS Xiugang in Taiwan.
Photo: KCIS Xiugang Campus — kcis.ntpc.edu.tw
(08) Core team
The people behind V2.
Founder / Visionary lead
Hua Chen
Founder of GIBC, redefining student hackathons across the region — with a vision to build the largest student innovation community in Taiwan.
“Building isn’t just about the code — it’s the conviction to create something that wasn’t there before.”Read profile
