Join the "Built with Google Gemini: Writing Challenge" Presented by Major League Hacking (MLH). Win a Raspberry Pi AI Kit!

Last week, we announced that DEV has joined Major League Hacking. To kick things off, we're launching a writing challenge about a topic both communities are already familiar with: Google Gemini.

Running through March 4 at 11:59 AM ET, the Built with Google Gemini: Writing Challenge presented by MLH will be an opportunity to show off what you've built with Google Gemini, reflect on your experience, and share what you're up to next! Whether you competed at an MLH hackathon, tackled a DEV Challenge, or hacked on something independently with Google Gemini as your go-to, we want to hear about it.

Five winners will walk away with a Raspberry Pi AI Kit for writing the best articles. As is tradition with DEV Challenges, all participants will receive a completion badge.

Read on for details!

Our Prompt: Hack, Reflect, Look Forward

Every great project starts with a spark, and every great builder knows that the learning doesn't simply end because the deadline hits.

Write a reflection post about a coding event or dedicated project where you used Google Gemini. This could be an MLH hackathon, a DEV Challenge, or any other event you've participated in recently. Look back on what you built, what surprised you, and where you're headed next.

Your post should cover:

• What you built with Google Gemini: give us the overview! What was the project, what problem did it solve, and what role did AI play? If your project was deployed on Cloud Run, please embed it.
• What you learned: technical skills, soft skills, unexpected lessons. What stuck with you?
• Your Google Gemini Feedback: what worked well? Were there moments where you needed more support or ran into friction? Don't be afraid to be candid. We want to read about the good, the bad, and the ugly.

The best submissions will offer a window into your process, your growth, and your perspective as a builder.

Judging Criteria and Prizes

All submissions will be evaluated on:

• Style and Presentation
• Technical Depth
• Clarity
• Originality

5 Winners will each receive:

• Raspberry Pi 5 8GB GenAI Kit (Assembled)
• DEV++ Membership
• Exclusive DEV Badge

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 following submission template:

 

Built with Google Gemini: Writing Challenge Submission Template

 

📌 Important Note: submissions are due on March 4 11:59 AM ET -- this is 12 hours earlier than our usual challenge submission time!

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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

• February 25 at 12:00 PM ET: Challenge begins!
• March 4, 2026 at 11:59 AM ET: Submissions due
• March 12: Winners announced

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

Happy writing!

Comments

[Maame Afua A. P. Fordjour]

A writing challenge ! :-D. DEFINITELY trying this challenge <3

[Ben Halpern The DEV Team]

Good luck!

[Maame Afua A. P. Fordjour]

Thank you !

[Vlad]

Quick question: if my article is fully in English and the app interface is also in English, but the AI-generated insights are in Ukrainian for its target audience, is it still eligible for prize consideration?
@ben @jess cc

[Swift The DEV Team]

@curiousvlxd not a problem!

[Emir John]

Hello, nice to meet you.
I’m a software developer, lead a small team and looking to expand my business. For this, I’m seeking local business partners who can support operations in their region.
No special technical skills are required. This is a paid monthly role, and we highly value passion, honesty, and responsibility.
All positions are fully remote, part-time (1–2 hours per day), and percentage-based, offering flexibility to work from anywhere and at any time. There are also strong opportunities for long-term growth and ongoing collaboration.
If you’re interested, I’d be happy to discuss the details further.

Telegram: @miracle0416
Discord: @gouka12
Thank you.

[Emir John]

Hello, nice to meet you.
I’m a software developer, lead a small team and looking to expand my business. For this, I’m seeking local business partners who can support operations in their region.
No special technical skills are required. This is a paid monthly role, and we highly value passion, honesty, and responsibility.
All positions are fully remote, part-time (1–2 hours per day), and percentage-based, offering flexibility to work from anywhere and at any time. There are also strong opportunities for long-term growth and ongoing collaboration.
If you’re interested, I’d be happy to discuss the details further.

Telegram: @miracle0416
Discord: @gouka12
Thank you.

[ANIRUDDHA ADAK]

Awesome 😍 😍😍

[adriens]

[Swift The DEV Team]

You and me both!

[Paulo Henrique]

Can I write about several projects in one post? I've been using Gemini CLI a lot these days in older projects

[Jess Lee The DEV Team]

Yes, definitely!

[v. Splicer]

Oh wow, how exciting!!! What a cool prize!!!

[Swift The DEV Team]

I'm really looking forward to reading everyone's posts. Good luck!

[Jess Lee The DEV Team]

I'm thrilled we're able to offer such a cool prize for a writing challenge - this is a first!

[Liedson Habacuc]

This is a nice framing for a challenge - especially the emphasis on reflection instead of just showcasing outputs.

What I find interesting about using Gemini (or any LLM) in these projects is that the most valuable part usually isn’t what you build, but where it breaks: prompt boundaries, evaluation gaps, tooling friction, and the moments where the model’s strengths force you to rethink your own architecture.

Treating the write-up as a post-mortem rather than a demo recap feels like the right direction. Curious to see submissions that go beyond “here’s my app” and actually unpack the engineering decisions behind it.

[Swift The DEV Team]

@lhabacuc couldn't agree more. I think you're going to really like one of the new writing features we're piloting internally and are hoping to launch in a few weeks. 👀 Surfacing this exact decision flow is critical to understanding software these days.

[Liedson Habacuc]

This definitely made me curious 👀
Does this visualization focus more on transparency of the reasoning process, or on supporting more structured writing?

[Peter Vivo]

Another LLM challenge, another idea from the past (1987), that will be interesting.