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Hacktoberfest Open Source AI Challenge 2026, Week 2: Side Hustle
DEV pays $250 for a new open source AI project that someone would pay for, plus $100 to $200 partner prizes. Submit by 18 October 2026.
The Hacktoberfest Open Source AI Challenge Week 2 is the third of five DEV challenges in Hacktoberfest 2026. The theme this week is Side Hustle: build something with open weight models or open source AI that someone would actually pay for.
The open parts must be what makes the project work. That can be an open weight model, an open source agent framework, local inference, or a mix. In the post, you explain why the open approach mattered, for example lower cost, private data or the freedom to fine tune. DEV gives bonus points if you get a first real user and report how it went.
The overall winner receives $250, a DEV++ membership and a winner badge. Featured partner categories pay $200 each and other partner categories pay $100 each. DEV plans to pick one overall winner and a winner in each of 17 partner categories. Everyone with a valid entry gets a completion badge.
You enter by publishing one post on DEV that follows the challenge template and links to the project code. Teams of up to four people can enter with one post. The project must be new and built during the challenge week.
The entry period runs from 12:00 p.m. PDT on 12 October 2026 to 11:59 p.m. PDT on 18 October 2026. Winners are announced in the week of 19 October. Writing quality counts the most, then fit to the prompt and theme, creativity, and technical execution.
Quick answers
Can I submit a pull request to an existing project?
No. Each entry must be a new project started and finished inside the challenge week.
Can one entry win more than one prize?
No. Each participant can win at most one prize in this challenge.
Are entries in other languages judged?
Entries that are not in English can earn a completion badge, but they are not judged for prizes.