Gemini XPRIZE: $2 Million to Build a Real Business with AI

What if the next big tech company was yours, built in 90 days, powered by AI, with real customers and real revenue? That’s exactly the challenge launched by the Build with Gemini XPRIZE, a global competition organized by XPRIZE and powered by Google Cloud.

We’re offering $2M in prizes to builders who want to change the world for the better. 🌍

We just launched the Build with Gemini XPRIZE hackathon at #GoogleIO — a global competition challenging you to leverage our agentic tools to build real-world solutions that drive positive,… pic.twitter.com/zyeWhr3oJM

— Google (@Google) May 19, 2026

The Gemini XPRIZE Challenge: Building a Real Business Operated by AI

Forget prototypes that never see the light of day. The Build with Gemini XPRIZE demands one simple and radical thing: launching a real business, with real customers, generating real revenue, in less than 90 days.

Your project must be operated by AI agents and use at least one Google Cloud product. The Gemini API must be leveraged for at least one LLM call in the deployed production application. You choose your field from five high-social-impact categories:

The challenge covers five areas: education and human potential, entrepreneurship and job creation, small business services, access to finance, and professional services. Five areas where AI can transform millions of lives and where your idea could make a difference.

Deliverables expected upon submission:

• A GitHub repo (public or private, shared with judges)
• A maximum 3-minute video showing AI in action in production
• A 500-1,000 word written narrative explaining how AI operates the business day-to-day
• Proof of revenue (Stripe export, bank statement, or P&L)
• Customer proof (testimonials, real user data)
• Production logs (agent logs, API usage records, dashboards)

Practical Info & Gemini XPRIZE Calendar

Completely online format, open internationally. The competition lasts 90 days of active development, with a precise calendar to respect:

• Submissions Open: May 19, 2026
• Submissions Close: August 17, 2026
• Judging Period: August 18, 2026 → September 15, 2026
• Finalists & Winners Announcement: Around September 25, 2026
• Total Prize Pool: $2,000,000 in cash prizes
  • 1st place: $500,000
  • 2nd place: $200,000
  • 3rd, 4th, and 5th place: $100,000 each
  • 15 runners-up: $50,000 each
  • 5 prizes per category: $50,000 each

Who Can Participate?

The competition is open to individuals of legal age, teams, and small organizations with fewer than 25 employees, worldwide, with the exception of nationals from countries under U.S. embargo.

A single individual can join multiple teams or participate individually. There are no registration fees. Submissions must be written in English (or accompanied by an English translation). Free credits are available on Google AI Ultra and Google Cloud to bootstrap your project. One project per team is accepted, but multiple distinct and substantially different submissions are allowed for the same participant.

Evaluation Criteria & Rules

The jury proceeds in two stages. Phase 1 is a pass/fail filter: your project must adhere to the theme and use the required APIs. Phase 2 evaluates three equally weighted criteria:

Commercial viability judges the real revenue generated within the 90-day window, as well as the sustainability of the business model. The AI-native operations criterion measures the extent to which AI is truly in production and making key decisions. Finally, category impact assesses whether the project fundamentally redefines its field or achieves a credible scale of adoption.

Regarding rules: the project must be an original creation started after May 19, 2026, without prior funding from the sponsor or administrator. You retain full intellectual property of your submission.

Resources & Official Links

• Registration Page: xprize.devpost.com
• Full Rules: xprize.devpost.com/rules
• Support Contact: support@devpost.com
• Organizer Contact: michelle@devpost.com
• Devpost Discord: discord.com/invite/HP4BhW3hnp