Join the Postmark Challenge: Inbox Innovators - $3,000 in Prizes!
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dev.to staff @thepracticaldev

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Joined:
Feb 9, 2016

Join the Postmark Challenge: Inbox Innovators - $3,000 in Prizes!

Publish Date: May 21
193 81

We are thrilled to partner with Postmark to bring the community a brand new DEV challenge.

Running through June 8, the Postmark Challenge: Inbox Innovators invites you to play with data by leveraging Postmark's inbound email parsing capabilities.

Email remains one of the most universal and powerful communication tools, and Postmark's developer-focused API makes it easier than ever to incorporate sophisticated email functionality into your applications. This challenge is your opportunity to demonstrate how creative you can get with email-based features while adding an impressive project to your portfolio!

Read on for our prompt.

Our Prompt

For this challenge, your mission is to build an application using Postmark's inbound email parsing feature.

Postmark's inbound email parsing allows you to receive and process emails programmatically, opening up countless possibilities for all sorts of applications -- from practical tooling that solves real-world problems to creative and impactful art pieces.

Judging Criteria and Prizes

Submissions will be judged using the following criteria:

  • Utilization of Postmark features
  • Use Case (creativity, originality, impact)
  • Accessibility
  • Writing Quality (originality, clarity)

We will select three winners who will each receive:

All Participants with a valid submission will receive a completion badge on their DEV profile.

How To Participate

In order to participate, you will need to publish a post using the submission template provided. All submissions must use Postmark's inbound email parsing feature.

  • No credit card required! You can process up to 100 emails/month with Postmark's free trial. Inbound email parsing is included with the free plan.
  • For spam/deliverability concerns, emails from public domains (i.e. google, yahoo, etc) cannot create an account with Postmark. If you don't have access to a work email or custom domain, please get in touch with us at yo@dev.to with the subject line "Postmark Challenge Help".
  • If you need a higher limit, use the code DEVCHALLENGE25 to get a $60.50 credit for the Pro tier plan which includes expanded inbound processing.

Please make testing the app as straightforward as possible by providing testing instructions and/or test credentials for all necessary user personas.

Postmark 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.

Helpful Resources

To help you get started with Postmark, here are some useful links:

Ideas for Inspiration

Need some inspiration? Here are a few project ideas to get your creative juices flowing:

  • Email AI Assistant: Create an intelligent assistant that users can interact with entirely through email. You can use Postmark's inbound email parsing to understand user requests, process them using AI capabilities, and respond appropriately.

  • Email-Based CMS: Build a content management system that allows users to create, edit, and publish content entirely through email.

  • Email-to-Task Automation System: Create a task management system that converts emails into actionable tasks with priorities, deadlines, and assignments.

  • Email Data Collection & Visualization Dashboard: Build a system that collects structured data via email and generates real-time visualizations and reports.

  • Email-Driven E-commerce Order Management: Develop a system that allows small businesses to process orders, manage inventory, and handle customer inquiries via email.

  • Email-Based Survey & Feedback System: Create a survey tool that collects and analyzes responses submitted via email, with support for different question types and reporting.

  • Email-to-Social Media Bridge: Build a tool that allows users to post to multiple social media platforms by sending a single email, with support for scheduling and analytics.

Important Dates

  • May 21: Postmark Challenge: Inbox Innovators begins!
  • June 8: Submissions due at 11:59 PM PDT
  • June 19: Winners Announced

We're excited to see how you innovate with email using Postmark's powerful features! Questions about the challenge? Ask them below.

Good luck and happy coding!

Comments 81 total

  • Jess Lee
    Jess LeeMay 21, 2025

    Excited to see what everyone comes up with for this one! Good luck to all the participants 🌟

  • Trevor Rawls
    Trevor RawlsMay 21, 2025

    So many opportunities here... can't wait to see the submissions!

  • Ben Halpern
    Ben HalpernMay 21, 2025

    Good luck everyone! Email is a great platform to be creative on top of and Postmark is a great service.

    • Anower Jahan Shofol
      Anower Jahan ShofolMay 22, 2025

      @ben @jess, Postmark is not letting me open account without work email! Then how can I join the contest?

      Image description

      • davinceleecode
        davinceleecodeMay 23, 2025

        must have your own domain

      • Trevor Rawls
        Trevor RawlsMay 23, 2025

        @shofol Postmark doesn't allow gmail or other public email domains to protect deliverability. You'll need to use your own domain to create an account. There's some cheap domains here: tld-list.com/

      • Jess Lee
        Jess LeeMay 23, 2025

        @shofol we have a workaround for this that we can help you get set up. Please check your email, thanks!

        • davinceleecode
          davinceleecodeMay 24, 2025

          can you please include me as well, want to join this too :)

      • Dev
        DevMay 27, 2025

        @jess Hello mam, I'm just a student with no private domain email address. Please help me out, can I even participate in this challenge?

        • Jess Lee
          Jess LeeMay 27, 2025

          Hey @dev_99718084404de, just sent you an email that should help.

