The 2026 Hackathon is an innovation event centered on the theme of Agentic AI. Our goal is to empower our workforce to build production-ready solutions by leveraging Gemini Enterprise and other AI tools, and learn how to use those tools effectively in the process. This year, we are expanding participation outside of just Technology and Product to include both technical and non-technical staff to foster broad innovation across the organization.

Over the course of the three-day event (September 9–11), employees will work together in teams to solve real business challenges using AI. The event is designed to be hands-on and collaborative, regardless of whether you are in a "High Code" track building production-grade agents or a "Low/No-Code" track focusing on ideation and building agents via prompts vs. writing code. Teams will work together to pitch ideas and then use AI to build solutions that can improve internal or external workflows or explore new AI use cases for our fans. The final result culminates in a presentation to a panel of MLB judges where top teams will compete for prizes. Hackathon projects are a real part of MLB's innovation pipeline, with past winners Wade Boggs Carpet World helping power sending Automated Ball-Strike (ABS) graphics to stadium scoreboards, and Automatic Check Swing being tested for adoption in FSL & Pacific Coast League.

Our goal is to foster an environment of experimentation and learning and generate innovative ideas that we can roll out either internally to help us work smarter, and/or to our fans to bring more delightful interactions with the sport. To support your Hackathon journey, we'll be providing a series of hands-on trainings and workshops in the weeks leading up to the event. This training series is designed to help employees understand what tools are available to them and how to use them so that when the Hackathon kicks off on September 8th, employees can hit the ground running.

Think of Agentic AI as moving beyond AI Chatbots that just chat or answer questions; these are systems that can take initiative to autonomously complete tasks, make decisions, and execute multi-step workflows on your behalf. For this year's Hackathon, we're encouraging employees to build tools that act as digital assistants—whether that's automating a complex report, managing a project, or streamlining data collection. You aren't just building a chatbot; you're creating a solution that actively helps solve business challenges or enhances the fan experience.

Absolutely! We are actively encouraging non-technical staff to participate. We are developing a non-technical track where you can contribute by identifying problems, brainstorming use cases, and helping teams build solutions. We are also offering training sessions on low-code/no-code tools and Agent Builder to lower the barrier to entry and ensure everyone can contribute meaningfully.

This event is designed for everyone, both technical and non-technical employees alike. This year we will have participation lanes for different skill levels, including one that is more "High Code" (SWE) that looks more like Hackathons of years' past, and something more "Low / No-Code" for employees that do not have technical experience. We want to ensure that both technical and non-technical employees have the opportunity to engage with AI in a way that is relevant to their roles and expertise.

Hackathon will start with a short kickoff when we return to the office after Labor Day on Tuesday 9/8, where we will share more information about the event and schedule. Hackathon project work days will then begin on Wednesday, 9/9 where project teams will begin collaborating on their ideas and building prototypes / creating pitches for the judges. We will break for the weekend and then host the Hackathon Finals on Monday, 9/14, where presentations will be reviewed and finalists selected to present live to the judges in the Auditorium.

We encourage active participation throughout the three-day event to get the most out of the experience, collaboration, and learning opportunities but there is no level of participation that is required, as this is meant to be an optional and fun learning opportunity for employees. Please coordinate with your manager regarding your daily workload and any necessary adjustments to your schedule if you have any concerns. Historically, teams have been able to participate flexibly in the event and join meetings around working on their Hackathon projects with their teams, although we ask leaders to reschedule meetings that aren't critical or time sensitive over the 3-day working period to allow their teams space to participate.

We understand balancing daily responsibilities is important. We suggest discussing your participation with your manager early. The Hackathon is designed to be a learning experience that adds value to your role, and we are scheduling training sessions in advance to help you prepare, which should help streamline your efforts during the actual event. Historically, teams have been able to participate flexibly in the event and join meetings around working on their Hackathon projects with their teams, although we ask leaders to reschedule meetings that aren't critical or time sensitive over the 3-day working period to allow their teams space to participate.

The Hackathon Committee will facilitate team formation as part of the registration process. Employees can either come with a team in mind if they already know who they would like to work with, or the Hackathon Planning Committee can help match employees interested in participating to a team. If you choose the latter, we'll consider your background / role and try to match you to a team with a range of different skill sets. Additionally you can list your preference to be co-located with your team, or if you'd like to work remotely.

If you don't have a team yet, indicate this in your registration, and we will help match you with others who are looking for teammates and have complementary skills. We also encourage you to join the #mlb-hackathon Slack channel and post there to connect with potential teammates who might be interested in exploring similar problems as you.