ETHGlobal New York 2026

ETHGlobal New York 2026: The Premier Ethereum Hackathon

ETHGlobal New York 2026 runs June 12 to 14 at Metropolitan Pavilion in New York City. It is a 36-hour in-person hackathon organized by ETHGlobal, one of the most respected names in Ethereum developer events worldwide. The hackathon features a prize pool of over $225,000 and brings together more than 500 developers, designers, and product builders to compete on Ethereum-native projects over a single intensive weekend.

ETHGlobal hackathons are not typical conference events. Attendance is application-based. Accepted hackers get free tickets. Once the hackathon starts, teams of two to four people have 36 hours to build a functional project and present it to a panel of judges from leading Ethereum protocols, venture capital firms, and infrastructure providers.

Prize Pool and Sponsor Tracks

The $225,000+ prize pool at ETHGlobal New York 2026 is distributed across sponsor tracks and category awards. Each major sponsor operates its own track with independent judging criteria and dedicated prizes. Teams can compete in multiple tracks simultaneously, as long as their project genuinely integrates the sponsor's technology.

• Best overall project award with the largest single prize
• Individual sponsor track prizes from protocols and infrastructure providers
• Category awards for DeFi, NFT infrastructure, developer tooling, and consumer applications
• Runner-up and honorable mention prizes across all categories

Sponsors at ETHGlobal events typically include Layer 2 scaling solutions, DeFi protocols, oracle networks, wallet providers, and developer tooling companies. The exact sponsor lineup for the 2026 New York edition will be announced closer to the event, but given ETHGlobal's track record, participation from top-tier Ethereum ecosystem partners is expected.

What Hackers Build at ETHGlobal

ETHGlobal hackathons are known for producing projects that go on to become funded startups. The 36-hour format forces teams to ship something real rather than just presenting slides. Judges evaluate working demos, not pitches. This creates an unusually high bar for output and filters for builders who can execute quickly.

Common Project Categories

• DeFi protocols: lending markets, yield aggregators, perpetual exchanges, prediction markets
• NFT infrastructure: new mint mechanisms, royalty systems, on-chain metadata tools
• Developer tooling: smart contract testing frameworks, deployment pipelines, gas optimization tools
• Consumer applications: wallets, social platforms, gaming mechanics, identity systems
• Cross-chain bridges and Layer 2 integrations

Many of the projects submitted at ETHGlobal New York end up on the radar of venture capital firms. Partners from top crypto funds attend the demo day to review submissions. Several well-known protocols in the current Ethereum ecosystem trace their origins to an ETHGlobal hackathon submission.

Applying to ETHGlobal New York 2026

Admission to ETHGlobal hackathons is competitive. Applications open several weeks before the event. ETHGlobal reviews applications on a rolling basis and evaluates candidates based on technical experience, past projects, and motivation for attending. Prior hackathon experience is helpful but not required. ETHGlobal actively accepts first-time hackers who can demonstrate genuine interest in building on Ethereum.

The event runs from Friday morning through Sunday afternoon. Meals, snacks, and workspace are provided throughout the weekend. Sleeping areas may be available. Teams are formed before or during the opening ceremony on Friday. Mentors from sponsor companies are available throughout the weekend to help teams navigate technical challenges.

ETHGlobal New York 2026 in Context

ETHGlobal New York 2026 is part of ETHGlobal's officially announced five-city calendar for 2026, alongside Lisbon, Tokyo, and Mumbai. It runs immediately after ETHConf New York (June 8 to 10), Ethereum's flagship multi-day conference at the Javits Center. Attending both events gives developers and investors back-to-back access to the highest concentration of Ethereum talent and capital anywhere in the world.