
Build a world as a Gift
For everyone who never fits in
Online Sep 15 – Oct 5·Offline Oct 5–20
Demo Days · Oct 5–20
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01 / About
The 1st World-Building Hackathon
Tripothon is a global world-building competition: build online, then demo it live in seven cities. You make a world as a gift — for a person, a place, or a future that does not exist yet.

AI learned to write
Then it learned to see
Then it learned to move
Now, it's your turn, to build worlds
Every step on this path is a protagonist of Tripothon.
02 / Scale
3000+
Participants
30+
Countries
7
Cities
40
Days (Online + Offline)
$80,000
Prize Pool
03 / Tracks
5 Direction Tracks + Tool Tracks
Choose one Direction Track & optionally 0–3 Tool Tracks. Teams of 1–3 — or go solo.

Direction 01
Game
Playable worlds, mechanics, narrative systems, AI-assisted game development.

Direction 02
Film / VFX
Short film, animation, VFX, AI 3D production workflows.

Direction 03
VR / XR / AR
VR, AR, WebXR, spatial and immersive experiences.

Direction 04
App
Web, AI-native products, creative tools, interactive apps.

Direction 05
Physical Design
3D printing, product design, installations, digital-to-physical making.

Tool Track
More coming soon
Tool tracks from Tripo’s partners — Tripo, PICO, Heygears, World Labs, Jupiter SR.
04 / How it works
A global open call.
Two prize pools: submit online to compete for the global pool — attend a Demo Day and compete for both.
01
Global Open Call
August 2026Launch the global call for entries. Announce the competition rules, regional divisions, tracks, and participation rules.
02
Submission Period
Sep 15 – Oct 5, 2026Participants from 5 tracks submit their works online.
03
Jury Review
Oct 5 – 25Online and in-person judging will run simultaneously. Participants who cannot attend an in-person event will still be eligible for the online prize pool. Those attending in person will also have the opportunity to attend offline events for the local award, which will be presented on site.
04
Winner Announcement
Oct 25Announce the winning teams & projects.
05
Offline Demo Day
Oct 5–20, 2026Regional Demo Days across key locations: a physical demo show and on-site evaluation. Attendees compete for both the global online prize pool and their region’s offline prizes.
05 / Cities
Seven cities. One season.
Where will your world premiere? Hover a pin to highlight its city card.


Asia · Tokyo
Oct 9
City link TBA

South America · São Paulo
Oct 11
City event↗
Asia · Seoul
Oct 16
City event↗
Europe · Paris
Oct 17
City link TBA

Asia · Shanghai
Oct 17
City event↗
Europe · Barcelona
Oct 17
City event↗
06 / Submission & judging
What you ship. How it is scored.
Tool Track entries must actually use the named tool — otherwise they are disqualified from that track.
Complete playable demo
A complete demo the judges can play and try for themselves.
RequiredScreen recording
A walkthrough of the world, not a trailer cut.
RequiredVisual asset board
Key stills, turnarounds, or environment frames.
RequiredPublic build log
Progress notes or posts. Optional, but we amplify the loud ones.
Optional
07 / Judging
Judging Criteria
Direction Track
01
Creativity
30%
02
Completeness
25%
03
Theme fit
20%
04
Viral potential
15%
05
Commercial value
10%
- 01Creativity30%
- 02Completeness25%
- 03Theme fit20%
- 04Viral potential15%
- 05Commercial value10%
Tool Track
01
Inventive use of the tool
35%
02
Tool synergy
25%
03
Tool contribution
20%
04
Theme fit
10%
05
Breakout potential
10%
- 01Inventive use of the tool35%
- 02Tool synergy25%
- 03Tool contribution20%
- 04Theme fit10%
- 05Breakout potential10%
08 / Prizes
What you win.
Global Online Prize Pool
All eligible participants can compete for the global online prize pool, regardless of whether they attend an offline event. Participants attending an offline event will be eligible for both the global online prize pool and the additional offline regional prizes. Regional awards will be presented on site.


Global Top 1
$5,000


Global Top 2
$4,000


Global Top 3
$3,000


Best Use of Heygears
$800


Best Use of Tripo
$800


Best Use of World Labs
$800


Best Use of PICO
$800


Best Game Project
$800


Best XR/VR Project
$800


Best AI Filmmaking Project
$800


Best Application Project
$800


Best Physical Design Project
$800
US Offline Prize Pool
Special thanks to the local sponsors.


U.S. Regional Top 1
$5,000


U.S. Regional Top 2
$3,500


U.S. Regional Top 3
$2,200


Best Use of Heygears
$800


Best Use of Tripo
$800


Best Use of World Labs
$800


Best Use of PICO
$800


Best Use of Jupiter SR
$800
Beyond the prizes listed above, we’ve also got 2 Xbox consoles and Logitech gift bundles waiting for you on Demo Day — come and unlock them!
Other Regions Offline Prize Pool
Recognizes outstanding projects that make creative use of Tripo, PICO, Heygears, World Labs, or other tools from Tripo’s partners.


