Learn AR with SPECS 2026

Learn AR with SPECS is an online hackathon run by Devpost and sponsored by Snap Inc. You design an augmented reality app for glasses, and an AI coding agent builds it in Lens Studio. The prizes total $2,500 in cash. First place gets $1,250, second place $750 and third place $500. Winners are also featured in the Devpost newsletter and on Devpost social channels.

You do not need the glasses. Everything runs in the Lens Studio preview on your laptop. You need a computer that runs Lens Studio, Node.js and Git, and a coding agent that supports skills. You plan the Lens with the Devpost Learn skill pack and build it through the CLAD plugin, Lens Studio and the Lens Studio MCP.

You can enter alone or as a team. You must be at the age of majority where you live. Devpost standard exceptions apply, so people in places such as Brazil, Quebec, Cuba, Iran and North Korea cannot take part.

Registration and submission are open from 15 October 2026 at 10:00 a.m. Eastern Time to 9 November 2026 at 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time. Judging runs from 10 to 17 November, and winners are announced on or around 19 November 2026. There is a live build session on 22 October and a live project review on 5 November, both at 12 p.m. Eastern Time.

A submission needs a public demo video on YouTube of under 3 minutes, a public repository on GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket with the Lens Studio project files, and a short description. Judges look at design, technical implementation, the idea and the presentation.

Quick answers

Do I need SPECS glasses?

No. The Lens runs in the Lens Studio preview on your computer.

Can an existing project enter?

No. The project must be new and built during the submission period. Standard tools, templates and AI coding assistants are allowed, but other existing code must be disclosed.

Can I submit more than one project?

Yes, if each submission is unique and clearly different from your others.