We just wrapped the very first month of the MLH x DEV Writing Challenge, our new way of celebrating MLH hackers who take the time to document what they built. We loved reading through the submissions, and we're excited to kick things off by shining a spotlight on our favorite one.
Your hackathon may end after the weekend, but as this month's pick proves, your project story is just getting started.
Let's get to it!
🎉 Congratulations To…
This Month's Winner
@pritam_patra_429a25dedae6 built OmniML, a tool that helps build AI models and explains what's happening under the hood. Instead of a black box that spits out a finished model, OmniML checks in with you along the way, letting you weigh in on how the model is built, what data it's learning from, and how it's trained. It even explains its own decisions in plain terms and flags whether the result is fair and compliant, so you're never left guessing why it made the choices it did.
Prize
This month's winner will receive:
- $100 USD
Just got back from a hackathon?
Don't let your project story end there. Publish your own submission using the official submission template for a chance to be featured next month.
What's Next?
Hacktoberfest is in full-swing and we're running a new challenge every week, each with a new theme. There's still time to enter this week's challenge:
Register for the upcoming challenges to be notified as details drop:
Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge: Week 2
October 12, 2026The Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge: Week 2 runs October 12 to October 18. This week's theme is Side Hustle: build something with open-weight models or open-source AI that someone would actually pay for. $2,550 in prizes across 18 winners. This year's Hacktoberfest is all about building brand-new projects with open-source AI and open-weight models. Every week brings a new theme, and every challenge is a fresh start, so you're competing on the same footing as everyone else.
Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge: Week 3
October 19, 2026The Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge: Week 3 runs October 19 to October 25. In honor of International Sloth Day, build something with open-source AI that rewards laziness: a tool for relaxation, an automation for a task you dread, or anything that makes life easier. $2,850 in prizes across 21 winners. New to Hacktoberfest this year? Instead of pull requests, you build a brand-new project with open-source AI at its core and write about it on DEV. Every challenge is a fresh start, so it's never too late to join.
Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge: Week 4
October 26, 2026The Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge: Week 4 runs October 26 to October 31. Build something spooky, or something that honors the past in the spirit of Día de los Muertos, with open-weight models or open-source AI. $2,850 in prizes across 21 winners. This is the final challenge of our Hacktoberfest series. This year's Hacktoberfest is all about building brand-new projects with open-source AI and open-weight models, and the theme is intentionally broad, so interpret it however you'd like!
See you next time!