The Databricks Free Version is unlocking creativity and innovation throughout the globe – empowering builders, college students, and hobbyists to construct hundreds of highly effective knowledge and AI tasks. Now, we’re taking that innovation the following stage with the first-ever Databricks Free Version Hackathon! This Hackathon is your likelihood to showcase what you possibly can construct and current your work on to a Databricks co-founder and members of our crew.
When is the hackathon?
The Hackathon will run from November 5 – November 14, 2025. Throughout this Hackathon, you need to use Free Version with your individual datasets or different pattern datasets to construct AI brokers or prepare classical machine studying fashions, discover knowledge engineering ideas, visualize knowledge and construct dashboards, or showcase different artistic utilization of information and AI. Then, you’ll have 5 minutes to showcase what you could have constructed and why it issues. It’s your second to indicate the world what is feasible with knowledge and AI and what you could have realized leveraging Free Version. Submit this 5 minute demo and share it in your LinkedIn profile. The hackathon may also have alternatives so that you can construct connections by means of a Databricks Group group. The discussion board will probably be a spot the place you possibly can be taught from others and get your Free Version questions answered.
How are you going to be part of?
Wish to be part of the the Hackathon and present what is feasible with knowledge and AI? Be sure to entry the required instruments to get began:
- Create a Free Version account
- Familiarize your self with Free Version docs
- Think about using pattern knowledge like this for the demo:
- Constructed your 5-minute demo and able to share with us? Be sure to submit your undertaking on our Free Version Hackathon webpage.
- Please rigorously evaluation the Official Guidelines previous to taking part on this hackathon to make sure you perceive and agree. If there’s a battle between the Official Guidelines and another doc describing this hackathon, the Official Guidelines management.
Searching for inspiration?
Right here is a few steering on what is feasible to create in Free Version:
- AI Functions & Brokers
- Put together and course of knowledge, experiment with basis fashions, deploy and take a look at AI techniques, and consider fashions—all inside a collaborative pocket book workspace.
- Knowledge Science & Machine Studying Initiatives
- Use shared notebooks for real-time collaboration, construct ML fashions, and publish outcomes.
- Knowledge Exploration & Evaluation
- Import actual datasets, run SQL queries, visualize outcomes, and construct hands-on expertise in analyzing actual knowledge.
- Interactive Dashboards
- Create dashboards, and visualizations interactively and natural-language prompts.
- Knowledge Pipelines
- Use serverless instruments resembling Lakeflow to design, ingest, remodel, and orchestrate knowledge pipelines for ETL (Extract, Remodel, Load) workflows.
- Arms-on Coding Assist
- Get coding help from the Databricks Assistant immediately inside notebooks, together with code options and explanations.
Wish to be taught from a Databricks MVP who used Free Version? Make amends for a latest Databricks weblog that options how a Databricks MVP, Hubert Dudek, experimented with Free Version. He ingested two billion rows of information in below six minutes, displaying that even a free account can deal with actual workloads. For learners, meaning you do not want enterprise infrastructure to apply with massive datasets and see outcomes rapidly.
What are the prizes?
Along with showcasing your work and talents with Free Version, there will probably be a possibility to win money prizes. Winners will probably be notified and emailed with directions on declare their prizes on or round November 30, 2025. Three prizes will probably be awarded to the tasks that finest exemplify the Hackathon’s analysis standards listed beneath. The three winners and their tasks may also be promoted by Databricks to showcase the innovation of Free Version in the neighborhood.
Who’re the judges?
Reynold Xin, Databricks Co-founder, Chief Architect
Franco Patano, Principal Options Architect
Holly Smith, Workers Developer Advocate
Will Valori, Senior Product Supervisor
The judges will probably be evaluating the tasks primarily based on the next analysis standards:
Technical Complexity & Execution
- Depth and class of technical implementation
- Use of superior applied sciences and abilities
Creativity & Innovation
- Originality of the concept or strategy
- Uniqueness and inventiveness in utilizing Free Version
Presentation & Communication
- Readability of undertaking clarification and demonstration
- High quality of and efficient storytelling
Influence & Studying Worth
- Usefulness, reusability, or inspiration for the broader neighborhood
Interested by showcasing your knowledge and AI undertaking with Free Version? Submit your hackathon undertaking from November 5 – November 14, 2025 and be part of the lots of of hundreds of builders, college students, and hobbyists who’ve constructed on Free Version!