We’re excited to announce that Defold is now the Official Game Engine Partner of Cosmo Hacks 2026! 
Cosmo Hacks is a free, four-day online hackathon taking place December 18–21, 2026, bringing together students from around the world to learn, collaborate, and build creative projects.
This year’s theme is “Tech for Student & Community Life”, challenging participants to create something that solves a real problem for students, schools, or local communities.
Projects can take many forms, including apps, websites, games, and other creative solutions. We want to encourage participants to explore how games can contribute to this theme!
Best Game Made with Defold Challenge
Alongside rewards of $150k+ in prizes & sponsor value, Defold Foundation as the event’s Official Game Engine Partner, is sponsoring a dedicated “Best Game Made with Defold” challenge! Participants are invited to create games using Defold that creatively interpret the hackathon’s main theme.
 1st Place |
100€ Steam gift card |
 2nd Place |
50€ Steam gift card |
 3rd Place |
25€ Steam gift card |
 4th - 10th Place |
10€ Steam gift card |
Regional restrictions regarding Steam Gift Cards may apply. The best entries will receive the cards, with additional physical Defold swag where shipping is feasible.
Workshops, Mentoring & Support
We want to help participants not only compete but also discover game development and learn something new. As part of our partnership, we’re providing:
-
A beginner-friendly Defold workshop introducing participants to game development with Defold.
-
A starter guide with tutorials, examples, sample projects, and useful learning resources.
-
Technical mentoring and support through the hackathon’s Discord during designated time slots (precise hour details will be revealed closer to the jam date)
-
Judging support from the Defold team.
Defold Workshop: 2026-12-20T16:30:00Z
The workshop will last approximately 30-45 minutes.
How to participate?
Cosmo Hacks is completely free and fully online.
-
Dates: December 18–21, 2026
-
Eligibility: Students aged 13+, including middle school, high school, college, and graduate students
-
Teams: Participate individually or in teams of up to four
Participants compete in separate school-level and college-level divisions.
You don’t need previous game development experience to participate. We hope our workshop, resources, and mentoring will help newcomers get started and build their first games with Defold!
Cosmo Hacks Website:
Registration:
We’re happy to support an initiative that encourages young people to explore programming, game development, creativity, and technology through hands-on experience.
If you’re a student, or know students who might be interested in the event, please share this opportunity with them!
