Happening Now: DEV Weekend Challenge!! Submissions due March 2 at 7:59am UTC.
Jess Lee

Jess Lee @jess

About: Building DEV and Forem with everyone here. Interested in the future.

Location:
USA / TAIWAN
Joined:
Jul 29, 2016

Happening Now: DEV Weekend Challenge!! Submissions due March 2 at 7:59am UTC.

Publish Date: Feb 27
174 44

Good morning! Good afternoon! Good Evening!

Welcome to our first DEV Weekend Challenge, a short focused challenge designed to fit into your weekend. Since submission window is tight, we've set the timing to ensure that no matter where you are in the world, you'll have the majority of your Saturday and Sunday to participate.

Let's get started!

Our Prompt

Think about the communities that are part of your life: your neighborhood, a book club, a local sports league, an open source project, or any other group that’s meaningful to you. This weekend, we want you to build something for them.

Your mandate is to build an app that serves a community you're a part of or care about. It can solve a real problem, spark a smile, or both. The best submissions will demonstrate a clear understanding of the community's needs and deliver something that genuinely makes their lives a little easier, more connected, or more fun.


Judging Criteria and Prizes

All submissions will be judged on the following:

  • Value Proposition: Does the app meaningfully serve the community it was built for?
  • Creativity: Is the concept original or is it an interesting take on a familiar problem?
  • Technical Execution: Is the app functional, well-built, and easy to use?
  • Writing Quality: Is the submission post clear and does it tell a compelling story about the project?

Three winners will each take home $300 USD, an exclusive DEV badge, and a DEV++ Membership. All participants with a valid submission will receive a completion badge.


How To Participate

Publish a post on DEV using the submission template below. Your post should give us an overview of the community you built for, what you made, and a demo of your project.

Weekend Challenge Submission Template

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

  • Launch Time: Friday, Feb 27 3:00 AM UTC
  • Submissions Due: Monday, Mar 2 7:59 AM UTC

Here's what that looks like across a few timezones:

Timezone Launch Time (Local) Submissions Due (Local)
PST Thursday, Feb 26 at 7:00 PM Sunday, Mar 1 at 11:59 PM
EST Thursday, Feb 26 at 10:00 PM Monday, Mar 2 at 2:59 AM
GMT Friday, Feb 27 at 3:00 AM Monday, Mar 2 at 7:59 AM
CET Friday, Feb 27 at 4:00 AM Monday, Mar 2 at 8:59 AM
IST Friday, Feb 27 at 8:30 AM Monday, Mar 2 at 1:29 PM
JST Friday, Feb 27 at 12:00 PM Monday, Mar 2 at 4:59 PM
AEDT Friday, Feb 27 at 2:00 PM Monday, Mar 2 at 6:59 PM

Winners will be announced on Thursday, March 12.


Questions about the challenge? Drop them in the comments below.

Good luck!!

Comments 44 total

  • Harsh
    Harsh Feb 27, 2026

    This is such a cool idea! 🚀 I love that the prompt is community-focused—it makes the challenge feel meaningful. Already brainstorming something for my local open-source meetup. Can't wait to see what everyone builds!

  • Dirk Porsche
    Dirk PorscheFeb 27, 2026

    Hey what about an app, I built literally the last weekend. Is this eligible? Or do I need to start something fresh?

    • Jess Lee
      Jess LeeFeb 27, 2026

      Hi there, the app needs to be built during the the timeframe of the challenge.

  • isaquiasmarques
    isaquiasmarquesFeb 27, 2026

    Very good idea.

    I've been working on a project but it's far to be done, there is already a link of some parts of the front-end.

    Is it eligible?

    • Jess Lee
      Jess LeeFeb 27, 2026

      Hi there, the app needs to be built during the the timeframe of the challenge.

  • Guillaume Dev
    Guillaume DevFeb 27, 2026

    Is there a minimum required age?

    • Jess Lee
      Jess LeeFeb 27, 2026

      Hi there, you must be 18 or older. Full eligibility requirements can be found here.

  • Somadina
    Somadina Feb 27, 2026

    But can any one build such an app, that helps solve a problem for a community they are in, although it just depends on how huge the problem is, and you did not mention where they will submit it how you will view it, will they build it and host it on GitHub, and later send you the link to view and judge?

    Based on deadline you gave, I believe that where it is more realistic is if you have a tools you want developers to test their ability with that can generate the website based on prompt and that you can monitor

    These are my humble opinion.

    • Ryan Swift
      Ryan SwiftFeb 27, 2026

      You'll submit right here on DEV. There's a link to a Challenge Submission Template in the post, but I think this link should work too!

      I'd definitely recommend including a GitHub repo + a live demo if possible (or a recorded video).

  • Shakib S.
    Shakib S.Feb 27, 2026

    I'll see to it actually. I think I have a good idea already!

  • Diwakar DC
    Diwakar DCFeb 27, 2026

    This is amazing idea! Let's build it 💪

  • Elyse West
    Elyse WestFeb 27, 2026

    I love this idea!! Going to give it some thought and try to vibe code something over the weekend.

