ETHGlobal, the premier Ethereum hackathon organizer, has announced its 2026 event calendar featuring eight hackathons across six continents with a combined prize pool of $5 million — the largest in blockchain hackathon history. The series kicks off in May with ETHGlobal London and concludes in December with ETHGlobal Bangkok.

2026 Calendar

The full schedule includes ETHGlobal London (May), ETHGlobal San Francisco (June), ETHGlobal São Paulo (July), ETHGlobal Seoul (August), ETHGlobal Istanbul (September), ETHGlobal Bangalore (October), ETHGlobal New York (November), and ETHGlobal Bangkok (December). Each event will host between 1,000 and 2,500 hackers over a 36-hour sprint.

The Bangalore event is particularly notable as it represents ETHGlobal's first hackathon in India, recognizing the country's growing importance in the blockchain developer ecosystem. India now ranks third globally in active blockchain developers, and the event is expected to attract talent from across South Asia.

Prize Structure

Each hackathon features a base prize pool of $500,000, funded by a combination of protocol sponsors (including Ethereum Foundation, Uniswap, Aave, and Chainlink) and ecosystem funds. Additional sponsor-specific bounties can bring the total per-event prize pool to over $750,000.

Winners from each event automatically qualify for the ETHGlobal Year-End Finals, where a grand prize of $250,000 will be awarded to the best overall project of 2026.

Impact on Ecosystem

ETHGlobal hackathons have historically been a breeding ground for successful crypto startups. Projects like Flashbots, Zora, and several Uniswap integrations originated from ETHGlobal events. The expanded 2026 calendar is expected to introduce thousands of new developers to blockchain development and generate hundreds of projects that could evolve into funded startups.

How to Participate

Registration for ETHGlobal London is now open, with applications reviewed on a rolling basis. Participation is free, and ETHGlobal provides meals, workspace, and mentorship throughout each event. Remote participation is also available for most events through the ETHGlobal online platform.