The Proof of Usefulness Hackathon is HackerNoon’s way of spotlighting projects that actually work — software that helps real people instead of chasing hype. Whether it’s a solo side project or a bigger build, this hackathon rewards projects that solve genuine problems.
Whether you’re creating something new or showing off an existing project, this guide will walk you through how to get started, submit your project, earn prizes, and see your Proof of Usefulness score.
Getting Started
What is Proof of Usefulness?
Proof of Usefulness is HackerNoon's validation system that scores projects from -100 to +1000 based on real-world utility: user adoption, revenue, technical stability, and genuine problem-solving. No demos, just software that works. Supported by
Who can participate?
Anyone building useful software! Whether you're a solo developer, startup team, or established company - if you have a project that solves real problems for real people, you're eligible. Projects can be existing products or new builds created specifically for the hackathon.
When does the hackathon take place?
January 5 - June 5, 2026. Rolling submissions mean you can submit anytime during this period. Winners are announced monthly, with final awards in June 2026.
Submissions
How do I submit my project?
- Go to the
Submit page - Fill out the form with your project details (URL, description, user metrics, etc.)
- Submit to generate your Proof of Usefulness report with your score
- Verify your email and move your report into a HackerNoon blog draft
- Publish your blog on HackerNoon to complete your submission
Publishing the blog post is required to be eligible for prizes.
What information do I need to provide?
- Project URL (your live product or GitHub repository)
- Project name and description
- Target audience and problem solved
- User metrics (active users, retention, growth data if available)
- Revenue information (business model and current revenue if applicable)
- Technologies used (especially sponsor technologies)
- Evidence of traction (URLs to reviews, testimonials, usage analytics)
More detailed, quantitative evidence leads to better scores.
Can I submit multiple projects?
Yes! Each project gets its own Proof of Usefulness report and score. However, each project must be substantially different and serve different use cases. Duplicate submissions may be disqualified.
What if my project is brand new with no users yet?
You can still submit! However, the algorithm heavily weighs actual user adoption. Brand new projects will likely score lower than established products. You can resubmit later as you gain users to improve your score.
How long does it take to get my score?
Instantly! Your Proof of Usefulness score is generated within seconds after submission. You'll receive your overall score, breakdown by criterion, category classification, and recommendations to improve.
Is my submission public?
Your report is visible to anyone with the link. Once you publish your HackerNoon blog post, it becomes public on HackerNoon's platform and appears on the Reports page.
Prizes & Rewards
What prizes can I win?
$150k+ in total prizes distributed across two main groups: Individual Developers competing for monthly cash prizes and software credits, and Startups competing for major software credits to scale their production software.\
Awarded monthly across the contest, recognizing both individual builders and startups.
- Bright Data: $10,000 (10 winners × $1,000)
- HackerNoon: $5,000 (10 winners × $500)
- Storyblok: $5,000 (6 monthly winners)
Because useful software deserves real infrastructure.
- Bright Data: $60,000
- 3 startup winners × $20,000
- One winner per bimonthly cycle (Jan–Feb, Mar–Apr, May–Jun)
- Neo4j: $10,000
- 10 winners × $1,000
- Algolia: $60,000
- 6 winners get 6 months of premium Algolia access worth $10,000
View the complete prize breakdown on the
Are there participation rewards?
Yes! All participants can claim free credits from sponsors to help build their projects:
- Bright Data: $250 in free credits. Learn more
here . - Storyblok: $540 worth of 45 days of access to the Growth+ plan. Learn more
here . - Neo4j: AuraDB Free for all participants. Learn more
here . - Algolia: Build tier Free for all participants. Learn more
here . - HackerNoon: $750 worth of publishing and promotion credits for startups. Learn more
here .
These are available to everyone who submits, regardless of their final score.
How is prize distribution determined?
Winners are selected based on their Proof of Usefulness score and project category.
- Monthly Winners: Top projects each month receives winner prizes (announced in the first week)
- All Participants: Submissions that fulfil the sponsor criteria with a PoU report gets rewarded
- Instant Access: Participant rewards are sent within 1 week of submission approval
- Winner Prizes: Premium packages delivered within 2 weeks of monthly announcement
Can I win multiple prizes?
Yes! Projects can win both cash prizes and software credits. If your project scores well and uses sponsor technologies effectively, you could be eligible for multiple prize categories. Each sponsor has their own criteria for software prizes, so using multiple sponsor technologies strategically could increase your total winnings.
Scoring & Evaluation
How does the scoring algorithm work?