          • Dev
            DevMay 27, 2025

            Thank you so much mam 🙏
            I'll definitely work hard to earn the premium badge on my own merit!
            Thank you again.

    • Saint Thomas Brown ♟
      Saint Thomas Brown ♟May 24, 2025

      I absolutely agree

  • Mohamed Nizzad
    Mohamed NizzadMay 21, 2025

    I am excited to embark on this new challenge while exploring the potential of Postmark.

  • Nevo David
    Nevo DavidMay 21, 2025

    this stuff always fires me up to build something, tbh - always more fun when there’s a prize too. you think it’s the rewards or just the challenge that gets people making cool stuff?

  • Wassim Soltani
    Wassim SoltaniMay 21, 2025

    Please.. these challenges are too good... I can't ignore them 😭

  • Victor Mbamara 🇳🇬
    Victor Mbamara 🇳🇬May 21, 2025

    I love this

  • Raziel Rodrigues
    Raziel RodriguesMay 21, 2025

    WoooW this is perfect I was thinking to add something EXACTLY like this to my app from the previous challenge now I have the opportunity ----------

  • Sai Shravan Vadla
    Sai Shravan VadlaMay 22, 2025

    Can anyone please help me? I'm trying to sign up for Postmark, but it requires a work email. I don't have a work email. What do I do? Is signing up necessary for this challenge?

    • Trevor Rawls
      Trevor RawlsMay 23, 2025

      @shravzzv Postmark requires a non-public domain to create an account to protect deliverability. You can find a cheap domain here: tld-list.com/ and set up email forwarding to your gmail.

    • Jess Lee
      Jess LeeMay 23, 2025

      Hi @shravzzv, we have a workaround for this that we can help you get set up. Please check your email, thanks!

      • Sai Shravan Vadla
        Sai Shravan VadlaMay 24, 2025

        I got it. Thanks a lot @jess.

      • Abdul Samad
        Abdul SamadMay 26, 2025

        @jess Please include me as well. I also don't have access to a work email.

        • Jess Lee
          Jess LeeMay 27, 2025

          Hey @iabdsam, your DEV++ membership includes 1-year complimentary .tech and/or .fun domain. Once you have your own domain, you'll be able to set up email forwarding to your personal email and participate.

  • Ben Sinclair
    Ben SinclairMay 22, 2025

    So postmark is like, postfix-as-a-service?

  • Leonardo Santiago
    Leonardo SantiagoMay 22, 2025

    Is nice challenge. I don`t found the list of the prizes.
    The winner are ll recive $ 1.000,0 to change for what.

  • sahra 💫
    sahra 💫May 22, 2025

    Let's goooo🚀🚀💫💫

  • Clemo97
    Clemo97May 24, 2025

    Hey guys I can't open without a work email.
    Any workarounds??

  • Clemo97
    Clemo97May 24, 2025

    @jess can you help with the email issue.
    my email is lumumbaclement@gmail.com

  • amank11
    amank11May 24, 2025

    Leading leather footwear manufacturer crafting premium, durable shoes with expert craftsmanship, sustainable materials, and timeless design. Trusted globally for quality, comfort, and innovation in style.

  • Nathan Tarbert
    Nathan TarbertMay 24, 2025

    pretty cool seeing so much diy energy around email again - you think it’s the prize or just the fun of building stuff that keeps people coming back?

  • Nitin Singh
    Nitin SinghMay 24, 2025

    @jess can you also help me setup with my gmail id , since i dont have email with custom domain

  • Kid24110
    Kid24110May 24, 2025

    its great but how can someone participate 🤣

  • Lee Ellam
    Lee EllamMay 24, 2025

    I created a post using the entry template but the post isn’t showing on the entries page, is that to be expected? Not entered one of these challenges before so not sure if the entries list is manually curated or not

    • Jess Lee
      Jess LeeMay 28, 2025

      @leesus is it showing up now?

      • Lee Ellam
        Lee EllamMay 28, 2025

        Yes, there was a typo in one of the tags in the post template

  • Shankar Somasundaram
    Shankar SomasundaramMay 25, 2025

    I was wondering why my post wasn’t appearing under dev.to/t/postmarkchallenge.

    It turns out there's a typo in the Postmark Challenge Submission Template — it uses #postmarkchallege instead of the correct tag #postmarkchallenge. I changed the tag on my post and now my submission appears on the postmarkchallenge page.

    Image description

    • Jeremy
      JeremyMay 25, 2025

      Good catch!

    • Kevin
      KevinMay 27, 2025

      Good eye!

    • Jess Lee
      Jess LeeMay 27, 2025

      Thanks for the catch! We have updated the template and also aliased the previous typo so any submissions published under 'postmarkchallege' will now show up as postmarkchallenge.

  • Shankar Somasundaram
    Shankar SomasundaramMay 25, 2025

    Hi @thepracticaldev,
    Could you please confirm which tag we should use for the Postmark Challenge submission? The Submission Template appears to have a typo with #postmarkchallege instead of the correct #postmarkchallenge.

