Makeathon00:00:00:00Submissions open
April 28th - May 5thSubmissions open

Zoo LogoMakeathon

Our 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 sharp.

Time left to submit

The Makeathon is live — submit by May 5

00:00:00:00

Key details

Here's what to know before the Makeathon

Timeline 📐

  • Makeathon creation window: April 28-May 5, 2026
  • Submission deadline: May 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM PDT
  • Aquarium voting period: May 6-May 11, 2026
  • Aquarium voting deadline: May 11, 2026 at 11:59 PM PDT
  • Winners will be posted on May 12, 2026 once results are finalized.

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 Makeathon 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 Makeathon winner on our Aquarium page

3rd place 🥉

  • Two years of unlimited Zookeeper reasoning time in Zoo Design Studio
  • Will be featured as a Makeathon 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 Makeathon 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.

Software available on Mac, Windows and Linux

Winning projects

The models that rose to the top

Explore the Makeathon projects that stood out for their creativity, execution, and community response.

🥇 1st Place
by MasonM
Mersenne's Clavichord
Mersenne's Clavichord
🥈 2nd Place
by zwitchguitars
Acoustic Guitar Body
Acoustic Guitar Body
🥉 3rd Place
by ben
3-Blade Foldable Drone Rotor
3-Blade Foldable Drone Rotor
💼 The "You're Hired" Award
by graphitical
Aviator Frames Design Toolkit
Aviator Frames Design Toolkit
🐱 Best in Show
by yjkim
Geometric Style Cat 3D Modeling
Geometric Style Cat 3D Modeling

Makeathon registration

Registration

Sign in or create an account to register for the Makeathon.

Sign in to register
  • 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 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
Go to #makeathonJoin the Zoo DiscordRead guidelines

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.

Visit 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.”

Click “Submit a CAD Model” on the Aquarium page

Submit from Zoo Design Studio

Share your project directly from Zoo Design Studio by clicking "Publish" in the top-right navigation.

Click “Publish” in the top-right corner of Zoo Design Studio

Manage your submissions

Track, view, and manage your project submissions from "Project Submissions" in your account menu.

Manage project submissions from your account menu

Guidelines

Everything entrants need to qualify

Participants should join Discord before getting started, register before or during the Makeathon event, and submit within the official Makeathon window.

Important dates

  • Makeathon creation window: April 28-May 5, 2026
  • Submission deadline: May 5, 2026 at 11:59 PM PDT
  • Aquarium voting period: May 6-May 11, 2026
  • Aquarium voting deadline: May 11, 2026 at 11:59 PM PDT
  • Winners will be posted on May 12, 2026 once results are finalized.

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.
  • Public sharing is a required part of your submission.
  • Each project must be shared on at least one social media platform using the hashtag #ZooMakeathon and tagging Zoo.
  • We also encourage you to share your work in our Discord server in the makeathon-2026 channel so the community can see, celebrate, and learn from what was built.
View Aquarium examples

What makes a standout social media post?

Public sharing is a required part of your submission.

  • Each project must be shared on at least one social media platform using the hashtag #ZooMakeathon and tagging Zoo.
  • We also encourage you to share your work in our Discord server in the makeathon-2026 channel so the community can see, celebrate, and learn from what was built.

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
Example of a strong social media post

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, Co-CEO

Jordan Noone

Co-Founder, Co-CEO

Jenna Bryant

Co-Founder, CMO

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.
  • Voting closes on May 11, 2026 at 11:59 PM PDT.
  • Likes will be tallied after voting closes, and the top-liked model will be awarded Best in Show.
  • Winners will be posted on May 12, 2026 once results are finalized.

Questions

Need help before or during the event?

Questions can go to the team in Discord or by email.

Chat with us on DiscordEmail makeathon@zoo.dev

By submitting to the Makeathon, participants agree to the Zoo Makeathon Official Contest Rules.