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AI Hackathon Series

Speedrunning Hackathons

Build fast. Ship faster. Pitch to founders. Speedrunning is YFS's high-intensity regional hackathon series — the qualifier into Build For Good.

Teams of 14–18 year olds get 48–72 hours to turn a problem into a working AI-backed prototype. Coaches on hand. Judges on stage. Winners fly to Singapore for the Grand Finale.

48–72
Hours
6
Countries
1000+
Builders
100%
Ship Rate

Programme Outcomes

01

Ship Something Real

Every team leaves with a working prototype — not a slide, not a mockup, a live demo.

02

AI-First Building

Students learn to leverage modern AI tooling to build faster than any previous generation of founders could.

03

Rapid Iteration Muscle

Build, break, rebuild — the core founder skill that classrooms rarely teach.

04

Live Judge Feedback

Industry founders and operators review each team's prototype on stage. Feedback is sharp, public, and useful.

05

Regional Finals Qualification

Top Speedrunning teams fast-track into the YFS Build For Good finals in Singapore.

Hack Sprint Flow

1
AI-First Problem Framing
2
Rapid User Research Sprints
3
No-Code / Low-Code Stack Selection
4
Vibe Coding with Modern LLMs
5
Prototype Build Sprint
6
Demo Script & Live Pitch
7
Judge Panel & Team Feedback

Impact & Success

Speedrunning alumni have spun their hack-weekend prototypes into fundable startups, secured internships at sponsor companies, and fast-tracked into the YFS Build For Good Grand Finale on the Singapore stage.

Voices from the Hack

"We shipped a working product in 48 hours. I didn't think that was possible at our age."

Rohan, 17

"The energy was unreal. Speedrunning made me realise how fast you can build if you stop overthinking."

Maya, 16

"I've been to hackathons before. This was the first one that felt like real founders in a real room."

Amir, 15

Ready to build?

Regional Speedrunning events kick off April 2026. Apply solo or with a team.

Builder Interest

Want us to follow up on the next Speedrunning event?

Apply solo, with a team, or as a school bringing students and we will route you to the right event or next step.

Register builder interest

We will use this to connect you to the best-fit regional route.

Looking for the wider hackathon? Explore Build For Good.

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