What is the Project NANDA Hackathon?
The Hackathon
This hackathon brings together students and developers to build AI agents that can discover, communicate, and collaborate over the internet.
Participants will use NEST, an open platform from Project NANDA, to design multi-agent systems and showcase real working demos.
The Challenge
Design and build multi-agent systems where autonomous AI agents can discover, communicate, and collaborate all visualized on the NEST platform.
Teams will focus on agent-to-agent interaction, coordination, and real-time behavior rather than single-model applications.
HOW IT WORKS
Onboard
Set up your environment, review starter docs, and deploy a “Hello World” agent
Build
Create multi-agent systems and visualize their interactions on NEST
Showcase
Pitch what you built and demonstrate how your agents collaborate
What Can You Build?
Powered by NEST
NEST (NANDA Sandbox and Testbed) is an open platform that originated at MIT by Project NANDA, used for deploying and orchestrating network-native AI agents.
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Agent discovery and registration
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Secure agent-to-agent communication
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Real-time monitoring and visualization
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Open source and reusable after the event
Tentative DMV Hack Schedule
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12:30 PM - 1:00 PM
Feb 21, 2026 -
1:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Feb 21, 2026 -
1:30 PM - 3:15 PM
Feb 21, 2026 -
3:15 PM - 3:55 PM
Feb 21, 2026 -
3:55 PM - 4:00 PM
Feb 21, 2026
Who Should Attend?
Government officials & federal technologists
University students (VA, DC, MD schools welcome!)
IT professionals & software engineers
AI/ML practitioners & researchers
Anyone curious about the Agentic Web
Event Details
Date: February 21, 2026
Location: George Mason University, Mason Square (Arlington), Fuse Building, Room 1327
Format: Team-based, hands-on
Ready to build the future of AI agents?
RSVP required · Limited spots available
Parking & Transportation
Driving & Parking:
• Visitor parking is available at Van Metre Hall, Vernon Smith Hall, and Fuse garages
• Parking is self-paid by participants and requires the Metropolis app
Public Transportation:
• Nearest Metro Station: Ballston–MU
• Approximately 14-minute walk to Mason Square campus
Mason Shuttle:
• Free GMU shuttle services are available between Mason campuses
• Shuttle details: https://transportation.gmu.edu/shuttle-services/#FairfaxArlington