The Proof of Usefulness algorithm evaluates projects across six criteria:
- Real-World Utility (25%) - Problem-solution fit and practical actionability
- Evidence of Traction (25%) - User adoption, media coverage, and verifiable signals
- Audience Reach & Impact (20%) - Size and real-world influence
- Technical Innovation (15%) - Novelty and quality of implementation
- Market Timing & Relevance (10%) - Competitive positioning and timeliness
- Functional Completeness (5%) - Clarity, evidence, and thoughtfulness
The algorithm cross-validates your responses against publicly available data to ensure authenticity. Learn more about the
What does my score mean?
Every submission receives a PoU score from -100 to +1000 based on empirical evidence, with seven distinct tiers:
- 751-1000: Unicorn Utility | The product has undeniable utility and massive adoption.
- 601-750: Category Standard | Product is a default choice and trusted across its category.
- 451-600: Industry Mainstay | Product is a definitive solution to a market problem.
- 301-450: Certified Problem Solver | Product is self-sustaining and provide long-term operational stability
- 101-300: Gaining Momentum | Product is officially moving from "neat idea" to "serious contender"
- 000-100: You're In Business | You've hit "Deploy" and the world didn't crash.
- -100-000: Lab Mode | Product is almost ready for the big reveal
What makes a valid submission?
- A working project URL
- Complete project information
- Claims that can be verified in the real world
- Uses one of the sponsor's tools and tags (optional, but increases chances of winning)
No mockups. No "coming soon." No vibes-only prototypes.
Technologies & Themes
What technologies should I use?
You can use any technology stack. However, building with sponsor technologies such as Bright Data, Storyblok, Algolia, or Neo4j automatically qualifies your project for sponsor-specific competition themes, increases visibility with sponsors, and improves your chances of winning sponsor-specific prizes. Check out the
Is there a theme?
Projects are published and evaluated under focused themes as HackerNoon tags, including:
- Foundational Tech & Builder Innovation (sponsored by HackerNoon): Submit projects in machine learning and AI, software engineering, security, startups, fintech innovation, and Web3 technologies. Any technology stack is welcome. Participants can win up to $5,000 in cash, and all qualifying startups receive
$750 in publishing and promotion credits . This is your chance to showcase your startup to a global audience. - Data Infrastructure, AI & Automation (sponsored by Bright Data): This theme rewards projects that demonstrate strong use cases for web data extraction and access, automation, data science pipelines, AI and generative AI applications, and agent-driven systems powered by large-scale datasets. Winners share
$10k in cash prizes and$60k in software credits . All participants in this theme qualify for $250 in free Bright Data credits to get started -click here to claim your free credits . - Modern Content Architecture (sponsored by Storyblock): Submit projects focused on API-first and headless CMS architectures, omnichannel content delivery, composable and frontend-agnostic content systems, and scalable content infrastructure for developers. Storyblock is awarding $5,000 in cash prizes and providing
$524 worth of free Growth+ Access to all participants in this theme. - Graph-Powered Intelligence (sponsored by Neo4j): Projects can explore graph databases, knowledge graphs, data intelligence, contextual retrieval, GraphRAG, and graph-powered AI agents for connected data use cases. Neo4j is offering
$10,000 in software prizes to top submissions. Participants can build usingNeo4j’s free version, AuraDB . - Intelligent Search & Retrieval (sponsored by Algolia): Submit projects centered on AI-powered search, semantic and relevance-based retrieval, search APIs, and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) to deliver fast, user-centric discovery experiences.
Build your project using Algolia’s free Build Tier.
Support & Resources
What if I need help or have questions?
- Check the FAQ page for common questions
- Read the detailed algorithm explanation on the
homepage - Review example reports on the
Reports page - Reach out to HackerNoon support via
their website - Engage with the community using the
#proofofusefulness tag
Where can I see example submissions?
Visit the
Proof of Usefulness Hackathon is a global 6-month developer challenge designed to reward real-world utility projects and initiatives. With 100,000+ in cash prizes and software credits for winners and $1500+ worth of software and inventory for participants, this is undisputedly the biggest contest of the year. Learn more
Meet our sponsors:
Bright Data: Bright Data is the leading web data infrastructure company, empowering over 20,000 organizations with ethical, scalable access to real-time public web information. From startups to industry leaders, we deliver the datasets that fuel AI innovation and real-world impact. Ready to unlock the web? Learn more at
Neo4j: GraphRAG combines retrieval-augmented generation with graph-native context, allowing LLMs to reason over structured relationships instead of just documents. With Neo4j, you can build GraphRAG pipelines that connect your data and surface clearer insights. Learn
Storyblok: Storyblok is a headless CMS built for developers who want clean architecture and full control. Structure your content once, connect it anywhere, and keep your front end truly independent. API-first. AI-ready. Framework-agnostic. Future-proof.
Algolia: Algolia provides a managed retrieval layer that lets developers quickly build web search and intelligent AI agents.