Application Deadline: Monday, June 15, 2026
LOCATION: USA
The pace of AI over the last year has been anxiety-inducing. Labs release larger and larger models that do more of the things that make us feel human—writing, drawing, speaking, and coding. Register through the app below and join the org.
ELIGIBILITY:
Chapter One
Backyard AI: Solve a real problem for someone you actually know. Pick a person—a neighbor, a parent, a small-business owner on your street—and build something that makes their day measurably better.
Judged on:
The problem is specific and real
The person actually used it
Honest fit between problem and the small-model constraint
Polish of the Gradio app
Chapter Two:
An Adventure in Thousand Token Wood: Build something delightful that wouldn’t exist without AI. Wander somewhere weirder. A toy, a tiny game, a strange interactive story, an art experiment that surprises you. The AI should be doing the fun thing—not just helping you build it. Strange is good. Joyful is the bar.
Judged on:
Genuinely delightful (would you show a friend?)
AI is load-bearing for the experience
Originality of concept
Polish of the Gradio app
The Constraints—Three rules of the trail:
Small Models Only: Total parameters must be ≤ 32 billion. The model fits on a laptop. So should your ambition.
Built on Gradio: Your app must be a Gradio app, hosted as a Hugging Face Space. That’s the canvas.
Show, Don’t Tell: A short demo video and a social media post are part of the submission. Make it sing.
To Participate:
Register: Join this org on Hugging Face. Register on the app.
Find your people: Hop into the Gradio Discord. AMAs. Connect with Gradio and HF folks. Potential teammates live there.
Build & ship: Build your Gradio app and host it as a Space under this org.
Submit: Drop your Space link, a short demo video, and a social post by the deadline.
BENEFIT:
Total Prize Pool: $40,000+ in cash & physical prizes across both tracks
YouthExpat 