Hands-on experience, no work authorization needed
Hackathons count too.
CPT/OPT has gotten harder to line up, especially early on — but an internship isn't the only way to show real, hands-on experience. A shipped hackathon project is something you built, under a deadline, that a team of judges looked at — no visa, no sponsor, no employer required. Everything below is currently open for submissions.
Open hackathons
OnlineBuild, Ship, Shape: Amazon Developer Hackathon
Amazon
Machine Learning/AIOpen Ended
$138,00022 days left
Tripura Vasini Palace Grounds, BengaluruNext Gen Hackathon 2026 -Bengaluru
RAAIF
AR/VRIoT
₹ 50,00022 days left
Ngee Ann Polytechnic School of ICTHackIT 2026
NP Overflow
Beginner FriendlyOpen Ended
No cash prize19 days left
OnlineAI Lodge Hackathon 2026
SMU Business Intelligence & Analytics
Beginner Friendly
No cash prize18 days left
OnlineHyperbloom October- UI/UX and Web Design
hyperbloom hacks
DesignProductivity
No cash prize18 days left
Stanford UniversitySVYCA Youth for Earth (Y4E) Hackathon
Silicon Valley Youth Climate Action
Social Good
$2,70017 days left
Los Angeles, CALA Hacks AI Hackathon 2026
No cash prizeabout 16 days left
Hyattsville, MarylandTechnica Hacks
Underrepresented genders in techOther Diversity Focus
No cash prizeabout 16 days left
London, LondonIKU Womxn in STEM Hackathon
SoftwareUnderrepresented genders in tech
No cash prizeabout 16 days left