Tripo AI Announces Winners of Inaugral World-Building Hackathon

More than 2,000 teams from 78 countries and regions deployed Tripo AI's 3D-native foundation models to develop games, film and VFX, applications, immersive experiences, and physical designs. 

SAN FRANCISCO, Oct. 27, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Tripo AI announced the winners of its first world-building hackathon, Tripothon S1. 

Running from Sept. 15 to Oct. 20, Tripothon saw record participation with more than 2,000 registered teams from across the Americas, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Countries with the highest participation were China, the US, Brazil, India and South Korea. Under the theme of "A Gift for __ ", competing teams submitted projects across five categories: games, film and VFX, VR/XR/AR, applications, and physical design. Along with online competition, Tripo also hosted five in-person events in San Francisco, São Paulo, Seoul, Barcelona and Shanghai.

The first-place prize went to a 3D third-person shooter (TPS) survival game "Somehow Still Alive", while the second place was given to an immersive experience game, "A Long Farewell". Third place was awarded to an application developed by a student from Keio University in Japan that turns children's crafts into 3D creatures, connecting children from all corners of the world. The top three winners will receive cash prizes of $5,000, $4,000, and $3,000, respectively.

"Tripothon put Tripo's 3D-native foundation models and Tripo API into the hands of 3D enthusiasts around the world," said Dr. Cao Yanpei, Co-founder and Chief Scientist of Tripo AI. "The participants demonstrated ingenious ways to utilise them. From interactive games to medical devices, the submitted work exemplifies the infinite possibilities of generative 3D."

The Tripothon Demo Day in San Francisco took place during SF Tech Week. The event drew great enthusiasm from both participating teams and audiences alike. Nearly 60 teams took part and more than 800 audience members attended. The winner of the US Tripothon Demo Day presented a 3D interactive adventure and puzzle game that combines real-time conversations with historical figures. Second place went to a WebXR app dubbed "Dear Little Me", which turn drawings into 3D interactive game play. The developer behind the project, Dulce Baerga, said she used Tripo's pipeline to create a fantastical, whimsical imagination space for kids and make the whole game a bonding experience for parents and kids. And UC Berkeley student Yichi Zhang took home third place for her VR project "Space Archaeology," in which players explore the solar system and collect artifacts.

The in-person event in São Paulo brought together a crowd of more than 250 people, while the event in Shanghai attracted over 400 attendees.

Barcelona also saw strong projects across the generative 3D spectrum. From 3D web apps to sketch-based interactive garment authoring and virtual try-on, participants made full use of Tripo's 3D-native foundation models, applying generative 3D to real-world applications. Charles David-Purdon, who travelled from  Britain to attend the Barcelona Tripothon S1 Demo Day, said he felt encouraged and inspired by the event and planned to keep developing his Tripothon project, which was created to help people overcome apiphobia or the fear of bees.

Alongside the three overall winners, Tripo also announced the top three winners in each of the five categories.

About Tripo AI

Tripo AI is a global leader in the development of 3D-native foundation models and world models. Founded in 2023 by leading scientists in AI and computer graphics, the company has developed a comprehensive end-to-end product ecosystem, built around its proprietary 3D-native foundation models and world models. With Tripo Studio and Tripo API, Tripo AI has transformed 3D generation. Powered by a world-class AI 3D research team, the company is advancing AI toward understanding, generating, and interacting with 3D environments.

Tripo AI's models and products have been widely adopted by individual users and enterprises globally, serving industries including intelligent manufacturing, virtual reality, interactive entertainment, and embodied AI, empowering enterprises to unlock new productivity and scale applications of generative 3D.

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SOURCE Tripo AI