How the program works

You build a real project (software or hardware), track the hours you put in, get it reviewed, and earn gold to spend on prizes in the shop. This page is the full tour of that journey, from your first idea to the final build.

Inspired by Hack Club Fallout's docs

If you already know whether you want to build software or hardware and just want the setup links, the Read Me has faster paths. New to all of this and feeling a little lost? That's normal, and this page walks you through it one step at a time.

Software or hardware?

You can build software projects (websites, apps, games, bots) or hardware projects (PCBs, 3D-printed gadgets, electronics). Or both. Either way, you earn gold for the hours you put in, which you can spend on prizes in the shop.

The difference is how you get there:

Software: You code, Hackatime tracks your hours automatically, and you earn gold based on time spent. Spend that gold on prizes in the shop.
Hardware: You design your project, submit it for review, and get funded to buy parts. Then as you build it IRL, you earn gold for the hours spent building. That gold goes toward prizes in the shop too.

The five steps

The premise is simple:

Come up with an idea
Track your progress as you work
Submit your design for review
Build it
Share it with the world and earn prizes

The rest of this page is just those five steps in detail. You don't need to read ahead. Start with the idea.

Step 1: The idea

Ever watched a YouTube video and wondered how they built that? Now's your chance to start.

It can be really simple. If you're new, it should be really simple. That's how you improve. But it should feel closer to a product than a demo. Your goal is to build something others can understand, recreate, and build on.

Make it personal! You'll enjoy working on it and time will fly. Don't copy-paste someone else's work or follow tutorials verbatim. It should be your project, not someone else's, and not AI's.

Not sure if your idea is good enough? Check the What Makes a Good Project page.

Step 2: Track your progress

Every hour you spend building earns you gold. But we need to verify your work is real, so tracking is required. The way you track depends on your project type.

Software projects: Install Hackatime in your code editor. It runs in the background and automatically tracks your coding hours. No extra work needed.

Hardware projects: Write journal entries on your project page. Be detailed: what you did, what you learned, what went wrong. Attach photos at every step.

AI doesn't know you. It doesn't matter if you're "bad at writing," just don't use it. Your journals should be written by you.

Step 3: Submit for review

Once your project is ready (or your design is complete for hardware), submit it for review. Reviewers check that your work is original, your documentation is clear, and your design makes sense.

Software projects: You need a GitHub repository with a good README, your source code, and Hackatime connected.

Hardware projects: You need a GitHub repository with your design files (CAD, PCB, firmware), a BOM (bill of materials), and a clear README. After approval, you'll receive funding to buy your parts.

95% of rejections come from problems that take 5 minutes to fix

Read the submission requirements before submitting. Missing files, broken links, or an unclear README are the most common reasons, and every one of them is cheap to fix upfront.

Step 4: Build it

You log the hours while you build, and your gold lands in your balance when a reviewer approves the ship. So keep tracking your work, the hours you bank now are what get rewarded at review.

Software projects: Keep coding, keep pushing to GitHub. Hackatime tracks your hours, and you earn gold for them once your ship is approved.

Hardware projects: Order your parts with the funding you received. Build your project IRL. Keep journaling your progress. The hours you spend building earn you additional gold for the shop once you submit a finished build for review.

Update your GitHub repo, share your project online (Reddit, Instagram, etc.), and submit your final build for review. Once approved, you'll earn gold to spend on cool prizes in the shop!

If your hardware build doesn't work

You're not stuck, and nothing is lost. Submit an update ship and tick I need funding to request more money for replacement parts. Document your findings in a new journal entry so reviewers can see what went wrong and what you're changing.

If the project works and you just kept improving it, leave I need funding unticked and earn gold for the hours you logged.

Check the submission requirements for builds before submitting.