{
  "id": 15090047,
  "title": "How to Hack Like a Pro at Hacktoberfest 2026 (Even If You’re New)",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/10/17/how-to-hack-like-a-pro-at-hacktoberfest-2026-even-if-youre-new",
  "topic": "tech",
  "section": "Tech",
  "published": "2026-10-17T01:30:28.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "Dev.to",
    "slug": "dev-to",
    "url": "https://dev.to/devhabeeblateef/how-to-hack-like-a-pro-at-hacktoberfest-2026-even-if-youre-new-g1c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hacktoberfest 2026 is a month-long celebration of open-source AI, hosted by MLH, DEV, and DigitalOcean. This year, the focus is on creating real projects using open-source and open-weight AI. Unlike previous years, pull requests no longer contribute to rewards. The main events, called Hack Days, ask participants to build something useful that uses open-source or open-weight AI, put the code in a public GitHub repository, and submit it through the official event system. Many Hack Days also have a partner track, such as the Google Gemma Event, which requires the project to call Gemma 4 through the Gemini API.\n\nTo hack like a pro at Hacktoberfest 2026, start with a tiny, clear problem and make the AI the core of your project. Use an open-source license from the first commit, write a README for a stranger, keep the demo short and honest, and ship something that works today. For the Gemma track, ensure the code calls Gemma 4. Building and submitting a real project involves creating a repository, adding a LICENSE file, getting a Gemini API key, and writing minimal code to explain images using Gemma 4. The final advice is to treat the day like a focused build session, pick one small idea, make the AI the center of it, and ship a working version.",
  "summary": "Hacktoberfest looks different this year. Pull requests no longer count toward rewards. The focus is on building real projects with open-source and open-weight AI. This guide is for beginners and experienced builders. I’ll explain the basic ideas first, then walk through a complete small project you can actually finish and submit in one focused session. What Hacktoberfest 2026 Actually Is…",
  "key_points": [
    "Hacktoberfest 2026 focuses on open-source AI projects",
    "Hack Days require building useful AI projects in public repos",
    "For Gemma track, code must call Gemini API through Gemma 4"
  ],
  "editors_take": "Shifting the focus from simple pull requests to building functional projects marks a transition toward prioritizing tangible contributions and real-world utility within the open-source AI ecosystem.",
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}