RevenueCat Shipaton 2026

The challenge

Ship a brand-new app to the App Store, Google Play Store, or the Samsung Galaxy Store between August 1st and September 30th, 2026. Integrate the RevenueCat SDK to power at least one in-app purchase or serve ads through RevenueCat Ads. Updates to previously released apps won't qualify. Students competing for the Next Gen Award submit a video and source code; no paid developer account is required.

Tracks / categories

• Grand Prize: App that gains the most user traction and growth momentum.
• Next Gen Award: Student-only category for the best app submitted by active students.
• Catvertising Award: Most creative and effective use of RevenueCat Ads.
• Best Game Award: Best mobile game shipped during the event.
• #BuildInPublic Award: Developers who share the most interesting development journey on social media.
• HAMM Award (Help Apps Make Money): Project that designs the most robust and creative monetization strategy.
• RevenueCat Design Award: App that best represents the craft of app development.
• RevenueCat Peace Prize: Project that provides the greatest social good.
• Conflict of Interest Award: For RevenueCat employees and sponsors.

Submission requirements

Every submission must include:

• A text description of your app's features and functionality.
• A demo video (max 2 minutes) uploaded to YouTube or Vimeo.
• A URL to your fully published app on the App Store, Google Play, or Samsung Galaxy Store.
• A 1024×1024 app icon.
• At least one screenshot of the app at 1179px × 2556px.
• Either a free trial or a promo code to unlock in-app purchases.

Judging criteria

• User traction and growth momentum (Grand Prize)
• Creative and effective use of RevenueCat Ads (Catvertising Award)
• Great gameplay, art direction, and monetization fit (Best Game Award)
• Compelling lessons learned or clever ideas from community engagement (#BuildInPublic Award)
• Robust and creative monetization strategy (HAMM Award)
• Innovative ideas and/or beautiful app design and animations (RevenueCat Design Award)
• Big benefits to communities or society at large (RevenueCat Peace Prize)
• For students: video submission and open-source code (Next Gen Award)

Prizes

• Grand Prize Winner: $50,000 + trip to NYC + Shippy trophy + Times Square billboard feature + media spotlight.
• Other Categories (1st Place): $15,000 + trip to NYC + Shippy trophy + Times Square billboard feature + media spotlight.
• Other Categories (2nd Place): $10,000.
• Other Categories (3rd Place): $5,000.

Additional prizes and sponsor support are available through the ShipKit, a bundle of tools, credits, and deals.

Bonus / optional points

Share your development journey on social media using #BuildInPublic. Participate in the #ShipatonSale by offering a discount on your app, tool, service, course, or template. Host or attend Shipaton IRL events. Engage on the official Shipaton Discord channel.