THE GREAT BRITISH BUILD OFFMacaly AI at Ideas Fest
A competition at Ideas Fest
The Great
British
Build Off
Got an idea you've never started? Register, build it live on Macaly AI in 90 minutes at Ideas Fest.
Win £5,000 & up to 200 million Macaly AI credits
No coding required · Champneys, Tring · 9 September 2026, 1:30pm–3:00pm
The Prize
Everything you need to make it real
1st place
£5,000
Cash plus 200 million Macaly AI credits
2nd place
130M
Macaly AI credits for the runner-up
3rd place
100M
Macaly AI credits for third place
Macaly AI credits are what power building on Macaly AI. They let the three winners keep building, and keep running what they made, long after the festival is over.
How it works
Four steps to the stage
Register your idea
Something you've never started. You build nothing to enter.
Build it live
At Ideas Fest, Champneys, Tring, on 9th September 2026, 1:30pm to 3:00pm. 90 minutes on Macaly AI.
Submit and share
The public vote opens when you submit and closes at midnight. Share your app link, including on your own socials.
Top 6 pitch
The six highest-voted apps pitch to the judges for five minutes. Judges pick three winners.
Who it's for
Built for idea people, not coders
This isn't a hackathon for developers. It's for business leaders and entrepreneurs with an idea and no technical skills, nobody entering can code, and that's exactly the point.
Business leaders
You run a business and have a nagging idea you've never had time to start.
Entrepreneurs
You've got the idea, the drive, and the ambition, just not the tech skills.
Non-coders welcome
Nobody entering can code. This competition is built for people who build with ideas, not syntax.
On the day
What you build, in 90 minutes
A real, working app
In 90 minutes on the day, you'll turn your idea into a genuine working app on Macaly AI, no coding required.
A stage-ready pitch
The top 6 highest-voted apps pitch to the judges and the Ideas Fest crowd for five minutes each.
Support all the way
Macaly AI powers the build. team.blue and Ideas Fest are on hand throughout to help you bring it to life.
Champneys, Tring · 9 September 2026, 1:30pm–3:00pm · Powered by Macaly AI · Sponsored by team.blue
At Ideas Fest
Meet the team.blue brands
team.blue is bringing some of its brands along to Ideas Fest, covering every stage of building a business. Stop by their stands on the day to say hello and see what they do.
Stay in the loop
Do it all from WhatsApp
Everything on the day runs through the WhatsApp community. Join it from your confirmation screen or your confirmation email to get:
Your Macaly AI access link
Comes with 3 million starter credits, ready for you to start building on the day.
Your challenge reminders
Everything you need to know before Ideas Fest, sent straight to the group.
Your submit link
The link to submit your finished app once you've built it live.
No group, no access link, no reminders, and no way to submit your app. Make sure you join.
Enter now
Enter the Build-Off
Fill in your details below. It takes two minutes, no idea is too rough.
FAQs