Hackathon Handbook:
The hackathon project must be deployed and demoed on Google Cloud Run.
Prerequisites:
Please have a gmail account ([email protected]) ready before the Hackathon so you can sign in to the Google Cloud project to redeem the free credits during the event.
Key Requirements:
● Runtime Deployment: All agentic AI applications must be deployed and run on Cloud Run.
● Use at least one Google MCP server (such as Maps, Cloud Run, Cloud SQL or other available 1P services [
https://docs.cloud.google.com/mcp/supported-products] )
Getting Started:
At the beginning of the Hackathon, we will be going through an example of the AI agent using Google MCP servers and ADK and deploying to Cloud Run.
Feel free to use it as boilerplate for your exciting idea!
[
https://github.com/lisashen8/adk-cityscape]
Helpful resources:
1) Cloud Run documentation [https://docs.cloud.google.com/run/docs/overview/what-is-cloud-run]
2) Optional frameworks if you’d like to use:
● Building AI agents with Agent Development Kit [
https://google.github.io/adk-docs/] (optional to use ADK)
● Google MCP servers [https://docs.cloud.google.com/mcp/overview] and supported Google (1P services)[https://docs.cloud.google.com/mcp/supported-products]
Guidance on how to apply free hackathon credits in your GCP projects
Free Google Cloud Credits ($5 Coupon)
● Get a $5 coupon for your Google Cloud project.
● How to Claim:
○ You will need a Gmail account.
○ The $5 private coupon link is provided at the event, it can only be used once on your gmail account
○ Please do not share this link publicly.
● Teamwork:
○ Form your team during the event, and choose one person’s Google Cloud project to work from.
○ The project owner can add teammates as “Owners” in the IAM dashboard for seamless collaboration.
How to Apply Your Credits Without a Credit Card
DO NOT use the Google Cloud PROJECT WITH YOUR CREDIT CARD for this
hackathon to avoid any charges
Follow these steps to create a new Google Cloud billing account with your $5 credit. This process typically takes less than a minute.
- Isolate Your Session:
○ Open a new Incognito Window in your browser (or a browser profile where you are only logged into your intended Gmail account). This prevents conflicts with other Google accounts.
- Activate Your Coupon:
○ Paste the coupon URL provided by the event organizer into the address bar.
○ Log in with your Gmail account when prompted.
○ Accept the terms and conditions to proceed.
- Confirm Your Credits:
○ A new billing account will be created automatically with the $5 credit applied.
○ You can verify this by navigating to the Billing section and looking under "Cost Optimization." and under “Credits”
- Create and Link Your Project:
○ Create a new Google Cloud project.
○ Crucially, when prompted, make sure to link this project to the new billing account you just created. The project will appear under "No organization."
- Deploy Your Service:
○ You are now ready to build.
