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The Ultimate Guide to Hacktoberfest 2026

devkshitij7 — Sat, 10 Oct 2026 18:45:00 +0000

Welcome to @Hacktoberfest2026

This guide covers everything you need to know about the new rules, how the reward system works, how to get physical t-shirts and swag, and how to navigate the event from start to finish.

1. What is Hacktoberfest 2026?

Hacktoberfest 2026 is a month-long celebration of open-source software running from October 1 to October 31, 2026.

The Core Theme: "AI Belongs to Everyone"

This year’s edition shifts focus entirely to open-source AI and open-weight models. Instead of spamming repositories with minor typos or documentation edits, participants learn, experiment, and build with open-source artificial intelligence.

The Two Ways to Participate:

Online Track: Collect badges in a gamified Digital Sticker Book by completing weekly DEV challenges, attending live streams, and filling out community surveys.
In-Person Track (Fests): Attend local physical events in your city to connect with other developers, build projects together, and grab physical t-shirts and swag.

2. Meetups vs. Hack Days vs. Pop-ups

When searching for local events, you will notice three different formats. Here is how they compare so you can choose the best fit for your goals:

Feature	Meetups / Pop-ups	Hack Days
Primary Goal	Learning, networking, community talks	Building hands-on projects
Structure	Casual panel talks, keynotes, social gatherings	Mini-hackathon format
Coding Required?	No, coding is completely optional	Yes, hands-on building/prototyping
Duration	2 to 4 hours	Half-day or full-day event

3. The New Swag & Reward System

Rewards are managed through a gamified online dashboard containing 24 total virtual stickers. Here is how to unlock both digital badges and physical items:

                          [ 24 TOTAL VIRTUAL STICKERS ]
                                       │
      ┌────────────────────────────────┼────────────────────────────────┐
      ▼                                ▼                                ▼
[ 3 STICKERS ]                   [ 10 STICKERS ]                  [ 15 STICKERS ]
      │                                │                                │
  IRL Sticker Pack             Bonus Holographic                Completionist Tier
 (Mailed to door)              Sticker added to pack             (Raffle for T-shirt &
                                                                   Arduino Uno Q)

Rewards Overview

3 Virtual Stickers = Physical IRL Sticker Pack: Sign in with MyMLH, add your mailing address, and collect 1 additional sticker to get physical stickers shipped directly to your house.
10 Virtual Stickers = Bonus Holographic Sticker: Adds a limited-edition holographic sticker to your physical shipping package.
15 Virtual Stickers = Completionist Tier: Unlocks Completionist Status, automatically entering you into the official raffle for a Hacktoberfest 2026 T-Shirt and hardware prizes like Arduino Uno Q boards.
In-Person Swag: Attending local Fests or Hack Days allows you to pick up physical t-shirts and swag bags directly on-site, provided by local event hosts.

4. DEV AI Challenges: Schedule & Format

The primary way to earn digital stickers and compete for cash prizes without attending streams is through the Weekly DEV AI Challenges.

How the Challenges Work:

Each week on Monday, DEV releases a new open-source AI prompt. To participate:

Build a project matching the weekly prompt (e.g., an open-weight model integration, an AI agent framework, or a utility tool).
Push your source code to a public repository (GitHub/GitLab).
Publish a detailed write-up on DEV.to featuring your code, screenshots, and architecture details using the official challenge tag.

5. Step-by-Step Action Plan (From Start to Finish)

Phase 1: Account Setup (Day 1)

[ ] Go to hacktoberfest.com and click Sign In.
[ ] Log in using your MyMLH account (or create one for free).
[ ] Link your DEV.to profile and GitHub/GitLab accounts.
[ ] Crucial Step: Fill out your full postal address in your profile settings. Complete this step early so physical rewards can be shipped to you.
[ ] Complete the brief pre-event survey on your dashboard. (This instantly awards your first virtual stickers!)

Phase 2: Complete DEV AI Challenges (Weeks 1 - 3)

[ ] Check the DEV Community Hub for the current week's AI Challenge prompt.
[ ] Build a lightweight open-source tool, agent, or skill configuration.
[ ] Post your write-up on DEV to earn your challenge badge and enter the weekly cash prize pool.

Phase 3: Attend an In-Person Event (Mid-October)

[ ] Visit the Hacktoberfest Fests Directory.
[ ] Search for your city or region to find local Meetups, Pop-ups, or Hack Days.
[ ] RSVP early and attend the event to claim on-site t-shirts, physical sticker packs, and your in-person event virtual badge.

Phase 4: Reaching Completionist Status (Final Week)

[ ] Open your Hacktoberfest Dashboard and check your total sticker balance.
[ ] If you are below 15 stickers, claim remaining easy stickers by logging stream check-in codes from live streams or participating in community mini-games during Global Hack Week.
[ ] Cross the 15-sticker mark before October 31 to seal your Completionist status and enter the final t-shirt and hardware raffles!

6. Essential Links, Hubs & Resources

Bookmark these key resources to navigate Hacktoberfest 2026 smoothly:

🌐 Official Event Hub: https://hacktoberfest.com
📊 Online Sticker Dashboard: https://hacktoberfest.com/online/
📍 In-Person Fests Directory: https://hacktoberfest.com/fests/
❓ Official Rules & FAQ: https://hacktoberfest.com/questions/
📝 DEV Community Challenges: https://dev.to
📺 MLH YouTube Channel (Live Streams & Guides): Search Major League Hacking on YouTube for stream archives and workshop tutorials.

