Shipaton IRL · Chiang Mai, Thailand

Two rounds. Three days. One app that ships.

Registration is closed. Eight finalist entries are heading to the 27 September workshop and judging at Manabi Co-Working Space in Chiang Mai. Explore their projects below.

Meet the finalists How the two rounds work

Not entering? You can come just to watch — same room, same swag, no form. Hosted by DekPort; Shipaton and Shippy are RevenueCat's, used here as an official IRL community event.

Round 1 results

Meet the eight finalists.

From 114 teams and 269 students to eight finalist entries. Solo builders and full teams are finalists together. Registration for the Chiang Mai event is closed.

Finalist workshop and judging: Sunday 27 September 2026, 12:30–17:00 at มานาบิ Manabi Co-Working Space, ถนนแก้วนวรัฐ ตำบลช้างม่อย อำเภอเมืองเชียงใหม่ เชียงใหม่ 50000.

Directions to Manabi ↗
Eight finalist teams from 114 teams and 269 students at Shipaton × DekPort Chiang Mai
Team

Chongfah

HiProject

Solo

Page Pal

Xavier Hao Jun Gan

Solo

AI for People with Visual Impairments

Ruohan Yang (Eva)

Solo

LikeLoop

Runa Sugiyama

Solo

Justice Hub

Siqi Tian (Maria)

Solo

DaLabel

ศีลเด่น เป็งโท

Team

Kasato

RoastMyWallet

Team

ChipLays

Project to be announced

The roster lists the eight registered finalist entries. Team members share their team's finalist status; their individual names were not collected in the organizer desk. The accompanying teacher is not counted as a competing team.

Round 1 · online

Idea entries close in

20 September 2026, 23:59 ICT · results on the 22nd

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Round 2 · Chiang Mai

Doors open in

27 September 2026, 12:30 ICT · Chiang Mai

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Global competition

Shipaton submissions close in

30 September 2026, 11:45pm PDT · Devpost

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Shipaton × DekPort Chiang Mai poster with two astronaut characters, a golden Lanna temple, and the date September 27, 2026
Shipaton × DekPort · Chiang Mai, Thailand · 3 Days to Ship

Poster drop

Shipaton lands in Chiang Mai.

Save it, share it with your team, and bring the energy to build day. The poster brings together Shipaton, DekPort, and the city hosting our final three-day push. Round 1 entries close on 20 September — the poster is a good thing to attach when you post your pitch video.

Enter Round 1 Download poster

Three things, two rounds

What actually is this?

01

Shipaton

RevenueCat's global mobile hackathon. 1 August – 30 September 2026. Build a brand-new iOS, iPadOS, macOS or Android app, wire up the RevenueCat SDK, and publish it to a real store. Over $700k in prizes across 21 categories.

shipaton.com
02

DekPort

DekPort helps Thai students find camps, competitions and educational opportunities. This time we are hosting a place to build and meet other developers.

dekport.com
03

IRL, in Chiang Mai

An official Shipaton IRL meetup, run as a two-round competition. We judge ideas online first, then spend 27 September building with the teams that got through. Free, open to anyone, and you leave having pushed something real.

How it works

Two rounds. Only one of them is in Chiang Mai.

Round 1 happens online, before the event, and decides who joins the workshop track. Round 2 is the day itself. You can come to the day without entering Round 1 — you simply will not be judged.

  1. Round 1 · online

    Open now → closes Sunday 20 September 2026, 23:59 ICT

    Send an idea and a pitch video

    Tell us what you want to build, who it is for, and what you think you can have running by 27 September. Then film yourself explaining it. There is nothing to pay and no code to show — the whole point of judging ideas first is that you have not built it yet.

    • A written idea. Up to 1200 characters, Thai or English. Straight into the registration form.
    • A pitch video, two minutes or less. Filmed on a phone is fine. Posted publicly on YouTube or Facebook — not unlisted, not a Drive link — and captioned #DekPort #Shipaton #DekPortxShipaton. Public and tagged is how the other entrants find you, and it is part of what we check.
    • Nothing else. No slide deck, no repo, no developer account.

    DekPort reads every entry. We email all entrants on Tuesday 22 September 2026 — you find out either way, on the same day, before you book anything.

