[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"$f31pv8e00z0iei":3},{"_id":4,"slug":5,"title":6,"subtitle":7,"kind":8,"cards":9,"tags":58,"categories":60,"source":62,"lang":65,"author":66,"audioState":69,"stats":70,"publishedAt":73,"renderer":74},"6aba79e1ca21c797c7e998d8","hacktoberfest-2026-the-complete-guide-new-rules-dates-swag-a-7bb8f13f","Hacktoberfest 2026: The Complete Guide (New Rules, Dates, Swag, and How to Join)","If you remember Hacktoberfest as \"open four pull requests, get a T-shirt,\" that version is over.","news",[10,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,53],{"headline":6,"body":11,"imageUrl":12,"sourceImageUrl":12},"If you remember Hacktoberfest as \"open four pull requests, get a T-shirt,\" that version is over. Hacktoberfest 2026 is a different event, and a lot of guides online are still out of date. This one covers what changed, what is confirmed, what is still unannounced, and how to get the most out of October. Last updated: September 28, 2026. Details are still being published, so check the official links at the bottom. What changed in 2026 (and why) Swag: what you can and can't get Contributing to open source anyway 2. What changed in 2026 (and why)","https:\u002F\u002Fmedia2.dev.to\u002Fdynamic\u002Fimage\u002Fwidth=1200,height=627,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto\u002Fhttps%3A%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Farticles%2F1rxyk9llhy2bz3wtfj2q.png",{"headline":14,"body":15,"imageUrl":16,"images":17},"Hacktoberfest started in 2014 at DigitalOcean with a","Hacktoberfest started in 2014 at DigitalOcean with a simple challenge: open four pull requests in October and earn a T-shirt. It introduced a lot of people to open source.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fhacktoberfest-2026-the-complete-guide-new-rules-dates-swag-a-7bb8f13f\u002F1.webp",{"local":16},{"headline":19,"body":20,"imageUrl":21,"images":22},"Over time the format created a problem. Maintainers","Over time the format created a problem. Maintainers were flooded with low-effort, box-checking pull requests, and AI tools made it trivial to generate more. The organizers say the event meant to help maintainers had started to burden them. PRs are not counted toward participation or rewards.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fhacktoberfest-2026-the-complete-guide-new-rules-dates-swag-a-7bb8f13f\u002F2.webp",{"local":21},{"headline":24,"body":25,"imageUrl":26,"images":27},"The focus is on learning and building with","The focus is on learning and building with open-source AI. The organizers give examples like writing your first open-source skills.md, building an open-source agent, or fine-tuning an open-weight model. The main format is community events, plus an online program. MLH and DEV are now full partners with DigitalOcean in running it. Important: contributing to open source is still encouraged. It just isn't what earns Hacktoberfest swag anymore.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fhacktoberfest-2026-the-complete-guide-new-rules-dates-swag-a-7bb8f13f\u002F3.webp",{"local":26},{"headline":29,"body":30,"imageUrl":31,"images":32},"Anyone 13 or older, worldwide, subject to U.S","Anyone 13 or older, worldwide, subject to U.S. export controls and embargo restrictions. Swag shipments and Fests also exclude locations embargoed or sanctioned by the U.S. For the online Global Hack Week (below), registration asks you to confirm you're over 18 or have a parent's permission. A Fest is an official in-person event of up to 12 hours. Use the Find a Fest page to search by name, city, or country. For people who can't reach a Fest, there is an online event running throughout October (see the calendar below). Confirmed on official pages:","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fhacktoberfest-2026-the-complete-guide-new-rules-dates-swag-a-7bb8f13f\u002F4.webp",{"local":31},{"headline":34,"body":35,"imageUrl":36,"images":37},"What Global Hack Week includes, per its event","What Global Hack Week includes, per its event page: daily live-streamed workshops on Twitch, mini-events in the MLH Community Discord, and challenges (social, technical, and design) where you earn points, including a point each time you check in to a live session. Registration asks for a GitHub username (or \"N\u002FA\").","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fhacktoberfest-2026-the-complete-guide-new-rules-dates-swag-a-7bb8f13f\u002F5.webp",{"local":36},{"headline":39,"body":40,"imageUrl":41,"images":42},"Not yet announced: the prompts for each DEV","Not yet announced: the prompts for each DEV challenge, prize amounts, number of winners, and judging criteria. Each challenge page publishes its own terms when it goes live. Read those before building anything for a prize.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fhacktoberfest-2026-the-complete-guide-new-rules-dates-swag-a-7bb8f13f\u002F6.webp",{"local":41},{"headline":44,"body":45,"imageUrl":46,"images":47},"Time zones: convert times yourself. For example, Global","Time zones: convert times yourself. For example, Global Hack Week starts at 16:00 UTC on October 9, which is 9:30 PM in India (IST). 6. Swag: what you can and can't get Swag Envelopes ship after Hacktoberfest ends and should reach most destinations within 30 to 60 days.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fhacktoberfest-2026-the-complete-guide-new-rules-dates-swag-a-7bb8f13f\u002F7.webp",{"local":46},{"headline":49,"body":50,"imageUrl":51,"images":52},"To be eligible for physical swag from Global","To be eligible for physical swag from Global Hack Week, the registration form says you must fill out MLH's shipping address form.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fhacktoberfest-2026-the-complete-guide-new-rules-dates-swag-a-7bb8f13f\u002F8.webp",{"local":51},{"headline":54,"body":55,"imageUrl":56,"images":57},"You don't need a big team. The organizers","You don't need a big team. The organizers say a meetup group, university club, or a few coworkers with a conference room is enough.","\u002Fapi\u002Fmedia\u002Fposts\u002Fhacktoberfest-2026-the-complete-guide-new-rules-dates-swag-a-7bb8f13f\u002F9.webp",{"local":56},[59],"dev",[61],"Technology",{"name":63,"url":64},"Dev.to","https:\u002F\u002Fdev.to\u002Fshresthapandey\u002Fhacktoberfest-2026-the-complete-guide-new-rules-dates-swag-and-how-to-join-480f","en",{"handle":67,"displayName":68},"spots","Spots","queued",{"views":71,"likes":72,"saves":72,"shares":72,"completions":72,"opens":72,"skips":72,"depthSum":72},3,0,"2026-09-28T14:29:53.443Z","local"]