// Rules & FAQ

How a Yard actually works.

Written to be checkable. Where a rule is enforced by the platform, it says so. Where it runs on trust, it says that instead, including the places we can't enforce anything at all.

Getting in

What is a Yard?

A small pop-up hackathon. A theme drops, a capped group of builders gets a build week, everyone ships by Friday, and the community votes over the weekend. That's the whole thing.

How many people can join?

Every Yard sets its own cap, shown on the Yard page. They're kept small on purpose, usually a few dozen builders, so every build actually gets seen.

How do I get a spot?

Can I claim a spot before the Yard opens?

Yes, and you should. Spots are claimable while a Yard is still locked. The grid on the Yard page fills up in real time as people claim.

What happens when all the spots are gone?

You join the waitlist and see your exact position ("Waitlist #3").

Does the waitlist actually move?

Yes, automatically. If someone releases their spot, the next person in line moves in immediately, no admin action, no waiting on anyone. Spots whose holders never check in release the same way at kickoff. This is enforced by how the data is stored, not by someone remembering to do it.

Can I give up my spot?

Yes. “Release spot” frees it instantly for the next person on the waitlist. If you know you can't make it, releasing is the single most useful thing you can do for the Yard.

Do I have to check in?

Yes. Holding a spot isn't the same as showing up, so everyone with a claim, spot holders and waitlisters alike, confirms before the clock starts. Check-in opens 48 hours before kickoff and closes the moment the Yard goes live (Monday, 18:00 UTC). It's one click, from the email or on the Yard page.

Miss it and your spot releases at kickoff so the next person on the waitlist can build. That's not a punishment, it's how a full Yard stays full of builders instead of a grid of ghosts.

Can I join a Yard after it's already started?

Yes, if it still has open spots. Claiming stays open for the first 48 hours of the build, through Wednesday at 18:00 UTC. After that the roster locks.

Joining live counts as your check-in, so there's nothing extra to confirm. You just have less time than the people who started Monday, and that's your call to make.

Do I get confirmation that I'm in?

Yes, an email right away with your spot number, a check-in email 48 hours before kickoff, and a heads-up when the theme and dates are posted.

Is it free?

Joining a Yard is free. Claiming a spot, building, and voting cost nothing.

How do I sign in?

GitHub or email + password. (X sign-in isn't available yet.)

The theme

What's the theme, and when do I find out?

Every Yard has one, and it's public from the moment the Yard is posted, before the clock starts. You don't have to wait for kickoff to know what you're building toward.

A theme is a real constraint, not a vibe. Past themes have been sharp lines like “No accounts” (build something useful with zero sign-up, zero login, zero email) or “Backlog.” If your build doesn't fit the line, it's off-theme. With the model usually left open, the theme is the thing everyone shares.

Doesn't announcing it early let people pre-build?

It lets people pre-think, which is the point. Ideas are free. Code is timed. You can sketch, plan, and argue with yourself beforehand, but the code ships during the build week, Monday to Friday, and every submission publishes its repo timing so that's visible to everyone.

How strictly does my build have to match the theme?

The theme is a real constraint, not a suggestion. It isn't database-enforced, nothing could enforce “is this on theme?”, so it's handled the same way everything else subjective is here: voters are asked to weigh it. An off-theme build loses votes. It does not get removed, and no organizer overrules the yard.

Who picks the theme?

Hackyard sets it by default. But the theme is also the thing a sponsor can set , a company or an indie backer can bring the constraint itself: a theme, a model, a tool, an API, or a challenge for the yard to build against.

That's deliberate. The constraint is the most valuable thing a sponsor can own, because it shapes every build in the Yard instead of sitting in a banner nobody looks at. Sponsored Yards are also where prize pools come from, a backed Yard can put real money or resources behind the Yard on top of the standard badges and champion sponsorship.

Either way it reaches every builder at the same moment, and no sponsor gets a say in who wins, the vote is the vote. Sponsor a Yard →

Is the theme or the model the bigger constraint?

The theme, almost always. Most Yards are open-model: bring whatever you already pay for. Naming a model narrows who can show up, and we'd rather narrow the problem than the people. A named model is a special condition, usually a sponsored one, not a permanent rule of Hackyard, so a sharp theme is what makes builds comparable. When a Yard does name a model, its page says so up front.

When it happens

When do Yards run?

Yards run the 1st and 3rd week of every month, Monday to Sunday. Two a month, evenly spaced, with an off week in between for a breather and the next theme reveal.

It's meant to be predictable. If it's the first or third Monday of the month, a Yard is kicking off. You can plan around it instead of watching for a surprise.

What does the week actually look like?

