Built for students
The Next Gen Award gives student builders their own prize lane inside Shipaton, whether they are in high school, university, bootcamp, or a campus dev club.
Student prize category
New for 2026Next Gen Award
A new Shipaton prize category dedicated to students building mobile apps, with no store submission or paid developer account required.
Pre-register for ShipatonComing soonHost a campus event
What is Next Gen?
A lower-friction path into Shipaton.
The Next Gen Award is the student category for Shipaton 2026: a place for students to build, learn, and show what they can make by submitting a video and source code instead of an app store listing.
No store submission required
Students can submit a video and source code, so they do not need to buy an Apple or Google developer account just to participate.
Still in the prize mix
Next Gen Award projects will also be part of the broader Shipaton prize lineup. The famous Shipaton prize announcements are coming soon.
For schools and clubs
Turn Shipaton into a campus hackathon.
Approved campus events can receive Shipaton swag to give out to student builders, plus promotion templates and organizer resources to help clubs, schools, and universities spread the word.
Run a kickoff session for your CS club, mobile dev group, entrepreneurship program, or design school.
Host a weekend build sprint where students can form teams, build demos, and take home Shipaton swag.
Use the Shipaton IRL event program to get approved, promoted, and supplied with giveaway materials.
Spread the word
Bring the next generation of app builders into Shipaton.
Share the Next Gen Award with your school, invite student builders, and turn Shipaton into a campus-wide reason to ship.