  • diosamuel
    diosamuelFeb 27, 2026

    this is cool, with tight deadline

  • Jared Santos
    Jared SantosFeb 27, 2026

    Lost Bitcoin recovery and low-credit repair are complex, high-stakes processes that require careful, documented, and legitimately authorized steps. If you’re seeking help, work with licensed professionals or reputable firms that provide transparent, fee-based services, clear disclosures, and proven methodologies, contact (HEXSPECTER at ATOMIC M A I L dot I O)

  • Don Veetal
    Don VeetalFeb 27, 2026

    The main issue or problem, how the community will find your app? By App Store, boards like craigslists or by browser geo-location plugin?

    That's the question.

  • Kyle Y. Parsotan
    Kyle Y. ParsotanFeb 27, 2026

    I like these challenges. Great way to practice my skills and build projects.

  • Aren Solomon
    Aren SolomonFeb 27, 2026

    Great challenge! I will give this a try. It will be my first challenge here.

  • Muhammad Afsar Khan
    Muhammad Afsar KhanFeb 27, 2026

    I built a free font pairing tool for designers who are tired of guessing.

    published: true
    description: 100+ Google Font combinations with live preview, CSS copy, and zero signup

    tags: [webdev, design, css, showcase]

    The Community

    I'm part of a huge community: designers and developers who struggle with font choices.

    Every week on Reddit, I see posts like:

    • "What font goes with this logo?"
    • "Help me choose a font for my startup"
    • "Are these two fonts okay together?"

    Font choice paralysis is real. And existing solutions? Static images with "Sample Text" that don't let you test your actual words.

    What I Built

    FontPreview.online/pairings — a free tool with:

    • 100+ curated Google Font combinations
    • Live preview — type your own text, see it instantly
    • Filter by style (modern, classic, elegant, bold, minimal)
    • One-click CSS copy for developers
    • No signup, no email, no ads

    How It Works

    [Insert screenshot here]

    You type your text. The tool updates all 100+ cards. You find the perfect pair in seconds.

    Under the hood: vanilla JavaScript, Google Fonts API, and a lot of designer judgment.

    Why It Matters

    Most font resources show you pretty pictures. This one shows you your words in real fonts — so you stop guessing and start building.

    Try It

    👉 FontPreview.online/pairings

    Feedback welcome! Built for designers, by a designer.

  • Sergio Barrera
    Sergio BarreraFeb 27, 2026

    Let's go!

  • REY_DEV
    REY_DEVFeb 27, 2026

    how l will see the task ??

  • Charlene Anne
    Charlene AnneFeb 27, 2026

    This is nice!

  • vapmail16
    vapmail16Feb 27, 2026

    when you say app, is it a mobile app or can it be a web app/ website?

  • Esther Itolima
    Esther ItolimaFeb 27, 2026

    I love it! I will definitely join the challenge

  • Samuel Komfi
    Samuel KomfiFeb 27, 2026

    Is it an mobile app or web app valid?

  • Michalis Papamichael
    Michalis PapamichaelFeb 28, 2026

    To be hones this is really good idea

  • venkat-training
    venkat-trainingFeb 28, 2026

    Interesting.Let me try!

  • ARSH PATEL
    ARSH PATELFeb 28, 2026

    **cool bro ! **I will try my best.

  •  Veronika Kashtanova
    Veronika KashtanovaFeb 28, 2026

    Hey everyone! 👋 I built something for this challenge — ForkToPost 🔱 Paste your GitHub URL → get a ready-to-publish DEV post draft, generated by Gemini AI. Built for every dev here who codes until 2AM and has nothing left for the write-up 😅 Connects directly to your DEV.to profile.
    Hope it helps someone submit before the deadline!
    ForkToPost

  • Guilherme Zaia
    Guilherme ZaiaMar 1, 2026

    Weekend hackathons reveal who actually ships vs. who just talks architecture. Real constraint: Can you scope ruthlessly enough to deliver value in 48 hours without cutting corners on data validation or auth? Most 'community apps' die because devs build for imaginary scale instead of solving one painful workflow for 10 real users.

  • Diogo Aguiar
    Diogo AguiarMar 1, 2026

    Gostei do desafio !

  • Prahlad Yeri
    Prahlad YeriMar 1, 2026

    Building an app is quite a comprehensive process, it involves gathering detailed requirements, creating rapport with the stakeholders, designing and coding the solution, perform testing and then deploy to production. A mere 3 day window is too short for this challenge I think.

  • Juan Isidoro García Cifuentes
    Juan Isidoro García CifuentesMar 1, 2026

    Wow, this is awesome! Sadly I won't be able to jump in this weekend, but I'm really looking forward to the next one — definitely counting me in for that!
    Best of luck to everyone participating, I can't wait to see what you all come up with. Go crush it! 🙌

  • Rajeshree Kundu
    Rajeshree KunduMar 2, 2026

    This will be my first challenge, I am happy to participate here.

  • Mr. Lin Uncut
    Mr. Lin UncutMar 2, 2026

    lets gooooo

  • Ayo.web
    Ayo.webMar 2, 2026

    Is this challenge still open?

  • Mustapha Alaba
    Mustapha AlabaMar 2, 2026

    If someone notices a minor bug in their submission, can they update the repo (there is a push-to-deploy setup)? I am asking because it's past submission time.

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