    If you get through

    You are in the workshop track on 27 September: mentors working on your idea specifically, and a judging slot at the end of the day for a trophy and a certificate.

    If you do not

    You lose nothing. Your seat at the build day still stands, and you can still enter the global Shipaton on Devpost yourself and compete for the real money. We are not a filter on the official competition and never were.

  2. Round 2 · Chiang Mai

    Sunday 27 September 2026, 12:30 – 17:00 · three days before Shipaton closes

    Build it with us, then get judged

    One afternoon in a room with people who have shipped apps before. The first hour is RevenueCat 101 and wiring the SDK so a purchase actually works; the rest is building, with mentors on stations. Everything we do that day is aimed at one thing: making your Devpost submission stronger before the deadline on the 30th.

    • Everyone is welcome — Round 1 entrants, anyone else who registered, and anyone who just wants to watch. Same room, same food, same mentors.
    • Selected Round 1 teams join the finalist/workshop track. Each team gives a 2–3 minute elevator pitch, followed by 2 minutes of questions from the judges. Only selected Round 1 teams are judged.
    • Trophy, certificates and swag before we finish, then a group photo. Doors close at 17:00.

What you actually win, and from whom

This is the thing worth being blunt about, because two competitions are running at once and only one of them has money in it.

Prize money
From RevenueCat, on Devpost. Never from us. Over $700,000 across 21 categories, including a Next Gen Award for students. You register and submit there yourself, by 30 September 2026, 11:45pm PDT — that is 1 October, 13:45 in Thailand. Nothing DekPort decides affects it.
Trophy
From DekPort, to the winning teams, judged at the end of the Chiang Mai day.
Certificate
From DekPort, to everyone who takes part — a finalist certificate if you cleared Round 1, a certificate of participation if you came to build.
Swag
From the official Shipaton meetup-in-a-box. Stickers and kit, on the day, while it lasts.

So: enter Round 1 for the workshop, the trophy and the certificate. Enter on Devpost for the money. Doing both is the point.

Already registered?

Everyone who signed up before 28 August 2026, when this format was announced, is already through Round 1. You registered for a plain build day, so we are not going to send you back to film a video. You are in the workshop track and you will get an email confirming it. If you would like to send an idea and a video anyway, you are very welcome to — it gives the judges more to work with.

Students, this one's yours

You don't need a developer account to win

Shipaton runs a Next Gen Award specifically for student builders, and the bar to enter is lower than the main competition.

The Next Gen Award

A whole prize category set aside for students — high school, college, university, bootcamp, any academic programme. You are not going up against full-time indie devs with five years of App Store history.

A video and your repo counts

Students submit a video and source code instead of a store listing — so you never have to buy an Apple or Google developer account just to take part. Check the Devpost rules for the exact requirements.

Sign up with your school email

This is the one that catches people out: Next Gen eligibility is checked from the email on your Devpost account, so register with your student or academic address, not a personal Gmail.

The afternoon

What the day actually feels like

Doors at 12:30, everyone out by 17:00. We are not publishing a minute-by-minute timetable, because the last thing a room full of people building needs is a clock on the wall telling them they are behind. Here is the honest shape of it instead.

  1. You arrive and someone says hello

    Name tag, coffee, a table. Food is out from the moment the doors open, because 12:30 is lunchtime and we are not monsters. Come on your own — most people do, and we will introduce you to someone.

  2. Someone shows you the hard part first

    A live walkthrough of wiring the RevenueCat SDK into an app until a purchase actually goes through, plus what makes a Shipaton submission count. This is the bit that eats people's weekends. We get it out of the way early.

  3. Then it just goes quiet and everyone builds

    The longest part of the day, and the good part. Mentors walk the room, then sit down at tables so you can go to them. Round 1 teams have one assigned to their idea already. Somewhere in the middle we stop, eat, and make everybody save a Devpost draft — the step people skip and then regret at 2am on the 30th.

  4. Finalist teams pitch to the judges

    Selected Round 1 teams have a 2–3 minute elevator pitch and 2 minutes of questions from the judges. Other attendees can build, get feedback and watch the pitches. We finish with the trophy, finalist and participation certificates, and swag while supplies last.

Not building? Come anyway.

You are allowed to just turn up and watch.

