Technical & Building

Q: What if I don't have a registered SMS number?

You can use an RCS agent instead (documentation, AWS console). RCS agents use a separate brand identity (not a phone number), so you don't need to convert or register an SMS number. RCS testing agents are approved in minutes and are ideal for hackathon demos.

Q: How do I use an RCS agent for my hackathon submission?

RCS testing agents can be provisioned in about 5 minutes (documentation, AWS console). They don't require carrier approval and can send to registered test devices. The only friction is that test devices must accept a one-time "tester invitation" (takes ~2-20 minutes), and testing agents only send to pre-registered devices, but that's sufficient for a demo video. SMS fallback is built in when you use phone pools (RCS agent + SMS numbers together).

Q: What are some considerations for RCS?

• RCS message delivery is subject to country availability (documentation).
• RCS test messages bill at standard RCS rates, so demos are not free (pricing).
• A test device must accept a one-time tester invitation before it receives RCS (a few minutes). If teams skip this, the demo may silently fall back to SMS on camera.

Q: Do all regions have access to the required tools?

Participants may use any supported AWS region. RCS message delivery is subject to country availability.

• SMS is available in 30+ AWS regions, covering all major geos (documentation).
• RCS delivery is currently available in 22 destination countries (US, CA, UK, DE, FR, BR, MX, SG, and others expanded May 2026), but the API can be called from any region with EUM endpoints (documentation).
• SES is globally available (documentation).
• Amazon Bedrock varies by model, but all major regions (us-east-1, us-west-2, eu-west-1, ap-northeast-1) are covered (documentation).

Q: Is Amazon Bedrock AgentCore required?

No. We recommend Amazon Bedrock AgentCore as a starting point, but any agentic AI framework deployed on AWS infrastructure is accepted (e.g., Strands Agents SDK, Amazon SageMaker AI, Amazon Q, or custom agents on AWS Lambda).

Q: Can I use an existing solution or does it have to be built from scratch?

Solutions must be newly created during the Hackathon Submission Period.

Q: Can I use Amazon Connect with my CDS solution?

Yes. Solutions that leverage Amazon Connect in combination with CDS services are accepted.

Submissions & Opportunities

Q: I do not have a customer in mind for this solution. Can I still participate?

Yes, you can still participate as we understand that not all solutions through the hackathon have a ready customer deal. However, you must still submit a created ACE opportunity tagged with the hackathon campaign code "AWS CDS Agentic AI Hackathon -Sept. 2026”, even if you can only provide most accurate information you have at the time for customer (industry, geo) and expected ARR. Post-hackathon, the CDS Partner BD team will work with you to ensure your solution is connected to customers. Once your solution has a customer deal, you will be encouraged to update the ACE opportunity with the actual customer information.

Q: How do I create an opportunity in Partner Central’s AWS Customer Engagement (ACE)?

Each submission must be accompanied by a net-new opportunity created after 9/14/2026 and tagged with the hackathon campaign code "AWS CDS Agentic AI Hackathon -Sept. 2026”. Reference this documentation on how to create an opportunity within ACE. To add the hackathon campaign code, within the Create Opportunity interface -> Step 2 (Add project details) -> Opportunity marketing details -> Sourced from marketing activity -> Marketing campaign -> "AWS CDS Agentic AI Hackathon -Sept. 2026.”

Q: I want to keep my customer confidential. How do I participate?

Your hackathon submission (demo video, description, architecture diagram) can reference your customer in general terms (e.g., industry, geo, use case type) without naming them publicly. However, the ACE opportunity must include validated customer details. Only AWS can see the ACE opportunity; it is not displayed publicly on Devpost.

Q: How do I submit my code repository URL via GitHub?

You will need to create a new code repository (GitHub, GitLab) or use an existing one to submit required assets. On the DevPost Hackathon submission form, there is a field for your code repository URL. Paste your GitHub (or GitLab) link there. Your repository can be public or private. If private, you will be asked to grant access to testing@devpost.com and aws-cds-partner@amazon.com for judging purposes.

Q: Does my opportunity need to be in "Launched" status to be eligible?

No. Your opportunity must be at least Created status at the time of submission. The goal is to work with your Partner Development team and AWS CDS Partner BD to launch the opportunity following the hackathon.

Q: What is the hackathon campaign code?

The marketing campaign code to add to your ACE opportunity is “AWS CDS Agentic AI Hackathon -Sept. 2026.”

Q: How do I tag the CDS products within ACE for my created opportunity?

To add the hackathon campaign code, within the Create Opportunity interface -> Step 4 (Configure deal size estimate) -> Product selection – optional. Use the below product selections mapped to AWS CDS services to ensure the opportunity is correctly attributed:

Q: How do I find the ACE Opportunity ID to include in the hackathon submission?

After creating an ACE opportunity, you can find the ACE Opportunity ID within Partner Central -> left Sell navigation -> Opportunities table. The ACE opportunity ID should be in this format: OXXXXXXXX.

Prizes & Judging

Q: Can I win multiple prizes?

Each submission is eligible for one (1) prize only.

Q: How are prizes distributed?

Prizes are awarded to the individual team representative. Distribution among team members is the responsibility of the representative. Winners will be required to complete a prize affidavit and tax forms through Devpost.

Q: What are the judging criteria?

Please find the judging criteria: aws-cds-partner.devpost.com/#judging-criteria.

Q: Who are the judges?

A panel of AWS leaders and specialists from the CDS, Partner, and Applied AI Solutions teams. You can find the full judge list on aws-cds-partner.devpost.com/#judges.

Support & Resources

Q: Where can I get help during the hackathon?

Below are enablement and support resources found at aws-cds-partner.devpost.com/details/enablement and available to you throughout the hackathon:

• Webinars: 5 live webinars with Q&A sessions (will also be recorded) covering deep dives into CDS products during the first few weeks
• Office hours: 30-min sessions twice weekly (NAMER/LATAM/EMEA + APJ friendly times).
• Discord Channel: discord.gg/558g3B5wS2 for real-time Q&A with AWS CDS Specialists
• Email: aws-cds-partner@amazon.com for hackathon-specific questions

Q: Are AWS credits available?

Yes. Participants may request $50 in AWS Promotional Credits per team to apply to an AWS Partner AWS Account ID (while supplies last). Please complete this AWS Promo Credit Request Form. Please allow 3-5 business days to receive the code. Credits expire on 10/31/2026 at 11:59pm PT and are subject to the AWS Promotional Credits terms. Additional usage charges beyond the credits are the participant's responsibility.

Q: Are there Kiro credits available?

Yes. Participants may request a Kiro promotional code per individual. Only one (1) per individual may be used during the entirety of the hackathon. Please complete this Kiro Promo Credit Request Form. Credits expire on 10/30/2026 at 11:59pm PT.  Credits are subject to the AWS Promotional Credits terms. Additional usage charges beyond the credits are the participant's responsibility.

Q: How does one access the Kiro credits?

Please ensure you create a Kiro Account to use your Kiro promotional access. Note that the credits will be available for the duration of the Hackathon. Kiro credits are assigned to each individual on the team. Everyone will use the same link.

1. Download kiro and create a kiro account account, either social login or builder ID.
2. Go to the redemption URL: kiro.dev/redeem/<code> (individual codes will need to be added to the main URL for each redemption). Credits will be applied to the Kiro account login used.
3. Users will have to log into the same account/method as the one they use for the redemption to use the credits. Note: Customers will be able to see credits in their account through this process.