Ended
Strands SDK: Workshop to Ship
October 28, 2026 · 12:00 AM PDT – November 4, 2026 · 11:59 PM PST
Online
Public
651 participants
About
About
Take the workshop, Building AI Agents with Strands SDK: From Simple Loops to Multi-Agent Swarms, then use what you learned to build and ship your own AI agent for social good with the Strands Agents SDK. Your project should deliver measurable improvements for underserved populations across one of three focus areas:
- Education: Examples include a tutor that turns a textbook chapter into a guided practice set; a mock-interview coach that gives feedback in the user's first language; a tool that generates leveled reading passages for a mixed-level class.
- Health: Such as a daily mental health check-in that tracks mood and surfaces a crisis hotline when it detects risk; an accessibility agent that describes surroundings and reads text aloud for low-vision users; a medication agent that explains a prescription in plain language and flags drug interactions.
- Climate resilience: Examples include a heat-wave and drought early warning for smallholder farmers; a router to the nearest cooling center or shelter during extreme weather; a flood-risk guide that walks a household through how to prepare.
Build something that could benefit people or the planet, for a chance to win $5,000 in AWS Promotional credits and an AWS Builder swag bundle.
Who can enter
Open to builders 18 or older with a Builder Center profile. See Rules for country and employee exclusions.
How to qualify
Complete the free Strands SDK workshop on Builder Center during the hackathon window (October 28 to November 4). Workshop completion is required to qualify.
- Go to the listing of free sandbox workshops on Builder Center.
- Find the workshop, Building AI Agents with Strands SDK: From Simple Loops to Multi-Agent Swarms.
- Click request free sandbox environment.
- Complete the workshop.
- Your project submission must include:
- An agent built with the Strands Agents SDK that addresses a real-world social good challenge.
- A project article on Builder Center describing the agent, what it does, and the social good problem it addresses.
- A link to a public repository with the agent's source code.
- A short, publicly available demo video, under three minutes, showing the agent working.
- An original agent that has not been published before.
How submissions are judged
Judging runs in two rounds:
- Gate 1, AI and human scoring: every qualifying submission is scored on the rubric below. The top 50 submissions advance.
- Gate 2, human judging: a panel of AWS experts reviews the shortlist and selects the winners.
The rubric:
- Social impact (25%): how clearly the project delivers measurable improvement for underserved populations, and the depth of potential benefit for people or the planet.
- Technical execution (25%): how well the agent is built with the Strands Agents SDK and how well it works.
- Communication quality (25%): how clearly the project article and video explain the agent, the problem, and what you learned, in a way that makes the reader or viewer want to try it.
- Originality (25%): the originality of the agent architecture, novel use of AWS services, and how far the project extends beyond the lessons in the workshop.
Prizes
Three winning projects will be selected. Each receives $5,000 in AWS Promotional Credits and one AWS Builder swag bundle worth about $600 (jacket, backpack, keyboard). Each winning participant also receives an official winner's certificate. Total prize pool: $16,800.
Bonus: Social Good and AWS Social Impact Credits
The hackathon runs independently from the AWS Social Impact Credits program, and no part of winning or entering depends on it. Outside the hackathon, Builder Center is partnering with the AWS Skilling and Social Impact team to develop the Social Good criteria, so participating organizations can also apply for AWS Social Impact Credits if they choose. Organizations whose projects deliver measurable impact and meet the eligibility requirements may qualify to apply for these credits, which provide access to AI and cloud resources, on top of any hackathon prize credits they win.
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. VOID WHERE PROHIBITED.
Timeline
| Hackathon Milestone | Date |
|---|---|
| Launch | October 28 |
| Projects due by | November 4 |
| Gate 1 (AI and human scoring) | Week of November 9 |
| Gate 2 (human judging) | Week of November 16 |
| Winners Announced | Week of November 23 |
Awards
1) 1 winner receives $5,000 in AWS Promotional Credits and ~$600 exclusive swag bundle
$5,600
2) 1 winner receives $5,000 in AWS Promotional Credits and ~$600 exclusive swag bundle
$5,600
3) 1 winner receives $5,000 in AWS Promotional Credits and ~$600 exclusive swag bundle
$5,600