Most Used Git Commands

devkshitij7 — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 17:51:58 +0000

🔷 git init 🔷
=> To Initialize New Repo

🔷 git add 🔷
=> To Inform Git For Updates

🔷 git commit 🔷
=> To Save the changes

🔷 git status 🔷
=> To Know status of working directory

🔷git push 🔷
=> To Push changes local-> remote repo

🔷 git pull🔷
=> to download updates from remote repo

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Top Books For Learning JavaScript

devkshitij7 — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 17:27:32 +0000

🔰 Eloquent JavaScript 🔰

https://www.flipkart.com/eloquent-javascript-3rd/p/itmf4m3qhdjj4f78

🔰 You Don't Know JS 🔰

https://www.amazon.in/You-Dont-Know-Set-Volumes/dp/9352136268

🔰 Head First JavaScript Programming 🔰

https://www.amazon.in/Head-First-JavaScript-Programming-Morrison/dp/144934013X

🔰 Effective JavaScript : The Good Parts 🔰

https://www.amazon.in/Javascript-Good-Parts-D-Crockford/dp/0596517742

🔰 JavaScript : The Definitive Guide 🔰

https://www.oreilly.com/library/view/javascript-the-definitive/9781491952016/

🔰 Secrets of the JavaScript Ninja 🔰

https://www.amazon.in/Secrets-JavaScript-Ninja-Second-Resig/dp/1617292850

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Full Stack Project Ideas For Beginner

devkshitij7 — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 17:19:08 +0000

🔰 E-Commerce Website 🔰

🔰 Food Delivery App 🔰

🔰 Social Media App 🔰

🔰 Chat Messaging App 🔰

🔰 Workout Tracker 🔰

🔰 Project Mgt Dashboard 🔰

🔰 Content Mgt System 🔰

🔰 Blog/Porfolio Site 🔰

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5️⃣ Awesome remote Job Websites For Developers

devkshitij7 — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 17:14:47 +0000

🌟 remotive.io 🌟

https://remotive.com/

🌟 remoteleads.io 🌟

https://remoteleads.io/

🌟 remoteok.io 🌟

https://remoteok.com/

🌟 angel.co 🌟

https://angel.co/

🌟 justremote.io 🌟

https://justremote.co/

🌟 weworkremotely.com 🌟

https://weworkremotely.com/

🌟 javascriptjob.xyz 🌟

https://javascriptjob.xyz/

🌟 flexjobs.com 🌟

https://www.flexjobs.com/

🌟 solidgigs.com 🌟

https://solidgigs.com/

🌟 dynamitejobs.com 🌟

https://dynamitejobs.com/

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Top Podcasts for developer's

devkshitij7 — Thu, 03 Nov 2022 17:03:54 +0000

🌟 Syntax 🌟

https://syntax.fm/

🌟 PodRocket 🌟

https://podrocket.logrocket.com/

🌟 Developer Tea 🌟

https://spec.fm/podcasts/developer-tea

🌟 HTTP 203 🌟

https://http203.libsyn.com/

🌟 Code Newbie 🌟

https://www.codenewbie.org/podcast

🌟 CodePen Radio 🌟

https://blog.codepen.io/radio/

🌟 React Podcast 🌟

https://legacy.reactjs.org/community/podcasts.html

🌟 JavaScript Jabber 🌟

https://topenddevs.com/podcasts/javascript-jabber

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Understanding Micro Front-ends !!

devkshitij7 — Tue, 27 Sep 2022 09:31:26 +0000

🔷 The idea behind Micro Front-ends is to think
about a website or web app as a composition of features which are owned by independent teams.

🔷 A team is cross functional and develops its features end-to-end, from database to user interface.

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VS Code Shortcuts you Must Know

devkshitij7 — Sun, 18 Sep 2022 11:48:26 +0000

🔷 Search for a File : Ctrl + P 🔷

🔷 Toggle Comment Block : Shift + Alt + A 🔷

🔷 Find A Word/Phrase in current file : Ctrl + F 🔷

🔷 Select Current Line : Ctrl + L 🔷

🔷 Toggle Sidebar : Ctrl + B 🔷

🔷 Delete Current Line : Ctrl +Shift + K 🔷

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Top Podcasts For Developer's You Must Know

devkshitij7 — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 10:43:24 +0000

🌟 Syntax 🌟

🌟 PodRocket 🌟

🌟 Developer Tea 🌟

🌟 HTTP 203 🌟

🌟 ShopTalk Show 🌟

🌟 Code Newbie 🌟

🌟 CodePen Radio 🌟

🌟React Podcast 🌟

🌟 JavaScript Jabber 10. The Changelog 🌟

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5️⃣ Free Excel-Like JS Libraries Used For Showing Big Data You Must Know 👨‍💻 A Thread 🧵

devkshitij7 — Mon, 08 Aug 2022 10:38:56 +0000

🌟 Luckysheet 🌟

🌟 React Data Grid 🌟

🌟 Frappe Database 🌟

🌟 JSspreadsheets🌟

🌟 Handsontable 🌟

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5️⃣ Free VS Code Extension You Must Know 👨‍💻

devkshitij7 — Fri, 05 Aug 2022 06:35:08 +0000

🌟 Rapid ApiClient 🌟

🌟 Better Comments 🌟

🌟Peacock 🌟

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Top Resources To Learn Web3/Blockchain Dev 👨‍💻

devkshitij7 — Thu, 04 Aug 2022 11:57:51 +0000

🌟 Morails 🌟

🌟 Questbook 🌟

🌟LearnWeb3🌟

🌟BuildSpace 🌟

🌟 Odyssey 🌟

🌟 useWeb3🌟

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