Tune in and Join the Google I/O 2026 Writing Challenge: $1,000 in Prizes!!

Google I/O 2026 is here! Join us today and tomorrow (May 19 & 20) as we livestream Google's keynotes and sessions right on DEV. Plus, we’re launching a new writing challenge right alongside the event!

Running through May 24, the Google I/O Writing Challenge invites you to dive into the announcements as they drop, then experiment and write about what has you most excited from this year's releases, keynotes, and sessions.

Tune In to Google I/O 2026

Catch everything as it unfolds live here on DEV, May 19 and 20:

• 📺 Google Keynote: Live today (May 19) at 10:00 AM PT
• 👩‍💻 Developer Keynote: Today (May 19) at 1:30 PM PT
• 🤖 What's New in Google AI: Today (May 19) at 3:30 PM PT
• 🔥 What's New in Firebase: Today (May 19) at 4:30 PM PT
• 💙 What's New in Flutter: Tomorrow (May 20) at 10:00 AM PT
• ☁️ Google Cloud Live from I/O: Tomorrow (May 20) at 1:00 PM PT

Note: If you miss the livestreams you will be able to watch the recorded keynotes on YouTube.

Our Prompt

Explore the Google I/O 2026 announcements and pick the release, update, or livestream session that speaks to you, and tell us about it.

We encourage you to play around with any new products (if applicable) to form your opinions, but even if you're in the "reading the docs" phase, we want your take. Share your highlights and critiques with us!

 

Google I/O Challenge Submission Template

 

Your submission might look like:

• A hands-on tutorial or walkthrough of something you tried
• A written reflection on an announcement or keynote point and what it means for developers
• An opinion piece on the update you think is most underrated or overlooked
• A first-look or "getting started" guide for a new tool or feature

The most compelling submissions will go beyond summary to offer a genuine perspective for the community.

Judging Criteria

• Clarity & Quality: Is it well-written, engaging, and easy to follow?
• Usefulness: Will the community learn something or be inspired by reading it?
• Depth & Insight: Does it go beyond surface-level summary to offer a genuine perspective?

Prizes

Five winners will each receive:

• $200 USD
• DEV++ Membership
• Exclusive DEV badge

All participants with a valid submission will receive a completion badge.

How To Participate

Explore the Google I/O 2026 announcements, then publish a post on DEV using the submission template provided above.

Please review our judging criteria, rules, guidelines, and FAQ page before submitting so you understand our participation guidelines and official contest rules such as eligibility requirements.

Important Dates

• May 19: Google I/O Writing Challenge begins
• May 20: Google I/O wraps
• May 24: Submissions due at 11:59 PM PDT
• June 4: Winners Announced

We can't wait to read what you discover. Questions about the challenge? Ask them below.

Good luck and happy writing!

Comments

[Om Shree]

My submission focuses on something I think is getting underreported from I/O: Google AI Edge Gallery now supports MCP, but the architecture is the interesting part : Gemma 4 does all the reasoning locally, only the API call leaves the device. That's a viable path for healthcare and legal tooling that couldn't touch server-side agents.
Full piece here: dev.to/om_shree_0709/google-ai-edg...

[Total InfoHub]

Love this initiative by DEV! A writing challenge alongside Google I/O is a great way to see different perspectives on the new tech releases. Time to start drafting!

[Ryan Lay]

Super stoked for a writing challenge as opposed to the normal dev challenges!

[张宗禹]

That's a really sharp point. The local reasoning piece is huge — healthcare especially just can't gamble on server-side agents. You nailed the architecture advantage.