What to Build

A working software application that uses Kiro (vibe coding, agent hooks, steering docs, MCP, specs, or powers) and submit it into one of the following categories (each a “Project”).

• Categories:

1.     Creative Studio Track: Unlock new creative range. Build something to amplify creativity - take a spark and turn it into something bigger, enable new creative workflows, or combine creativity with something unexpected. Examples: Recipe remixer, AI dungeon master, interactive poetry app

2.     Intellectual Pursuit Track: Turn curiosity into discovery. Build for research, analysis, and knowledge to push the boundaries of what we understand, enable faster learning, or help create a better tomorrow. Examples: Protein synthesis predictor, debate sparring partner, species ID tool

3.     Industrial Track: Bridge the digital and the physical. Structural simulations, prototypes, robotics, engineering tools - build something that helps shape the physical world. Examples: Mechanical stress simulator, CNC part generator, natural disaster modeler

4.     Human-Centered Design Track: Create technology that makes life better. Improve accessibility, support wellness, strengthen communities, or tackle a social problem no one else is solving. Examples: Community resource matcher, accessible navigation app, habit tracker tool

• Functionality: The Project must be capable of being successfully installed and running consistently on the platform for which it is intended and must function as depicted in the video and/or expressed in the text description.
• New & Existing: Projects must be newly created by the Entrant.
• Third Party Integrations: If a Project integrates any third-party SDK, APIs and/or data, Entrant must be authorized to use them in accordance with any terms and conditions or licensing requirements of the tool.

What to Submit

Submissions to the Hackathon must meet the following requirements:

• Repo Url: Provide a URL to your open source code repository for judging and testing. 
  • The code repository must be public with an approved OSI Open Source License
  • Your repo must contain the /.kiro directory at the root of the project to show usage of specs, hooks, and steering. Do NOT add the /.kiro directory or sub-folders to your .gitignore, as this could disqualify your submission.

• Project URL: Provide a URL to your functional application(s) if applicable

• You can provide login credentials in public code repo

• Video Demo: Include a three (3) minute demonstration video of your submission. Videos must be uploaded to YouTube, Vimeo, or Facebook Video and made public and judges are not required to watch beyond 3 minutes.

• Track Alignment: Identify which track you feel your project most aligns with. 

• Kiro Powers: Provide a write up on how Kiro was used. Judges must understand how effectively you used Kiro to develop your project. Show us your next-level understanding of Kiro features, e.g.:

• Vibe coding: How did you structure your conversations with Kiro to build your project? What was the most impressive code generation Kiro helped you with?

• Agent hooks: What specific workflows did you automate with Kiro hooks? How did these hooks improve your development process?

• Spec-driven development: How did you structure your spec for Kiro to implement? How did the spec-driven approach improve your development process? How did this compare to vibe coding?

• Steering docs: How did you leverage steering to improve Kiro’s responses? Was there a particular strategy that made the biggest difference?

• MCP: How did extending Kiro’s capabilities help you build your project? What sort of features or workflow improvements did MCP enable that otherwise would have been difficult or impossible?