Makeathon
MakeathonOur virtual Zoo Design Studio Makeathon is your chance to show what happens when strong design instincts meet powerful tooling. We're looking for Zoo Design Studio submissions that feel intentional, expressive, and technically strong.
Countdown
The Makeathon starts on April 28
Key details
Here's what to know before the Makethon
Create window 📐
- Registration window: April 16-28, 2026
- Makeathon creation window: April 28-May 5, 2026
- Submission deadline: May 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM PST
Prizes 🏆
Zoo credits, 3D printers, and more
All participants will be featured on the Aquarium, our new public CAD model forum. Makeathon winners will also receive the prizes listed here.
1st place 🥇
- Bambu Lab H2C 3D Printer - Learn More
- Two years of unlimited Zookeeper reasoning time in Zoo Design Studio
- Feature in Hardware.fyi's newsletter, reaching 20,000+ engineers, founders, and investors
- Will be featured as a Makathon winner on our Aquarium page
2nd place 🥈
- Bambu Lab H2D 3D Printer - Learn More
- Two years of unlimited Zookeeper reasoning time in Zoo Design Studio
- Will be featured as a Makathon winner on our Aquarium page
3rd place 🥉
- Two years of unlimited Zookeeper reasoning time in Zoo Design Studio
- Will be featured as a Makathon winner on our Aquarium page
Best in Show
Awarded to the model with the most likes in the Makeathon section of the Aquarium
- Bambu Lab H2D 3D Printer - Learn More
- Two years of unlimited Zookeeper reasoning time in Zoo Design Studio
- Will be featured as a Makathon winner on our Aquarium page
Eligible tools 🛠️
- Participants must have a Zoo account to enter and participate in the Makeathon.
- Projects must be created from scratch in Zoo Design Studio, and participants may use any tools available within the platform, including Sketch Mode, KCL, and Zookeeper
- Participants will receive 10,000 minutes of Zookeeper reasoning time in Zoo Design Studio for use during the Makeathon period. After the submission deadline, accounts will return to the subscription tier they were on before the Makeathon.
Read our Getting Started documentation for more details on how to use Zoo Design Studio.
Please note: If you're participating in the Makeathon, you'll want to download the desktop version of the app. The browser version is great for testing things out in an easy-to-access environment ahead of time, but it has limited functionality compared to the desktop app.
What you're building
Work people want to learn from, remix, or build on
Make the thing you can't stop thinking about. It can serve any industry, solve any problem, or simply explore an idea worth sharing. We want work that sparks curiosity and pulls other people in.
Registration
Sign in or create an account to register for the Makeathon.
- No upgrade required to participate. Whether you're on the Free or Plus tier, eligible participants who complete registration will receive 10,000 minutes of Zookeeper reasoning time added to their account.
- All other core functionality, including Sketch Mode and KCL, is fully available in the desktop version of Zoo Design Studio on all tiers, including Free.
- If you run out of reasoning time during the event, please contact makeathon@zoo.dev.
- After the submission deadline, any unused Makeathon reasoning time will be removed, and your account will continue with the standard reasoning time included in your current subscription tier.
- After registering, please review the guidelines below to make sure your submission is eligible.
Community
Join our Discord
Join our Discord server to connect with the team throughout the Makeathon. We've set up #makeathon-2026 in the Zoo Design Studio section as the place to ask questions, share work in progress, and get unstuck fast.
- Ask questions and interact with the Zoo team
- Share progress and work-in-progress
- Get support if you need additional credits during the event
Project Submission
Meet the Aquarium
The Aquarium is our new public CAD sample forum, a digital exhibit where Zoo Design Studio users can explore standout designs and use them for themselves.
As part of the Makeathon, all participants are required to upload their final submission to the Aquarium.
You can submit in two different ways and manage your submissions through your account.
Submit from the Aquarium
Share your project from the Aquarium page by clicking “Submit a CAD Model.”
Submit from Zoo Design Studio
Share your project directly from Zoo Design Studio by clicking "Share" in the top-right navigation.
Manage your submissions
Track, view, and manage your Aquarium submissions from "Aquarium Submissions" in your account menu.
Guidelines
Everything entrants need to qualify
Participants should join Discord before getting started, register before the event begins, and submit within the official Makeathon window.
Important dates
Submission requirements
All projects must be created during the official Makeathon window using only Zoo Design Studio.
Zoo Design Studio
- Each project must be published to Zoo's Aquarium page as a public sample and additionally categorized as “Makeathon” when uploaded.
- Each project must also be shared on at least one social media platform using the hashtag #ZooMakeathon.
What makes a standout social media post?
Public sharing is a required part of your submission. Please share your work in our Discord server in #Makeathon-2026 and on at least one of the following social media platforms:
Include #ZooMakeathon and tag us so we can see and celebrate your submission.
Some tips for making a strong post:
- Include a short ~30 second walkthrough video of your project, and how you designed it
- 1 - 2 sentences describing what you built and how you approached it
- Highlight if you mostly used sketch, KCL, Zookeeper, or a hybrid approach
- Include a link to your project on our Aquarium page
The panel
Meet the judges
The Zoo team members below will be judging submissions based on thoughtfulness, creative strength, meaningful intent, community engagement, and the potential to inspire others to learn from or build on the work.
Jessie Frazelle
Co-Founder, CEO
Jordan Noone
Co-Founder, Executive Chairman
Jenna Bryant
Co-Founder, VP of Brand & Marketing
Kurt Hutten
Founding Engineer
Maksym Margorkskyi
Staff Creative Engineer
Nick Boone
Senior Mechanical Engineer
Judging
What judges will be looking for 🏆
Entries will be judged equally across five criteria: execution, originality, community response, purpose, and remixability. We're looking for work that is thoughtfully made, creatively compelling, meaningful in its intent, engaging to the CAD community, and inspiring for others to learn from or build on.
Scoring criteria for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place
- Execution (20%): Is it well designed and thoughtfully made?
- Originality (20%): Is it fresh, surprising, or worth talking about?
- Community Response (20%): Does it capture the attention of the CAD community and earn engagement on our Aquarium page, including likes?
- Purpose (20%): Does it solve a problem, serve a use case, or explore an idea in a meaningful way?
- Remixability (20%): Will other people want to learn from it, iterate on it, or build on it?
Scoring criteria for Best in Show
- Models can begin collecting likes as soon as they are shared to the Aquarium page.
- The winner will be the model with the most likes on the Aquarium page.
- The official voting end date will be announced on May 5.
- Likes will be tallied at the close of voting, and the top-liked model will be awarded Best in Show.
Questions
Need help before or during the event?
Questions can go to the team in Discord or by email.
By submitting to the Makeathon, participants agree to the the Zoo Makeathon Official Contest Rules.