Regional Top 1
$2,500


Regional Top 2
$1,500


Regional Top 3
$1,200


Best Use of Heygears
$400


Best Use of Tripo
$400


Best Use of World Labs
$400


Best Use of PICO
$400


Best Use of Jupiter SR
$400
Beyond the prizes listed above, we’ve also got 2 Xbox consoles and Logitech gift bundles waiting for you on Demo Day — come and unlock them!
Social Media Prize Pool


Most Viewed Post
Recognizes the eligible individual post with the highest number of views across Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, and TikTok as of October 20. View counts must be publicly visible on the relevant platform; entries with hidden or unverifiable view counts will be considered invalid.
Mac mini


Most Liked Post
Recognizes the eligible individual post with the highest number of likes across Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, and TikTok as of October 20. If the winner is also the Most Viewed Post winner, the award will pass to the next-highest eligible entry by likes.
Mac mini


Most Quoted Post on X
Recognizes the eligible post with the highest number of Quote Posts on X as of October 20.
Mac mini
Eligibility requirement
To qualify for any of the above awards, a post must have received at least 1,000 likes.
How to join
Share the creative process behind your Tripothon project on Instagram, Facebook, X, YouTube, or TikTok. Tag @TripoAI and use the hashtag #Tripothon.
09 / Judges
Invited Judges





















Kevin Arzate Lugardo
VR Professor, Universidad Panamericana · Game Engineer
VR / XR / ARTheir profile ↗





Eishi Saito
CTO, STYLY WebAR




Raniê Solarevisky de Jesus
Professor of Journalism · Coordinator, Nodus (UFG)
ApplicationTheir profile ↗

Costas Kazantzis
Lead Creative Technologist, Fashion Innovation Agency (LCF)
Fashion3DAIXRTheir profile ↗



Lirong Zhang
Developer Relations Lead, FalkorDB · Founder, The Multimodal Society
ApplicationAITheir profile ↗





Carolina Jiménez García
Visual Effects Artist, Educator & Supervisor for Film and Television
VFXTheir profile ↗
Clyde Shutian Li
Director of Strategic M&A, BlueFocus Group North America
ApplicationAITheir profile ↗




Gyuhyun Kim
Associate Professor, Chung-Ang University · Director, CAD Lab · Co-founder, STUDIO OTQ
AnimationAICGTheir profile ↗
Cleomar Rocha
Full Professor & Media Lab Coordinator, Federal University of Goiás




jelaxrosa
VFX Artist, Filmmaker & Content Creator
VFX









Jung Hyun Moon
Associate Arts Professor of Interactive Media Arts · IMA Low Res Coordinator, NYU Shanghai


Jiahui Fu
Founding Team, Rena Labs · Creator of Addys AI

Maycon Guerra
Professor of Computer Graphics, Games & VFX, SENAC Santo André

Adilson da Silva Freitas
Professor of 3D, Animation & Design, SENAC Campinas

Regis Akira Sato
Professor of Computer Graphics, Digital Games & IT, SENAC São Bernardo do Campo

Felipe Augusto Pires
Professor of Design, Computer Graphics & AI, SENAC Piracicaba

Nikolaj Sloth Kramer
Cand.Arch · Creative Professional · Associate Professor











Paulo Muppet
Producer, Birdo

























Kevin Arzate Lugardo
VR Professor, Universidad Panamericana · Game Engineer
VR / XR / ARTheir profile ↗





Eishi Saito
CTO, STYLY WebAR




Raniê Solarevisky de Jesus
Professor of Journalism · Coordinator, Nodus (UFG)
ApplicationTheir profile ↗

Costas Kazantzis
Lead Creative Technologist, Fashion Innovation Agency (LCF)
Fashion3DAIXRTheir profile ↗



Lirong Zhang
Developer Relations Lead, FalkorDB · Founder, The Multimodal Society
ApplicationAITheir profile ↗





Carolina Jiménez García
Visual Effects Artist, Educator & Supervisor for Film and Television
VFXTheir profile ↗
Clyde Shutian Li
Director of Strategic M&A, BlueFocus Group North America
ApplicationAITheir profile ↗




Gyuhyun Kim
Associate Professor, Chung-Ang University · Director, CAD Lab · Co-founder, STUDIO OTQ
AnimationAICGTheir profile ↗
Cleomar Rocha
Full Professor & Media Lab Coordinator, Federal University of Goiás




jelaxrosa
VFX Artist, Filmmaker & Content Creator
VFX









Jung Hyun Moon
Associate Arts Professor of Interactive Media Arts · IMA Low Res Coordinator, NYU Shanghai


Jiahui Fu
Founding Team, Rena Labs · Creator of Addys AI

Maycon Guerra
Professor of Computer Graphics, Games & VFX, SENAC Santo André

Adilson da Silva Freitas
Professor of 3D, Animation & Design, SENAC Campinas

Regis Akira Sato
Professor of Computer Graphics, Digital Games & IT, SENAC São Bernardo do Campo

Felipe Augusto Pires
Professor of Design, Computer Graphics & AI, SENAC Piracicaba

Nikolaj Sloth Kramer
Cand.Arch · Creative Professional · Associate Professor











Paulo Muppet
Producer, Birdo




More to come
10 / FAQ
Four things people ask first.
Tripothon S1 is free to enter. Open to developers, artists, students and makers worldwide.
Teams of 1–3. Solo is welcome. One required Direction Track, plus optional 0–3 Tool Tracks.
Direction Tracks are open to any stack. Tool Tracks (from Tripo’s partners: Tripo, PICO, Heygears, World Labs, Jupiter SR — more coming soon) require real use of that tool.
Yes. Every entry competes for the global online prize pool; attend an offline Demo Day and you can also compete for your region’s offline prizes, presented on site.
Your world is the next gift.
Tripothon S1 · Build a world as a Gift · The 1st World-Building Hackathon
