Built with Opus 4.6: The Claude Code Hackathon

One year after its launch, Claude Code reaches a new milestone. Anthropic and Cerebral Valley are launching Built with Opus 4.6, a week-long global virtual hackathon inviting developers and AI enthusiasts to push the boundaries of what’s technically possible.

With the recent release of Opus 4.6, Anthropic’s most powerful model to date, this challenge comes at a key moment when generative AI is redefining how we code, automate, and create. $100,000 in Claude API credits are at stake, along with a unique opportunity to present your project to ecosystem leaders at the birthday party in San Francisco.

Announcing Built with Opus 4.6: a Claude Code virtual hackathon.

Join the Claude Code team for a week of building. Winners will be hand-selected to win $100K in Claude API credits.

Apply here: https://t.co/SkEg8Py1l2 pic.twitter.com/w4OEIFOK0N

— Claude (@claudeai) February 6, 2026

The Built with Opus 4.6 Challenge

Built with Opus 4.6 challenges you to leverage the revolutionary capabilities of the new Opus 4.6 model to create innovative solutions in just six days. Whether you’re developing autonomous agents, reinventing complex workflows, or solving problems no one has imagined yet.

The Opus 4.6 hackathon values above all technical creativity and concrete applications. Projects that demonstrate original use of Claude’s capabilities, particularly its one-million-token context window and 128K token output, with a clear and functional objective will be favored by the jury. Functional prototypes will take precedence over extensive documentation.

Practical Info & Schedule

Format: 100% virtual (accessible worldwide, no visa or travel constraints)

Hackathon Dates

• Start: Tuesday, February 10, 2026, 12:00 PM EST
• End / Submission Deadline: Monday, February 16, 2026, 3:00 PM EST
• Winning Projects Showcase: Saturday, February 21, 2026 in San Francisco (Claude Code’s 1st Birthday Party, 4:00 PM – 8:00 PM PST)

Prizes

• $100,000 in Claude API credits for the winners
• Opportunity to present your project to the Anthropic team, investors, and top builders at the SF event

Who Can Participate?

The hackathon is open to developers worldwide, with no geographic restrictions thanks to the virtual format.

Participation Terms

• Teams: Solo or duo (maximum 2 people per team)
• Registration: Mandatory application submission for approval (500 participants)
• Participation Fee: Free (selected participants will receive $500 in Claude API credits)

Solo participants compete with the same evaluation criteria as teams of two.

Evaluation Criteria & Rules

The jury, composed of six experts from the Claude team (Boris Cherny, Cat Wu, Thariq Shihpar, Lydia Hallie, Ado Kukic, and Jason Bigman), will evaluate the projects.

Important Rules

• All approved participants must accept the intellectual property conditions and code of conduct before receiving their Claude Code access credentials
• Intellectual Property: Participants retain all rights to their creations, with no licensing obligation to Anthropic or Cerebral Valley
• Strict Deadline: No extensions granted, regardless of reason (technical issue, time zone, etc.)
• Project must be built with Claude Code

Official Resources & Links

• Hackathon Registration: https://cerebralvalley.ai/e/claude-code-hackathon
• SF Showcase Event (February 21): https://cerebralvalley.ai/e/anthropic-claude-code-bday

Why Participate?

Participating in Built with Opus 4.6 offers you much more than a technical competition. It’s an opportunity to:

• Test early access to Opus 4.6 capabilities, released only five days before the hackathon starts
• Learn by developing a complete project with one of the most advanced AI models on the market
• Network with the world’s best builders and the Anthropic team
• Gain visibility: winners will present their project at the San Francisco birthday party in front of AI ecosystem leaders and investors
• Fund your future projects with the $100,000 in API credits that will allow you to continue development well beyond the hackathon