One calendar week, start to finish:

Kickoff: Monday, 18:00 UTC (2:00 PM ET)
Build: Monday through Friday
Submissions close, voting opens: Friday, 18:00 UTC (2:00 PM ET)
Voting: Friday through Sunday
Champion crowned: Sunday, 6:00 PM ET (22:00 UTC)

So you build across the work week, the community votes over the weekend, and the winner is called Sunday evening. Every Yard runs on the same rhythm.

How will I know the date?

Email, to everyone holding a spot, plus the times are on every Yard page. And because the cadence is fixed to the 1st and 3rd Monday, you don't need to watch the timeline to see one coming.

Building

How long do I get?

The full build week. Kickoff is Monday at 18:00 UTC (2:00 PM ET) and submissions close Friday at 18:00 UTC, so you have Monday through Friday to ship.

Solo or teams?

Solo only, for now. Teams may come to a later Yard.

Do I have to open-source it?

Yes. Submissions include a public repo.

What exactly do I submit?

Repo URL, required
Writeup, required, 500 characters max
Model declaration , required, and published on your submission page
Demo video, optional but strongly recommended (YouTube, Vimeo, or Loom play inline on your submission page)
Screenshot, optional, and it's what people see first on your card

Can I use a framework, libraries, or a starter template?

Yes. Dependencies, frameworks, and CLI scaffolds are fine. Your own pre-written project code is not. Running create-next-app, installing packages, or starting from a public boilerplate is normal work, not a head start.

The real question is: did you start from something you built earlier? That's the only version of this that gives anyone an unfair edge, and it's exactly what the repo timing panel measures.

So don't burn a day of your build week hand-rolling something you could install. “All code written during the build week” means the code that makes your project yours.

Can I edit my submission after I post it?

Yes, any time while the Yard is still live. Once judging starts, submissions are locked.

Do I need a spot to submit?

Yes. This is enforced at the database level, not just hidden in the UI, no spot, no submission, regardless of how you try.

How do you know I actually built it during the build week?

Every submission page shows its repo's timing panel, pulled live from GitHub: when the repo was created, how many commits it has, and the span from first to last commit, next to the Yard's build window.

If a repo was created before kickoff, the panel says so, in public. We don't remove anyone for it; we show the dates and let the yard weigh them. Repo creation dates come from GitHub and cannot be edited by the author. Commit dates can be rewritten, so the panel labels them as context, not proof.

Models

Which AI model do I use?

Most Yards are open-model. Bring Claude, GPT, Grok, Gemini, something local, or no AI at all. The theme is the constraint, not the model, so what you already pay for is enough to enter.

A Yard can name a specific model, but that's the exception, usually because a sponsor brought it, or because the point of that Yard is seeing one model in dozens of different hands. When a Yard names one, its page says so up front. If the page doesn't name a model, it's open.

Didn't Hackyard used to be a one-model event?

It did. Early on, the plan was to require a single model (Grok 4.5). We changed it after builders told us plainly they'd rather bring their own model, and they were right.

Naming a model doesn't just set a constraint, it sets a bill. If you already pay for one AI plan, a single-model Yard asks you to buy a second subscription just to enter, and a lot of good builders quietly pass, people we'd never hear from. For an open community that's the wrong trade. A sharp theme does the leveling instead, and everyone shows up with what they've already got.

Do I still say which model I used?

Yes, and it takes about five seconds. Every submission carries a short model declaration, what you used, under your handle, shown on your submission page.

On an open-model Yard it's not a rule you're held to, it's just context for curious voters and a bit of honest data on what people actually reached for. Use whatever you like; say what it was.

What's a receipt, and do I need one?

A receipt is an optional link showing your AI session, a shared chat link, a console usage page, or a session log committed in your repo. Attach one and your card shows a Receipts marker during voting.

You do not need one, and skipping it is not held against you. Most builders won't bother, and that's fine. A receipt shows a session existed, it does not prove that model wrote what shipped, and we never label it as verification. The strongest thing it says is “this builder showed their work.”

What about a Yard that does name a model, how is that enforced?

Straight answer: we can't detect it, and we won't pretend to. Nothing in a repo reveals which model wrote the code. There's no watermark, and “AI detection” tools can't reliably tell human from AI, let alone one model from another. Anyone claiming to verify this is guessing.

So even on a named-model Yard, we lean on the same declaration and optional receipt, plus the fact that swapping wouldn't buy you much, you win on a peer vote for what you shipped, not on whose model was marginally stronger. We enforce what's checkable and stay honest about the rest.

Which rules are enforced, and which are trusted?