You do not have to write a line of code to be in the room. Walk in, see what people are making, sit in on the demos at the end and hear the finalists explain what they built and what broke. Grab swag while it lasts. Nobody will hand you a laptop and ask you to commit to anything.

This is genuinely the easiest way to find out whether this scene is for you. Plenty of people who now ship apps started by sitting at the back of a room like this one.

RSVP to watch, on Luma Actually, I want to build

Watching needs no form and no idea — just the Luma RSVP so we know how many chairs to put out. Taking part in the competition is the form.

Come if

Who this is for

Built for people still at school or just out of it. Shipaton takes anyone aged 13 to 99 — we're aiming squarely at the younger end.

  • High-school students who have never shipped anything
  • University students with a project stuck in a folder
  • Young indie hackers already on app number three
  • Designers and artists looking for someone to build with
  • Computer clubs and campus teams — bring everyone
  • Anyone who just wants to sit at the back and see what this is

Whatever you were about to worry about — it's fine

“I've never built an app.”
Good. A big chunk of the room hasn't either, and the session that opens the day starts from nothing. Round 1 asks for an idea and a video, not code.
“I don't have a team.”
Most people arrive alone. There's a team-up early in the afternoon, and going solo the whole way is completely normal too.
“I don't have a Mac or a developer account.”
You need neither. Students can enter Shipaton with a video and source code, and plenty of the room builds cross-platform on a cheap laptop.
“My English isn't good enough.”
The room runs in Thai. Only the official Shipaton rules are in English, and we'll translate anything you get stuck on. Write your Round 1 idea in Thai.
“I mostly build with AI tools.”
That counts as building. Nobody is going to audit how you wrote it — the only question is whether it runs.
“I'm 14.”
You're old enough. Shipaton takes anyone from 13. If you're under 18, read the Devpost consent rules before you submit there — that's the only extra step.

Why here

It's Chiang Mai in September

Our Chiang Mai base is มานาบิ Manabi Co-Working Space — a room for building, mentoring and the final demos.

Yi Peng season

September rolls toward lantern season. Thousands of paper lanterns going up is a decent metaphor for a room full of people shipping.

มานาบิ Manabi Co-Working Space

ถนนแก้วนวรัฐ ตำบลช้างม่อย อำเภอเมืองเชียงใหม่ เชียงใหม่ 50000 · 18.7944384° N, 99.0053088° E.

Google Maps ↗ OpenStreetMap ↗

On the table

What you get

Swag and a certificate

Stickers and kit from the official meetup-in-a-box while it lasts, and a certificate for everyone who takes part.

Food and caffeine

Covered for the session. You focus on the build.

People who've done it

Mentors in the room for store review, pricing, and the parts that always break.

A shot at the trophy

Selected Round 1 teams pitch for 2–3 minutes and answer judges’ questions for 2 minutes to compete for the DekPort trophy.

More than a seat

Pick your way into the room.

Enter Round 1 first — that is the one with a deadline. Then bring a project to the showcase, teach a useful skill, or use the starter kit to get unstuck before build day.

01

Share your project

Submit your build to the Chiang Mai showcase with Cloudflare protection and email verification.

Open project form
02

Start with the kit

Move from idea to purchase test, demo video, and Devpost submission without losing the day.

Open starter kit

Before you ask

FAQ

Can I come just to watch, without building anything?

Yes, and you're genuinely welcome. Walk in, look at what people are making, sit in on the demos at the end and hear the finalists explain what they built, take swag while it lasts. No idea needed, no laptop needed, no form needed — just RSVP on Luma so we know how many chairs to set out. The registration form is for people taking part.

Where's the schedule for the day?

There isn't a published one, on purpose. Doors at 12:30, everyone out by 17:00. In between: a live session on wiring the RevenueCat SDK until a purchase works, a long stretch of building with mentors in the room, then demos, judging and awards. A room full of people building doesn't need a clock telling them they're behind.

How does the two-round format work?

Round 1 is online. You send a written idea and a public pitch video on YouTube or Facebook by 20 September 2026, tagged #DekPort #Shipaton #DekPortxShipaton. DekPort judges every entry and emails all entrants on 22 September. Teams that get through join the mentored workshop track at the Chiang Mai event on 27 September — that is Round 2 — and are judged at the end of the day for a trophy, a certificate and swag.

