The Proof of Usefulness Hackathon is HackerNoon’s way of spotlighting projects that actually work – together we celebrate software that solves real problems instead of chasing hype. Whether it’s a solo side project or a bigger build, this hackathon rewards projects that are genuine and rooted in practical problem-solving.
B-But how do we enter? How do I get my project enrolled to the prize consideration queue?
We heard ya – and today’s guide will walk you through in detail, exactly how to submit your project, and compete for the $150K+ prize pool of the Proof of Usefulness Hackathon 💚
Step 1: Submit & Generate Your PoU Report
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This is your official registration. Without this report, your project will not be scored.
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1. Go to proofofusefulness.comand Click “Submit Project’ n
Easy right? Focus now, because next up is the tricky part!
2. Fill Out Your Project/Company Information
3. Provide Technical Details to Your Project/Company
This step is all about your attention to detail – imagine filling out a CV, but this time it’s for your project! Proof of Usefulness rate submissions on real-world signals: user adoption, revenue, technical stability, and genuine problem-solving; therefore, it is essential to show the numbers behind your build.
Before you submit, pull together simple traction proof like ==active users, API calls, paid customers, or GitHub stars/forks if you’re open source, and the specific integrated tech stack (Bright Data, Neo4j, Storyblok, Algolia, or your custom stack)==. This ensures your product’s usefulness is easy to verify and not just implied.
Wanna really get the best score possible? Spare no details! Bring ==charts, numbers, testimonials, press releases== – all you can think of to make your PoU submission bulletproof! Showcase your project’s growth, whether it is revenue or user adoption; all milestones count, and everything will be kept tab towards your final score 🌟
4. Fill Out Your Contact and Submit!
Before getting your Usefulness score and report, fill out your contact information to officiate your submission. This step is required to ensure each project is being submitted by a real person and is an existing product/company.
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Note: After typing your email, hit “Send Verification Code” – an email will be sent to your provided address, put your 6-digit code down and you are good to go 🙌
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All done? Great! Hit “Submit Project” and wait. The system will analyze your inputs (including traction metrics like users or stars) and generate a Proof of Usefulness Score (-100 – 1000+) along with a downloadable report card.
Excited about your score? Download and share your PoU Report Card everywhere 💚 (remember to tag HackerNoon, and our sponsors BrightData, Storyblok, Neo4j, and Algolia)!
Remember – Qualification Check: To qualify, your project must be a live, functional product (no mockups).
Step 2: Document Your Project on HackerNoon
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Your article serves as your technical documentation and pitch to the judges.
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So you’ve got your Proof of Usefulness score – perfect! But in order to finalize your participation in the Proof of Usefulness Hackathon and compete for the $150K+ prize pool, you’ll need official documentation of your project. Luckily, HackerNoon’s got you 🫵
1. Tell Your Product Story: Move Your PoU Report Into a HackerNoon Blogpost Draft.
On your report page, click on the button to quickly move your project submission to a HackerNoon Blog. When doing this, a HackerNoon profile will be automatically created for you, and you’ll be redirected to a HackerNoon draft page.
What now? – Set up your profile and write on! If you’re familiar with the HackerNoon writing flow – great! If not, check out these profiles below to quickly get yourself familiarized.
https://hackernoon.com/u/product?embedable=true
https://hackernoon.com/u/editingprotocol?embedable=true
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Still confused? Drop us an email at [email protected] for further support 💚
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Since the blogpost draft is a writing prompt auto-generated by HackerNoon based on your Proof of Usefulness submission, you’ll need to double-check all information to ensure clarity and accuracy.
Got it? – Great! Now, complete your draft by answering the rest of the questions in the draft. Here are some bullet points of essential things you should include in your blog. Treat it like a suggested checklist; the rest is all up to your creativity! Share all you want about your project – Tell YOUR story!
The Problem & Solution: How can your product provide a real-world solution?Implementation: Technical details and code snippets showing how you used the sponsor technology (e.g., "How we used Neo4j to map user relationships").The "Proof": You can embed or screenshot your PoU Report from above.
2. Submit for Publication
Satisfied with your record of PoU? Hit the submit button.
Your blog will then be sent to the queue, and the HackerNoon team will take it from there. Once your article is approved and published, congratulations, your Proof of Usefulness Hackathon submission has been successful and is live!
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Bonus: By completing this step, you’ve unlocked $1,500+ in software credits for all participants. Go to https://www.proofofusefulness.com/software-prizes to claim the software prizes from the sponsors!
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Step 3: Compete for Monthly & Grand Prizes
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The hackathon runs from Jan 5 to June 5, allowing for continuous improvement.
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Monthly Judging: Entries are reviewed on a rolling basis for the $20,000 in monthly cash prizes.
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Iterate & Update: Since utility is the core metric, you can update your product, improve your PoU score, and increase your chances for the Grand Prize in June.
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Grand Prize Qualification: Top-scoring projects are shortlisted for the final $150K+ prize pool distribution.
For more information, check out these articles below 👇
https://hackernoon.com/proof-of-usefulness-hackathon-win-$100k-from-bright-data-neo4j-algolia-storyblok-and-hackernoon?embedable=true
https://hackernoon.com/everything-you-need-to-know-about-hackernoons-proof-of-usefulness-hackathon?embedable=true
Meet our sponsors:
Bright Data: Bright Data is the leading web data infrastructure company, empowering over 20,000 organizations with ethical, scalable access to real-time public web information. From startups to industry leaders, we deliver the datasets that fuel AI innovation and real-world impact. Ready to unlock the web? Learn more here.
Neo4j: GraphRAG combines retrieval-augmented generation with graph-native context, allowing LLMs to reason over structured relationships instead of just documents. With Neo4j, you can build GraphRAG pipelines that connect your data and surface clearer insights. Learn more here.
Storyblok: Storyblok is a headless CMS built for developers who want clean architecture and full control. Structure your content once, connect it anywhere, and keep your front end truly independent. API-first. AI-ready. Framework-agnostic. Future-proof. Learn more here.
Algolia: Algolia provides a managed retrieval layer that lets developers quickly build web search and intelligent AI agents. Learn more here.
