Snapmaker Innovation Fund 2026: Open Competition Phase 2
Snapmaker pays $50,000 in cash prizes, up to $5,000 per project, for firmware, software and hardware mods for its U1 printer. Submit 28 October to 24 December 2026.
The Snapmaker Innovation Fund is a $150,000 community fund for projects that extend the Snapmaker U1 toolchanger 3D printer. $100,000 of it goes to an Open Competition in two phases of $50,000 each. Phase 1 has closed and its winners were confirmed on 15 October 2026. Phase 2 is next.
Each phase pays 20 projects in three tiers. In Phase 1, three projects won $5,000 each, seven won $3,000 each and ten won $1,500 each. Snapmaker says Phase 2 keeps the same structure. Phase 1 prizes were paid by bank transfer, and winners keep their intellectual property.
Anyone can enter. Firmware, software, hardware mods and model tools all took prizes in Phase 1. You can submit more than one project per phase. You submit through the form on the fund page, by message to an admin, or by email to community@snapmaker.com.
Phase 2 submissions open on 28 October 2026 and close on 24 December 2026. Results are due on 14 January 2027, after a two week review window like the one in Phase 1.
A panel of Snapmaker staff, community members and industry people scores each project, and a community vote is mixed into the score. The panel looks at new ideas and technical depth, at openness, with a preference for documented open source work on GitHub, and at how well a project solves common problems for U1 users.
Quick answers
Do I need to own a U1 printer?
No, but Snapmaker strongly recommends it. If you have a strong idea but no machine, you can write to the community team, and they may sponsor a unit.
Does the project have to be open source?
No. Open source projects are favored in judging, but closed source projects can enter if they have a working demo to share.
Can an existing project enter?
Yes. Projects started before the fund opened are welcome, as long as they are meaningfully connected to the U1.