API Makeathon
API MakeathonCreate projects designed to inspire fellow developers, showcase new possibilities with Zoo APIs, and encourage others to build on, remix, and expand their ideas.
Time left to submit
The API Makeathon is live — submit by August 5
Key details
Here's what to know before the API Makeathon
Timeline 📐
- Makeathon creation window: July 22 - August 5, 2026
- Submission deadline: August 5, 2026, 11:59 PM PDT
- Judges' voting period: August 5-12, 2026
- Winners will be posted once results are finalized.
Prizes 🏆
Zoo credits, 3D printers, and more
All participants will be featured on our website. Makeathon winners will also receive the prizes listed here.
1st place 🥇
- Bambu Lab H2C 3D Printer - Learn More
- 10,000 minutes of Zoo API access to continue building and experimenting with your project
- Winner spotlight on the Zoo Blog, created in collaboration with the winner and the Zoo team
2nd place 🥈
- Bambu Lab H2D 3D Printer - Learn More
- 10,000 minutes of Zoo API access to continue building and experimenting with your project
3rd place 🥉
- 10,000 minutes of Zoo API access to continue building and experimenting with your project
Team Pick
Awarded to the project selected by the Zoo team.
- Bambu Lab H2D 3D Printer - Learn More
- 10,000 minutes of Zoo API access to continue building and experimenting with your project
Eligible tools 🛠️
- Participants must have a Zoo account to enter and participate in the Makeathon.
- Projects must be created from scratch for the Makeathon.
- Participants will receive 10,000 minutes worth of API access for use during the Makeathon period. After the submission deadline, accounts will return to the subscription tier they were on before the Makeathon.
- Projects must make meaningful use of one or more of Zoo's flagship APIs below:
What participants will build
Projects developers can learn from, adapt, and build on
Build an open source project that shows what is possible with Zoo APIs. It can serve any industry, solve any problem, or explore an idea worth sharing.
Example project
Built by Lee
Lee's API example
Zoo Viewer
A browser app for loading KCL projects, connecting them to the Zoo modeling service, and inspecting the rendered model. It shows how a Makeathon project can wrap Zoo APIs with local file loading, live rerenders, AI CAD input, selection mapping, snapshots, and exports.
Guidelines
What your submission must include
To be eligible for judging, all submissions must meet the requirements below.
Submission requirements
- Submit your project through the official form before the submission deadline. Make sure to use the same email address you used to register for the Makeathon.
- Include a link to your public GitHub repository.
- Include a link to a public social media post using #ZooAPIMakeathon and tagging Zoo.
GitHub repository requirements
- Be public and open source.
- Include a README that explains the problem your project solves and why you chose your solution.
- Explain how your project works and how you used the Zoo APIs.
- Include setup and installation instructions.
- Include an ~ 1 minute demo video.
- To upload your video, edit your project's README.md using GitHub's editor, and click Attach files by dragging & dropping, selecting or pasting them.
Social media post requirements
- Be shared publicly on at least one social media platform.
- Use the hashtag #ZooAPIMakeathon.
- Tag Zoo using the official account for the platform you're posting on. The official profile links are listed here for easy reference.
- Include a link to your project submission or GitHub repository.
- Be linked in your official form submission.
Eligibility
- Projects must be built during the official Zoo API Makeathon window. Pre-existing projects, prototypes, or codebases are not eligible.
- Projects must make meaningful use of one or more of Zoo's flagship APIs: Engine API, Agent API, or CAD File API.
- Submissions must satisfy all requirements outlined on this page and comply with the Official Contest Rules. Participants who do not meet the eligibility requirements or contest rules may be disqualified.
- Optional: share your project in the #makeathon channel on Discord so the community can discover, celebrate, and learn from what you've built.
API Makeathon registration
Registration
Sign in or create an account to register for the API Makeathon.
- No upgrade is required to participate. Eligible participants who complete registration will receive 10,000 minutes of API access for use during the Makeathon period. If you run out of minutes while building, contact makeathon@zoo.dev and we can top you off.
- Projects must be created from scratch for the API Makeathon and make meaningful use of one or more Zoo API capabilities.
- If you need API access help during the event, please contact makeathon@zoo.dev.
- After the submission deadline, accounts will return to the subscription tier they were on before the Makeathon.
- After registering, please review the guidelines below to make sure your submission is eligible.
- Project submissions open July 22, 2026 when the Makeathon starts. When your project is ready, return to the submission section to send it to the judges.
Community
Join our Discord
We encourage participants to share projects in the #makeathon channel in the Zoo Discord community, where builders can get feedback, connect with other participants, and celebrate completed projects.
- Ask questions and interact with the Zoo team
- Share progress and work-in-progress
- Get support if you need additional API access during the event
Project submission
Submit your project for judging
Submissions open July 22 when the API Makeathon starts. Once submissions are open, use the official form to send judges the links and materials they need to review your work.
Submissions open July 22 and close August 5, 2026, 11:59 PM PDT.
Use this form to share your GitHub repository, demo video, project documentation, public social post, and any supporting links judges should review.
The panel
Meet the judges
The Zoo team members below will judge submissions based on the quality of the documentation, usefulness of setup and use-case details, thoughtful notes or bug reports that help improve Zoo’s APIs, technical depth and readability, UI/UX, and overall creativity and ingenuity.
Jenna Bryant
Co-Founder, CMO
Jordan Noone
Co-Founder, Co-CEO
Jessie Frazelle
Co-Founder, Co-CEO
Kurt Hutten
Founding Engineer
Lee
Staff Software Engineer
Adam Sunderland
Senior Staff Software Engineer, Cloud Infra
Judging
What judges will be looking for 🏆
We're looking for work that is thoughtfully made, creatively compelling, meaningful in its intent, engaging to the engineering community, and inspiring for others to learn from or build on.
Scoring criteria for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place
- 25% Documentation - Documentation on the application setup, behavior, and use-cases
- 20% Documentation Notes & Bug Reporting - Information on how to improve Zoo's APIs
- 20% Technical Depth & Readability - Intersection of disciplines & knowledge is demonstrated yet conveyed in an understandable manner
- 15% UI/UX - Presents a nice interface and experience to users
- 20% Wow (Creativity & Ingenuity) - Uses the API(s) in ways we couldn't imagine!
Scoring criteria for Zoo Team Pick
- After submissions close, the Zoo team will review all eligible projects and select the submission that stands out as the most impressive overall.
- Projects should demonstrate creative thinking, strong technical execution, meaningful use of Zoo APIs, and a compelling vision for the future of AI-powered engineering and design.
- The winning project will be chosen by the Zoo team based on personal opinion and appeal rather than a predefined scoring formula.
- Winners will be announced once judging has been completed and results have been finalized.
Get support
Book time with Lee when you need more than the docs
Participants can reserve short advisory sessions for API questions, project direction, and bottlenecks that need a real conversation.
First-come, first-serve
Lee
API guidance and project advice
Office hours
Come hangout, talk through your idea, and avoid blockers!
Use this time to sanity-check an idea, get unstuck with Zoo APIs, or ask for direction when the next step is not obvious from the documentation.
Additional Support
General Support
Questions about API credits, account access, registration, eligibility, or anything else Makeathon-related? Message our team on Discord or email us anytime.
By submitting to the Makeathon, participants agree to the Zoo Makeathon Official Contest Rules.