This year, AI agent developers aren’t spending the holiday season with their families—they’re busy at hackathons.
For those not following along, December is packed with three major AI-focused hackathons, and one has already wrapped up:
• @Gaianet_AI: The First Fully-Autonomous Hackathon
• @solana AI Hackathon
• @modenetwork AI Hackathon
Let’s talk about Gaia, because it was pretty wild. This hackathon was fully run by AI agents. Everything—from organizing unique ideas and bounties to judging and distributing rewards—was handled autonomously by AI.
All projects submitted were highly technical and, for now, token-free.
Gaia Hackathon Highlights
Three projects stood out as winners, each taking home $5k in rewards:
• Billidotlive — @A0x_co: A platform and AI agent that helps other AI agents launch livestreams with token integrations.
• @AIGENTLAYER: An open-source AI agent simplifying EigenLayer processes. With natural language commands, users can deposit, manage, and claim rewards. This project earned an extra $5k from EigenLayer as a partner bounty.
Popular Submissions
The community voted on these standout projects:
• Elizadotgg: A RAG-powered assistant that answers any questions about the ai16z & Eliza framework.
Details here: x.com/shawmakesmagic…
• Eliza Character Generator: A web-based tool for creating, managing, and customizing AI character definitions.
More info: x.com/HowieDuhzit/st…
• XR Publisher: Edge AI Characters: A decentralized platform for creating consistent AI personalities across platforms, with open-source APIs and 3D avatars.
Check it out: x.com/xrpublisher/st…
• @Redux_HQ /@daVinci_AI_: reimagining history’s great minds as evolving AI agents. Built on the Eliza framework, it combines creativity and tech to extend their legacies.
That’s it for Gaia—no tokens here to ape into (yet), but it’s fascinating stuff.
Solana & Mode Hackathons
Submissions for these two are still open (closing December 23rd), and there might be some gems to keep an eye on. I’ll cover the likely winners soon, but here are some early standouts:
• @sqrfund_ai
• @voltrxyz
• @orionx1tech
For a closer look, check out @MaxMartelo's breakdown: x.com/MaxMartelo/sta….
And projects like @Cod3xOrg & @BigTonyXBT are also participating, bringing DeFi agent infrastructure from Base to Solana.
The AI agent space is buzzing with activity this December. Solana and Mode might just hold the next big AI agent leaders.
Stay tuned for more updates as the submissions roll in!