How hackathons on Devpost work
How hackathons on Devpost work
Who runs the hackathons I joined
Who is responsible for prizes, judging, and winners
What can Devpost do if an organizer goes unresponsive
Tips to get the most out of building on Devpost
How to report a suspicious hackathon
What should I do if I have a problem with a hackathon
How hackathons on Devpost work
Devpost is built around a community of makers, and we care deeply about the experience you have here. Whether you have questions about a recent hackathon's management or administration, this article details how Devpost functions, outlines specific roles and responsibilities, explains how we can assist you, and shares valuable tips to optimize your participation in future events.
What is Devpost?
Devpost is a hosting platform for hackathons. Companies, communities, academic institutions, and individuals use Devpost to publish their hackathon events, register participants, collect project submissions, and run judging. We host many thousands of hackathons every year.
The vast majority of these events are not administered by the Devpost team. In the same way that Eventbrite, Luma, or Meetup host events created by other people, we provide the software and infrastructure, but the events themselves are created and run by independent organizers.
Who runs the hackathon I joined?
There are two primary kinds of hackathons on Devpost:
1. Devpost-managed hackathons
An exclusive number of hackathons are directly managed by the Devpost team. These are labeled “Managed by Devpost” and you can find them using the “Managed by Devpost” filter on our hackathons page.
For these events, our small team is closely involved in submission management, judging support, prize administration, and follow-through.
2. Independently organized hackathons
The large majority of hackathons on Devpost are created and run by independent organizers, not by Devpost. For these hackathons, Devpost provides the platform, while the organizer is responsible for running the event, including the rules, judging, choosing and announcing winners, and delivering prizes.
Here’s a quick way to see the difference:
|
|
Devpost-managed hackathon | Independently organized hackathon |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | Devpost team | An outside organizer (company, community, institution or individual) |
| Judging* & winners | Managed with Devpost's support | Fully the organizer's responsibility |
| Prizes & payouts | Devpost typically administers cash prizes. Sponsor administers noncash prizes. | Funded and delivered by the organizer |
| How to spot it | Shows a “Managed by Devpost” badge; appears under the “Managed by Devpost” filter | No Devpost badge; does not appear under the managed filter |
*Please note that Devpost neither accepts applications for hackathon judging nor charges judges a fee to participate.
Who is responsible for prizes, judging, and winners?
For independently organized hackathons, the organizer (not Devpost) is responsible for:
- Setting and enforcing the rules
- Reviewing submissions and selecting winners
- Announcing results within the timeframe they promised
- Funding and delivering all prizes, including any cash, credits, or swag
- Communicating with participants throughout and after the event
Because the Devpost team does not run these events, we do not hold the prize funds, choose winners, or control when (or whether) an organizer follows through. If an organizer offers a prize and doesn’t deliver it, the organizer has broken their commitment to participants and potentially violated Devpost’s Terms of Service.
What can Devpost do if an organizer goes unresponsive?
We take these situations seriously and want every developer to have a good experience on our platform. When an organizer stops responding or fails to follow through, here is what we can do:
- Attempt to contact the organizer on your behalf and forward your messages to them.
- Review the event against our Terms of Service and take action against organizers who violate these Terms.
- De-list or unpublish hackathons that do not align with Devpost’s Terms of Service or Community Guidelines
And here is what we honestly cannot do:
- Pay out a prize that Devpost never held. For independently organized events, the prize money or rewards belong to the organizer, not to Devpost.
- Force an unresponsive organizer to announce winners or deliver prizes.
- Guarantee an outcome when an organizer has stopped communicating with everyone, including the Devpost team.
As a small team handling a large volume of inquiries, we strive to be as responsive as possible, and we are constantly working to improve our platform and processes to prevent these situations from occurring.
Tips to get the most out of building on Devpost
We want every hackathon you enter to be worth your time and to help you grow as a builder so it’s always worth getting familiar with an event before you dive in. When you register for a hackathon, you agree to Devpost’s Terms of Service along with the specific rules set by that event’s organizer. Here are a few habits that experienced Devpost builders use to choose great events and make the most of them:
- Get to know who’s running it. Read up on the organizer.
- Read the rules first. Skim the eligibility requirements, judging criteria, prize details, and the timeline for announcing winners so you know exactly what you’re signing up for.
- Look at the prizes realistically. Note what’s actually being offered: cash, credits, or swag and remember that for independently organized events, the organizer (not Devpost) funds and delivers them.
- Favor active, responsive organizers. An organizer who answers questions in the discussion forum and communicates clearly is a great sign that the event is well run.
A few minutes of homework up front helps you focus your energy on the events most worth building for and that’s where the best experiences (and best projects) tend to come from.
How to report a suspicious hackathon
If you come across a hackathon that looks fraudulent or is violating our Terms, please let us know by filling out our hackathon report form rather than emailing suport@devpost.com. Reports submitted through the form go straight into our dedicated review process, so our team can investigate the event properly and take action where it’s warranted.
Report a hackathon: Devpost Escalation Report
What should I do if I have a problem with a hackathon?
- Check who runs the event. On the hackathon page, look for a “Managed by Devpost” badge, or use the “Managed by Devpost” filter on our hackathons page. If it isn’t there, the event is run by an independent organizer.
- Contact the organizer first. You can typically find their contact information on the hackathon page under “Email the hackathon manager,” or reach out via the public discussion forum or community chat (if available). The organizer is responsible for overseeing the judging process, selecting winners, and distributing prizes.
- Report anything that looks fraudulent. If you believe an event is fraudulent or breaking our Terms, submit our hackathon report form (above) so it enters our review process.
Have feedback on how we can make Devpost better? We’d love to hear it. We’re a small team, and community input genuinely shapes what we build. Contact support@devpost.com.
Frequently asked questions
- Does Devpost run most of the hackathons on its site?
- No. We host many thousands of hackathons, and the majority are created and run by independent organizers. Only events labeled “Managed by Devpost” are managed and/or supported by our team.
- The hackathon offered a prize and I never received it. Will Devpost pay me?
- For independently organized hackathons, prizes are funded and delivered by the organizer, not Devpost. We never hold those funds, so we’re not able to pay them out.
- How do I tell if a hackathon is run by Devpost?
- Look for the “Managed by Devpost” badge on the event page, or use the “Managed by Devpost” filter on our hackathons page. If neither applies, the event is independently organized.
- Whose job is it to check that a hackathon is legitimate before I join?
- When you register, you agree to Devpost’s Terms of Service and the organizer’s rules, so it’s worth taking a few minutes to get familiar with an event before committing your time, checking who runs it, reading the rules, and reviewing the prizes. Devpost works hard to identify fraudulent hackathons, and if you spot one, you can help the whole community by reporting it through our hackathon report form.
- The organizer won’t respond to me. Can you make them?
- We can forward your messages and contact the organizer ourselves, and we enforce our Terms of Service against organizers who violate them. We can’t force an unresponsive organizer to act, but we’ll do everything within our ability to help and to prevent similar situations in the future.