Avalanche (AVAX) has launched a six-week global online competition called "Build Games," offering $1 million in prizes to developers building new products and experiments on its blockchain network.
The initiative, announced Jan. 20, is designed to encourage more crypto-native builders to launch real, on-chain projects rather than short-term prototypes.
According to the announcement, Build Games aims to "get more crypto-native builders experimenting, shipping and launching new products on Avalanche."
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The competition is intentionally open-ended, with no predefined tracks or categories, encouraging creativity across infrastructure, consumer products, primitives and tooling.
"What matters more than the category is the intent,"organizers said. "We are looking for projects that solve real problems, explore new onchain behaviors, or push the Avalanche ecosystem forward."
Avalanche said the program provides structure, mentorship and deadlines to help builders focus and ship.
The contest builds on years of investment in developer tooling, incubators and grant programs.
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$1M prize pool and mentorship support
The $1 million prize pool includes a $100,000 grand prize, $75,000 for the runner-up, and $50,000 for third spot holder. There are category prizes and ongoing ecosystem support for standout teams also.
Build Games is divided into clear stages, from initial video pitches to live demos and final presentations. Teams are evaluated on execution, impact, usability, innovation and long-term potential.
Workshops, office hours and mentorship sessions will run throughout the program to help teams refine product design and technical execution.
Applications are open now on build.avax.network, with submissions accepted on a rolling basis until capacity is reached.
Avalanche said the competition is designed to be a "reason to start building again" — and a way to discover the next generation of on-chain innovators.
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This story was originally published by TheStreet on Jan 20, 2026, where it first appeared in the Innovation section. Add TheStreet as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