    Should we stick with the template as-is, or correct the tag before submitting?
    Thanks in advance!

  • Tarika Saim
    Tarika SaimMay 25, 2025

    The ehsaas nadra gov pk 8171 portal is active and highly useful for tracking your payment status. I used it last week and got my results within seconds. It's a secure way to check everything yourself, without depending on anyone else.

  • Abhishek Rawat
    Abhishek RawatMay 25, 2025

    Hi, I cannot sign up, I don't have a domain or a work email. Kindly help us sign up @ben

    @jess

  • sahra 💫
    sahra 💫May 26, 2025

    @jess @ben Kindly look into the postmark challenge # in the submission template. 'challenge' is misspelled there. This might result in submissions going to the wrong tag (already happening).

    • Jess Lee
      Jess LeeMay 27, 2025

      Thanks for the catch! We have updated the template and also aliased the previous typo so any submissions published under 'postmarkchallege' will now show up as postmarkchallenge.

  • Rashmi Ranjan Mohapatra
    Rashmi Ranjan MohapatraMay 26, 2025

    Can anyone please help me too? I'm trying to sign up for Postmark, I don't have a work email. What do I do?

  • АнонимMay 27, 2025

    [deleted]

  • АнонимMay 27, 2025

    [deleted]

  • Sojin Samuel
    Sojin SamuelMay 27, 2025

    Who dont have a personal domain, Push any of your project you're working on right now to cloudflare pages and buy a domain for less than $2. You can use cloudflare pages forward email feature for free, thats what i did with my project: videoframeextractor .online

  • Sojin Samuel
    Sojin SamuelMay 27, 2025

    Who dont have a personal domain, Push any of your project you're working on right now to cloudflare pages and buy a domain for less than $2. You can use cloudflare pages forward email feature for free, thats what i did with my project videoframeextractor.online

    Note: You can also use forward email feature from namecheap

  • Pravesh Sudha
    Pravesh SudhaMay 27, 2025

    Hi Team, I don't have a Work Email, how can I join the contest?

  • Mohamed Riham
    Mohamed RihamMay 27, 2025

    Good luck everyone

  • Metachef
    MetachefMay 27, 2025

  • Seun Taiwo
    Seun TaiwoMay 28, 2025

    @jess can you please help with setting up my account. My email is lorddro1532@gmail.com. Thanks

  • Wolfgang Rathgeb
    Wolfgang RathgebMay 28, 2025

    Feels like tracking. I implemented as an email provider in my link shortener yesterday and now I see this :D

    dev.to/cordlesswool/self-host-your...

  • Chirag Aggarwal
    Chirag AggarwalMay 28, 2025

    Hi, I am getting an issue where my domain has been set properly but postmark keeps giving an error.

    Image description

    Image description

  • Dryden Katebe
    Dryden KatebeMay 28, 2025

    What are we doing exactly??

  • JesseHan
    JesseHanMay 30, 2025

    I’m hooked on Tetris. It’s crazy how something so simple can stay fresh every time you play.
    It’s not just about fast reactions — it also works your brain with spatial thinking and planning. Plus, the rhythm of stacking and clearing lines is so satisfying, it’s both relaxing and addictive.
    onlinetetris.org/

  • Redwan Null
    Redwan NullMay 30, 2025

    @jess Could you help me sign up to postmark? I dont have a work email or sub-domain.

  • Naeem Baloch
    Naeem BalochJun 1, 2025

    I used the 8171 platform to check my BISP eligibility, and it worked perfectly. It's a fast and easy way to find out if you qualify for financial support from the government.

  • Ayush Ahire
    Ayush AhireJun 2, 2025

    @ben @jess unable to make a account with gmail. I am a student, dont have work email, what can I do?

  • Parag Nandy Roy
    Parag Nandy RoyJun 2, 2025

    Hey best wishes you all 😊

  • Imran
    ImranJun 4, 2025

    This updated version of the 8171 portal includes enhanced security, faster CNIC verification, and a simpler interface to support even those with basic mobile or computer skills. The portal now processes data more efficiently and ensures transparency in eligibility results. With both SMS and online options available, individuals from urban and rural regions can now conveniently confirm their eligibility status and access financial help. The system also cross-checks updated poverty scores and uses new verification tools to prevent fraud and ensure fairness.

  • Vignesh Aithal
    Vignesh AithalJun 6, 2025

    Hi @jess could you please include my mail also?

  • hardik singh
    hardik singhJun 6, 2025

    hi dev team i need a work email to set up and start building. ive sent yall an email!

  • Fidelis Junior
    Fidelis JuniorJun 7, 2025

    I just saw this challenge can I still partake in it. And regarding the work mail. I would appreciate ur assistance

  • Anik2812
    Anik2812Jun 12, 2025

    Hey @jess ,

    Thanks so much for providing me access to Dev++ for the challenge. I really appreciate your support!

    Unfortunately, I wasn’t able to complete the challenge this time, so I won’t be needing the Dev++ membership anymore. When you have a moment, could you please revoke it?

    Thanks again for your help!

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