What happens if I don't get through Round 1?

Nothing is taken away from you. You keep your seat at the build day, and you can still enter the global Shipaton on Devpost yourself and compete for the real prize money. DekPort is not a filter on the official competition — Round 1 only decides who joins our workshop track and who we judge on the day.

Do I have to enter Round 1 to come to the event?

No. The 27 September build day is free and open to everyone who registers, whether or not they enter Round 1. Entering is what puts you in the workshop track and in front of the judges.

Is there prize money at Shipaton × DekPort?

No. We award a trophy to the winning teams, a certificate to everyone who takes part, and swag while it lasts. All the prize money — over $700,000 across 21 categories — is RevenueCat's and is awarded through Devpost, where you have to register and submit yourself before 30 September 2026.

What does the pitch video need to be?

Two minutes or less, filmed on anything, explaining what you want to build and why. It has to be a public post on YouTube or Facebook — not unlisted, not a Drive link — captioned with #DekPort #Shipaton #DekPortxShipaton. You paste the link into the registration form.

I registered before the two rounds were announced. Do I have to enter Round 1?

No. Everyone who registered before 28 August 2026 is already through Round 1 and is in the workshop track on 27 September. You signed up for a plain build day, so we're not going to send you back to submit an idea and a video. We'll email you to confirm.

Do I have to register on Devpost as well?

Yes, if you want to compete. This page is the Chiang Mai meetup; the hackathon itself is run by RevenueCat on Devpost. You can also just turn up to build without submitting anything.

Is it in Thai or English?

Both. Talks are in Thai, materials and the official Shipaton rules are in English, and everyone in the room switches freely.

I don't have a team.

Most people arrive alone. There's a pairing round at the start, and solo submissions are completely valid.

Do I need to finish an app in one day?

No. The Shipaton window runs to 30 September, and Round 1 only asks for an idea and a video — nothing built. The meetup is one focused push inside that window, three days before it closes, plus the people to ask when you're stuck.

What do I bring?

Laptop, charger, a phone to test on, and an idea you've been putting off.

I'm under 18 and still at school. Can I enter?

Yes — Shipaton is open from age 13. If you're under 18 the Devpost rules carry extra requirements around consent, so read those before you submit. Either way you're welcome at the meetup.

Where is the event?

Round 2 is at มานาบิ Manabi Co-Working Space, ถนนแก้วนวรัฐ ตำบลช้างม่อย อำเภอเมืองเชียงใหม่ เชียงใหม่ 50000 · 18.7944384° N, 99.0053088° E. Use the Google Maps or OpenStreetMap link above for directions.

Last thing

Be in the room.

Registration is closed. The eight finalist entries will meet at มานาบิ Manabi Co-Working Space for Round 2.

Round 1
Onlinecloses 20 Sep 2026
Round 2
27 Sep 202612:30 – 17:00
Where
มานาบิ Manabi Co-Working Spaceถนนแก้วนวรัฐ ตำบลช้างม่อย อำเภอเมืองเชียงใหม่ เชียงใหม่ 50000
Cost
Freeages 13+
See the finalists

Registration is closed. Public event information and Manabi directions are available above.

Register for Shipaton on Devpost too — that's the one with the prize money, and it closes 30 September.

Made with

Who is behind this

A student-run event only happens because a handful of people and organisations say yes. These are ours.

  • Shipaton

    Shipaton

    The global mobile hackathon this is an official IRL event for. Two months, 21 categories, one rule: actually ship.

    shipaton.com

  • RevenueCat

    They run Shipaton, they make the in-app purchase infrastructure the whole thing is built on, and every baht of the prize money is theirs.

    revenuecat.com
  • DekPort

    DekPort

    Your hosts. DekPort helps Thai students find camps, competitions and educational opportunities. This time, we are organising an event too.

    dekport.com
  • OpenNexia

    OpenNexia

    An event platform out of Thailand — event pages, applications, check-in and verified certificates. The kind of tooling a day like this runs on.

    opennexia.com

  • This space is free

    Venue, food, hardware to lend, mentors, swag, or a prize for the winners — if you want students in Chiang Mai building things, we would like to hear from you. A reply comes from a person, usually the same day.

    hello@dekport.com