16 November — 16 December 2026
The competition starts on 16 November 2026 at 17:00 UTC and ends on 16 December 2026 at 17:00 UTC, exactly 30 days later. Registration is free and participating in another hackathon is welcome.
New software businesses only
One ranked entry per individual founder. SaaS, apps, APIs, developer tools, AI products and software-powered marketplaces, directories and communities may qualify. Preparation from 1 November 2026 is permitted.
- Before kickoff: no customers, trials, revenue or paid commitments.
- Preparatory code, prototypes, designs and landing pages are allowed within the preparation window.
- Courses, e-books, physical products, conventional e-commerce, agencies, consulting and existing revenue-generating products are excluded from rankings.
- Community participation remains open to people who do not qualify for rankings.
Declare it. Read it. Lock it.
Before locking, review the complete product name, business description and intended audience. The original declaration and timestamp are permanent. Working names are fine, but the declaration records what you committed to build.
You may improve features, simplify scope, change implementation, adjust pricing and respond to feedback. You may not switch to an unrelated business. Classification, stack, challenges and skills can be updated. Administrative corrections require a recorded reason and audit trail.
Check in every 72 hours
Tell participants what you worked on, what progress you made and what comes next. Use the website or the authenticated MCP. Discord posts do not count.
The first deadline is 72 hours after official kickoff. A valid competition update moves your next deadline 72 hours from its server timestamp. Pre-event updates do not reset that timer. Your dashboard is the source of truth.
Missing a deadline disqualifies you from rankings and prizes, without a standard grace period or ordinary reinstatement. You can remain in the community and submit updates. Only demonstrable system or administrative errors may be corrected by an administrator, with an audit record.
Participants can see your check-ins
Progress updates are for registered participants and authorised administrators. They are not publicly listed or indexed. Project declarations appear on the public builders wall and in participant discovery. Do not post passwords, credentials, confidential customer information or anything you cannot share with fellow participants.
Highest verified net profit wins the ranked competition
Net profit means eligible collected business revenue minus eligible business expenses during the event. Uncollected future revenue does not count. Reports and rankings remain provisional until reviewed.
The organiser must publish a final methodology before kickoff covering refunds, chargebacks, fees, infrastructure, AI/API costs, marketing, software, contractors, tax, currency conversion, annual subscriptions, prepaid revenue, related-party transactions, evidence and tie-breakers. The proposed methodology is an operational draft and is not yet a settled rule.
Keep itemised records. Manual verification must be possible. Never provide payment-provider secret keys. The organiser will confirm a secure evidence-submission and dispute process before requesting sensitive financial records.
Recognition, perks and prizes
Highest profit is the primary ranked category. First sale, community contribution, consistency, comeback and product progress may receive recognition. These are possible categories, not guaranteed funded prizes.
Only published, confirmed prizes and perks are available, subject to their stated conditions. No sponsor, credit amount, cash pool or registration total should be assumed. There is no checkout, donation requirement or paid sponsorship offer at launch.
Build useful things. Be useful to people.
Be respectful. No harassment, spam, impersonation, fabricated progress, fake transactions or manipulation of results. Respect intellectual property and privacy. Give constructive feedback and keep promotional posts relevant.
The organiser will review reported abuse and eligibility disputes. A decision should include the applicable rule and recorded reason. The final contact, review timetable, age and territorial conditions require publication before the competition begins.