📌 About the Event

Beginner’s Paradise – FirstCommit 2026 is an online hackathon designed for young developers who want to build their first project, make meaningful GitHub commits, and showcase their learning and technical skills. Participants can develop web applications, mobile apps, desktop software, games, hardware projects, AI-powered solutions, or other software projects. The hackathon focuses on learning, creativity, technical execution, problem-solving, and presentation, providing participants with an opportunity to turn their ideas into working projects and demonstrate their development journey.

ℹ️ Event Details

• Competition Name: Beginner’s Paradise – FirstCommit 2026
• Mode: Online
• Event Type: Public Hackathon
• Participation: Individual or team
• Maximum Team Size: 6 members
• Age Eligibility: 13–21 years
• Project Categories: Web applications, mobile applications, desktop applications, games, hardware projects, AI-powered projects, and other software projects
• Development Focus: Learning, creativity, technical understanding, execution, and presentation
• GitHub Requirement: Participants must maintain a public GitHub repository showing meaningful development progress
• Project Creation: The main project work must be completed during the hackathon
• Permitted Resources: Existing frameworks, libraries, templates, and development tools may be used

📅 Important Dates

• Hackathon Deadline: September 30, 2026
• Submission Time: 2:30 AM IST
• Participation Mode: Online

🎯 Eligibility & Rules

Eligibility

• Participants must be 13 to 21 years old.
• The event is designed for young developers and is presented on the event page for student participants.
• Participants can compete individually or as part of a team.
• Teams can have a maximum of 6 members.

Project Requirements

• The project must be created during the hackathon.
• Participants may use existing frameworks, libraries, templates, and development tools.
• A public GitHub repository is required.
• The repository should contain multiple meaningful commits that demonstrate the development process.
• Submitting the complete project through a single commit may result in disqualification.
• Every team member must make a meaningful contribution to the project.
• All contributors must be properly credited.
• External code, assets, APIs, libraries, templates, and other resources must be appropriately acknowledged.

AI Usage

• AI tools may be used as learning and development aids.
• Participants can use AI for activities such as brainstorming, learning, and debugging.
• Participants should understand the work and code they submit.
• Significant AI assistance must be disclosed in the project README.
• Organizers may request additional information about AI usage where applicable.

Submission Requirements

• Working project created during the hackathon
• Public GitHub repository
• Project description explaining what was built, how it works, and the problem it addresses
• 3–5 minute demo video
• README containing clear setup instructions
• Details of technologies, frameworks, APIs, libraries, and external resources used
• AI usage disclosure in the README, where applicable
• Participants may additionally provide a live deployment, screenshots, slides, or supporting documentation

Judging Criteria

• Learning & Growth: 30%
• Creativity & Impact: 25%
• Technical Execution: 25%
• Presentation & Communication: 20%

🏆 Benefits for the Participants

💰 Prize Pool: $1,024+

Participants can compete for multiple awards recognizing technical achievement, creativity, ambition, design, learning, project quality, and community appeal.

Prize Category	Reward
🥇 Beginner’s Paradise Champion	$292 cash + 1-year .xyz domain + 2-year DevSwarm subscription + 6-month Linear Pro
🚀 Most Ambitious Project	$292 cash + 1-year .xyz domain + 1-year DevSwarm subscription + 6-month Linear Pro
💡 Most Creative Idea	$120 cash + 1-year .XYZ domain + 1-year DevSwarm subscription
🌐 Best Web/App Experience	$120 cash + 1-year .XYZ domain + 1-year DevSwarm subscription
🎨 Best Design	$120 cash + 1-year .xyz domain + 1-year DevSwarm subscription
🛠️ Best Technical Achievement	$20 cash + .xyz domain + certificate
📈 Biggest Learning Journey	$20 cash + .xyz domain + certificate
✨ Most Polished Project	$20 cash + certificate + .xyz domain
❤️ Community Loved	$20 cash + certificate + .xyz domain
🎓 Participation Award	Certificate

🌟 Why Participate?

• Build & Showcase: Develop a working project and present your idea through a public submission.
• Learn by Doing: Gain practical experience throughout the project development process.
• Strengthen Your GitHub Profile: Build a public repository that demonstrates meaningful development progress.
• Compete Across Multiple Categories: Get opportunities to be recognized for creativity, design, technical achievement, ambition, learning, and project quality.
• Earn Certificates & Rewards: Participants can receive certificates, while selected winners can earn cash prizes and additional benefits.
• Demonstrate Your Skills: Showcase your creativity, technical understanding, problem-solving ability, development process, and learning journey.