Program

AWS promotional credits (events and hackathons)

AWS hands out promo codes at Summits, workshops, hackathons and webinars. Useful top-ups, but they expire fast and can't be planned on.

AWS promotional credits (events and hackathons) is for attendees of AWS events, workshops and hackathons. Varies, often $25 to $500.

Credits: Varies by event
How: Promo code redeemed in Billing
Expiry: Usually within 12 months
Application: Attend or win an event

At a glance

Credits: None from the credits themselves. Some hackathons award cash prizes separately (for example USD 25,000 first place, Amazon Developer Hackathon 2026).
Decision time: 3-5 business days to receive the code (AWS CDS hackathon FAQ, Devpost).
Credits last: A fixed expiry per event code, usually shortly after the event (examples: CDS hackathon credits expire 2026-10-31; Kiro hackathon codes expire 2026-10-30). Governed by Promotional Credit Terms s.9 (expiry as stated on the code).
Access: Open application

Official application page

01 · Overview

A good fit if you are

Founders who go to AWS Summits and meetups
Hackathon teams
Developers following AWS workshops

Not for

Startups needing a predictable runway

Timeline and terms

Application window: Only during each event's registration or submission window, via the event's request form, 'while supplies last' (example: Amazon Developer Hackathon form closes 2026-10-21 12:00 PT).
Next deadline: 2026-10-21 (Amazon Developer 'Build, Ship, Shape' Hackathon credit request form, 12:00 PT, which is 22:00 Chisinau time). Other events have their own deadlines.
Decision time: 3-5 business days to receive the code (AWS CDS hackathon FAQ, Devpost).
Program length: Length of the event (hackathons typically run several weeks on Devpost).
Credit validity: A fixed expiry per event code, usually shortly after the event (examples: CDS hackathon credits expire 2026-10-31; Kiro hackathon codes expire 2026-10-30). Governed by Promotional Credit Terms s.9 (expiry as stated on the code).
Cash: None from the credits themselves. Some hackathons award cash prizes separately (for example USD 25,000 first place, Amazon Developer Hackathon 2026).
Where: Set by each event's official rules (many Devpost hackathons exclude sanctioned countries and some jurisdictions). No global AWS rule.

Set per event. Current examples: USD 50 per team (AWS CDS Agentic AI Partner Hackathon, 2026); USD 150 per registered entrant (Amazon Developer 'Build, Ship, Shape' Hackathon, 2026); USD 100 per team, about 24 hours of SageMaker or EKS (NVIDIA x AWS hackathon on Devpost). Prize credits are separate (for example USD 1,000-15,000 in AWS credits for winners in the Amazon Developer Hackathon 2026).

What changed recently

2026-09-24 (Promotional Credit Terms last updated)
Current Promotional Credit Terms (governing all event codes) last updated Sep 24, 2026. A clause-by-clause diff against the previous version wasn't done. Source
2025-07-15
New credit-based Free Tier: Free plan accounts are 'not eligible for other promotional credits', so participants must upgrade to a Paid plan to redeem event codes. Source

02 · Eligibility

Hard eligibility rules

You must

Registered for the specific event or hackathon
Some events require a valid submitted idea, or a specific team profile (for example the NVIDIA x AWS hackathon required 'enterprise professionals')
An AWS account to redeem the code on, which must be eligible for promotional credits, so not a Free plan account. Some partner events require an AWS Partner account ID
Usually one code per team or individual; non-cumulative and non-transferable

Excluded

AWS Free plan accounts (not eligible for promotional credits until upgraded)
Individuals who already received a credit via another team (example: the NVIDIA x AWS rule)
Requests after the form closes or once supplies run out

Have this ready before you apply

Event registration (for example a Devpost account)
The event's credit request form (name, email, team, sometimes project idea)
AWS account ID on a Paid plan (or an AWS Partner account ID where required)
Redeem the code at aws.amazon.com/awscredits

03 · How to apply

How to apply

1
Join AWS events, Builder sessions or hackathons.
2
Receive a promo code.
3
Redeem it in the AWS Billing console under Credits.

What catches founders out

Codes often cover only listed services.
Codes bought from third parties breach AWS terms and can be cancelled.

What founders report Show

Summarised from public founder posts. Anecdotal, not official AWS policy.

Why applications get rejected

Codes run out ('while supplies last') or the account isn't eligible (Free plan ended or Free plan accounts excluded)

Gotchas

Hackathon winners with large credit piles (USD 10K-100K+ across AWS, Azure, GCP) found them tied to one account, non-transferable and impossible to move into an organization or convert to cash
Credits expire soon after the event, so they're mainly useful for prototyping
HN commenters say sponsor credits at hackathons are plentiful but often push participants to use sponsor services for prizes

04 · Credits & stacking

What the credits cover

Covered

Eligible AWS services under the Promotional Credit Terms; some event credits are scoped to specific services (for example SageMaker AI or EKS)

Not covered

Amazon Mechanical Turk
AWS Managed Services
Ineligible AWS Support (Enterprise, Unified Operations, Enterprise On-Ramp, resold support, Partner-Led Support)
AWS Marketplace
AWS Professional Services
AWS Training
AWS Certification
Amazon Route 53 domain name registration or transfer
Services used for cryptocurrency mining
Upfront fees for Savings Plans and Reserved Instances
Any other services designated by your AWS contracting entity
Usage after the code's expiry date
Usage beyond the credit amount (billed to the participant)

Stacking with other credits

Can combine with

Kiro promotional codes (CDS hackathon offers both, one per individual)
Prize credits awarded at the end of the same hackathon

Can't combine with

Free plan accounts (see Free Tier)
Other AWS promotional offers, unless AWS authorises it (Promotional Credit Terms s.6)
Selling or transferring credits: forbidden (s.3); credits are void if sold for cash, and voided if an account was created solely to obtain credits

Lifetime cap: No AWS-wide cap. Each event limits codes per team or individual.

Past cohorts Show

2026

Source

2026

Source

05 · Alternatives

If this isn't the right program

AWS Activate Founders
Open all year, apply yourself for $1,000 to $5,000.
AWS Activate Portfolio
Up to $200,000 through an accelerator, angel or VC.

Sources

AWS Promotional Credit terms

Checked October 2026. AWS can change amounts and rules at any time.

Facts on this page checked against official sources on 2026-10-04.

Questions

Can I buy AWS credit codes?

No. Selling codes breaks AWS terms; avoid sellers online.

Do promo credits stack with Activate?

Usually yes, but each code has its own rules.

Prices and credit amounts are estimates and may change. Check AWS for current terms.