Cash
$425k+ in cash prizes
Pre-registration open
The world's biggest mobile hackathon for people who actually ship.
Shipaton 2026 is RevenueCat's global hackathon for builders launching real apps to real stores, competing for big prizes, and showing the world what they shipped.
When
August - September 2026
Where
Online + IRL events globally
Who
Any app developer
What
Build. Ship. Get paid.
Prize moments
Win more than a badge.
Ship a standout app and you could take home $425,000+ in cash prizes, see your work on giant billboards in NYC, score a ticket to RevenueCat's exclusive App Growth Annual conference, accept your Shippy trophy live on stage, and more.
The point is not just to submit. It is to launch something worth talking about, then give it the spotlight it deserves.
Spotlight
Your app on giant NYC billboards
Conference
App Growth Annual ticket
Stage
Accept a Shippy trophy live on stage
Live on stage
Trophy moments
NYC billboards
App spotlight
Award categories
Different ways to build something outstanding.
Shipaton rewards more than one kind of builder. Growth, games, social good, design craft, ads monetization, student projects, build-in-public storytelling, RevenueCat-powered revenue, and influencer-specific audiences all have a path to win.
$425,000+ in total cash prizes across 13 award tracks.
01
$5k-$50k
Prize range
Total $65k
Grand Prize
Honors the apps that gain the most user traction and growth momentum during the event. Judges want to hear what you did post-release to push app growth.
02
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Best Game Award
Open category for the best mobile game shipped during the event, including gameplay, art direction, and a monetization fit that suits the genre.
03
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
RevenueCat Peace Prize
Awarded to the project that provides the greatest social good, with big benefits to communities or society at large.
04
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
RevenueCat Design Award
For the app that best represents the craft of app development, separate from viability as a business. Judges look for innovative ideas, beautiful design, and animations.
05
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Catvertising Award
Celebrates the most creative and effective use of RevenueCat Ads as a monetization method, including clever placements and smart integration with the rest of the revenue stack.
06
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Next Gen Award
A student-only category for active students with a .edu or equivalent email address. Judged on video submission and open-source code, with no App Store or Google Play release required.
07
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
#BuildInPublic Award
For developers who shared the most interesting development journey on social media, including compelling lessons learned or ideas incorporated from community feedback.
08
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
HAMM Award
Recognizes the app that makes the smartest use of RevenueCat to drive real revenue.
09
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Influencer Award Category 1
One of five categories tied to building an app for a specific influencer's target demographic. The influencer judges the category personally.
10
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Influencer Award Category 2
One of five categories tied to building an app for a specific influencer's target demographic. The influencer judges the category personally.
11
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Influencer Award Category 3
One of five categories tied to building an app for a specific influencer's target demographic. The influencer judges the category personally.
12
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Influencer Award Category 4
One of five categories tied to building an app for a specific influencer's target demographic. The influencer judges the category personally.
13
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Influencer Award Category 5
One of five categories tied to building an app for a specific influencer's target demographic. The influencer judges the category personally.
01
$5k-$50k
Prize range
Total $65k
Grand Prize
Honors the apps that gain the most user traction and growth momentum during the event. Judges want to hear what you did post-release to push app growth.
02
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Best Game Award
Open category for the best mobile game shipped during the event, including gameplay, art direction, and a monetization fit that suits the genre.
03
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
RevenueCat Peace Prize
Awarded to the project that provides the greatest social good, with big benefits to communities or society at large.
04
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
RevenueCat Design Award
For the app that best represents the craft of app development, separate from viability as a business. Judges look for innovative ideas, beautiful design, and animations.
05
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Catvertising Award
Celebrates the most creative and effective use of RevenueCat Ads as a monetization method, including clever placements and smart integration with the rest of the revenue stack.
06
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Next Gen Award
A student-only category for active students with a .edu or equivalent email address. Judged on video submission and open-source code, with no App Store or Google Play release required.
07
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
#BuildInPublic Award
For developers who shared the most interesting development journey on social media, including compelling lessons learned or ideas incorporated from community feedback.
08
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
HAMM Award
Recognizes the app that makes the smartest use of RevenueCat to drive real revenue.
09
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Influencer Award Category 1
One of five categories tied to building an app for a specific influencer's target demographic. The influencer judges the category personally.
10
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Influencer Award Category 2
One of five categories tied to building an app for a specific influencer's target demographic. The influencer judges the category personally.
11
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Influencer Award Category 3
One of five categories tied to building an app for a specific influencer's target demographic. The influencer judges the category personally.
12
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Influencer Award Category 4
One of five categories tied to building an app for a specific influencer's target demographic. The influencer judges the category personally.
13
$5k-$15k
Prize range
Total $30k
Influencer Award Category 5
One of five categories tied to building an app for a specific influencer's target demographic. The influencer judges the category personally.
For student builders
A path for the next generation of app makers.
For student builders
A path for the next generation of app makers.
This year we're making Shipaton more accessible than ever to students across the world with the Next Gen Award: a prize category exclusively for students. Participants submit a video and source code, removing the requirement for a paid Apple or Google developer account.
Schools, clubs, and university programs can host Shipaton IRL campus events to bring students together, hand out Shipaton swag, and help classmates build toward their submissions.
Shipaton IRL
Ship alongside builders around the world.
Shipaton is online, but it does not have to feel remote. Last year, builders brought Shipaton in person from Tokyo to St. Louis, Seoul to Barcelona, and London to Delhi. This year will be even bigger.
Tokyo
Seoul
London
Become a sponsor
Help builders choose what they ship with.
Shipaton sponsors show up while developers are choosing tools, launching apps, sharing their progress, and turning ideas into real products. The full sponsor package is on the sponsor page.
Pre-register
Get on the list before the challenge opens.
Pre-register on Devpost for Shipaton 2026 updates, rules, registration details, and submission dates.