Two steps. 

First, warm up on NANDA Town. Then build a service an AI agent can use on its own.

1: Warm-up: 20% 

Improve NANDA Town

NANDA Town is an open-source sandbox where AI agents test how they talk, trust, pay, and coordinate — across 12 building blocks. Warm up by making one of them better.

What to do:

1. Open the NANDA Town repo on GitHub and download (clone) it.
2. Install it and get it running on your computer — the README has the exact commands.
3. Pick one of the 12 building blocks and improve it, or add a new one.
4. Add tests, and make sure the project's checks pass.
5. Open a pull request named hackathon/your-name-topic. It shows up on the NANDA Town hackathon page automatically.
6. Wait for review — a judge usually replies within about a week.

How it's scored:

• It works correctly and is well tested.
• It fits how NANDA Town is already built.
• It's clearly documented.

2: Main Event: 80%  |  June 13 – July 11, 2026 (Event on July 11)

Build a service that agents can use on their own

The main event. Build any service, host it online, and write a SKILL.md so an AI agent can find it and use it on its own — no human help needed.

What to do: 

1. Build any service you want and host it online so it stays reachable (Railway, Vercel, Render, Fly — your choice).
2. Test your endpoints in a browser or with curl to make sure they work.
3. Write a SKILL.md: a plain Markdown file with your service's name, what it does, its web address, the endpoints, and the steps to use them.
4. Submit it on the NANDA Town skills page — paste a hosted link, a GitHub repo, or the text, plus your live endpoint links.

How it's scored

• Useful — it does something agents really need.
• Creative — it's a fresh idea.
• Easy to set up — little effort to a working call.
• Agents succeed using only your SKILL.md.

How scoring works

The warm-up is worth 20%. The main event is worth 80%.

Step 1: NANDA Town   |  20%
A short warm-up. Scored on correct, well-tested code that fits NANDA Town's design and is clearly documented.

Step 2: Service + SKILL.md  |  80%
The main event. Scored on usefulness, creativity, easy setup, and whether agents can use it from your SKILL.md alone.  80%

Join us on July 11

Taking part is fully online, so attending in person is optional — but recommended. Come to MIT Media Lab on Saturday, July 11, 2026 to meet the key leaders behind NANDA.

Hackathon demos & awards
2:00 PM – 5:00 PM · MIT Media Lab

FAQ

• Do I have to do both steps?
  We recommend it. Step 1 is a short warm-up worth 20% that teaches you how NANDA Town works. Step 2 — your own service with a SKILL.md — is the main event, worth 80%. You can enter just one, but doing both gives you the best score.
• What is a SKILL.md?|
  It's a plain Markdown file that teaches an AI agent how to use your service — what it does, its web address, the endpoints, and how to call them. An agent reads it and then uses your service on its own, with no human help. 
• What is NANDA Town?
  It's an open-source sandbox where AI agents practice talking, trusting, paying, and coordinating across 12 building blocks. In Step 1 you improve one of those building blocks, so you learn how the town works before building your own service.
• Where do I submit?
  Step 1 is a pull request on the NANDA Town repo on GitHub. Step 2 you submit on the NANDA Town skills page. Use the button on each step above. 
• Do I have to attend in person?
  No — taking part is fully online. But if you can, we recommend coming to MIT Media Lab on Saturday, July 11, 2026, 10:00 AM – 1:00 PM and the hackathon demos & awards run 2:00 PM – 5:00 PM. It's a great chance to meet the key leaders behind NANDA.
• Who can join?
  Anyone — students, builders, researchers, and professionals. You can enter on your own or as a team. 

Learn more about NANDA