Rule	How
Must hold a spot to submit	Enforced (database)
Submissions close when the Yard closes	Enforced (database)
Every submission names its model	Enforced (database)
One vote per person per Yard	Enforced (database)
No voting for yourself	Enforced (database)
Vote counts hidden until close	Enforced (database)
Check in before kickoff or your spot releases	Automatic, at kickoff
Late joins close 48 hours into the build	Enforced (database)
Display order is fair	Enforced (shuffled)
Built during the window	Published, repo timing on every submission
Model session receipts	Published, when the builder attaches one
Build fits the theme (the hard line)	Trusted, voters weigh it
The model declaration is accurate	Trusted
Solo, no teams	Trusted

We'd rather tell you exactly where the line is than imply we police everything.

How judging works

Who judges?: Nobody, in the usual sense. There is no judging panel and no organizer override. The community votes, the votes are counted, and the badges are awarded automatically. Hackyard's only action is closing the Yard.
What am I supposed to weigh when I vote?: Your call, it's your one vote. But the things worth weighing:
Does it fit the theme? Everyone got the same one.
Does it actually work? A demo video beats a description.
Did they ship something real in one build week, under the same constraints you had?
Context, not verdicts: the repo timing and model panels are there to inform your read, not to hand you a ruling.
Does which model I used affect my chances?: On an open-model Yard, it shouldn't, it's just context. There's no scoring penalty and no disqualification tied to your model. What carries weight is theme fit and whether the thing actually works. The one factor everyone shares is the theme, so that's the real yardstick.

Voting

Who votes?

Every signed-in Hackyard user, not just the builders in that Yard. Spectators count.

How many votes do I get?

One. One vote, one Yard. You spend it on a single build.

Can I change my vote?

No. It's final once cast, so spend it deliberately.

Can I vote for my own build?

No. There's no button on your own submission, and the database rejects it even if you try to get around the interface.

Can I see the scores while voting is open?

No. Counts stay hidden until voting closes, that's what stops bandwagons and last-minute vote-rallying.

Is my vote public? Can people see who I voted for?

No. Hackyard never shows who voted for whom, not to builders, not to spectators. Only the totals are public, and only after voting closes.

How is the order of projects decided? Doesn't the first one listed get an advantage?

This one matters, so here's the full answer.

Yes, position is an advantage, the first card in a grid always gets more eyes than the last. If we listed submissions in the order they arrived, whoever submitted earliest would get a permanent, unearned edge, and “every project gets seen” would be a slogan rather than a fact.

So from the moment the first build lands right through to the end of voting, the order is shuffled, and reshuffled continuously. That covers the build week too, not just voting: submissions get browsed and shared all week, so ordering them by arrival time would hand whoever shipped first a head start before voting even opened.

Concretely: the page regenerates about once a minute, and every regeneration produces a brand-new random order. Nobody holds the top-left slot for more than a minute at a time, across a build week and a weekend voting window that's thousands of reshuffles, so every build rotates through the good positions and the bad ones roughly equally.

Once voting closes, the shuffle stops and submissions are ranked by vote count, because at that point the page is showing results rather than asking for votes.

How is the winner decided?

Most votes. That's it, no judging panel, no organizer override.

What if there's a tie?

The earliest submission wins. Ship sooner, break ties in your favor.

Winning

What do winners get?: Champion badge, permanent, on your profile
Featured on the home page , your build, pinned as Reigning Champion
A published writeup on what you made and how
The big one: a 1-year sponsorship from Hackyard , 365 days pinned to the home page, boosted on our X, first dibs on every future Yard, and a permanent Champion badge
Are there cash prizes?: Sometimes. Some Yards carry a cash prize pool and some don't, it depends on the Yard. When there is one, the amounts are stated on the Yard page up front, never announced after the fact, and never decided by anyone but the vote. A pool can come from Hackyard directly or from a sponsored Yard, where a company or indie backer puts money, credits, or resources behind it. Either way, every Yard still carries the champion sponsorship, the badges, and the front-page feature.
Are there other badges?: Champion, 1st place
Top 3, 2nd and 3rd
Shipped, everyone who submitted a finished build
Participant, for claiming a spot (removed if you release it)
Regular, shipping two Yards in a row
On Deck, for joining the waitlist when a Yard fills
Scout, for bringing new builders in, the tier climbs with qualified referrals
First 16, a one-time commemorative for the 16 builders who shipped Hackyard's first-ever Yard
Founder, a one-of-one that only belongs to Hackyard's creator and can't be earned
Who hands out the badges?: Nobody. They're awarded automatically the moment voting closes, computed from the vote counts. No one reviews or adjusts them by hand.
Do badges expire?: No. They stay on your profile permanently.

Community

What is the community page?: A home for everyone on Hackyard, at /community. It has the Hall of Fame (past champions), the Builders Wall (every member of the community), a Leaderboard, and a Build Directory of every Yard. It's read-only, a place to see who's here and what's been built, not a feed you post into.
What's the difference between the community and a Yard's roster?: The Builders Wall is everyone who signed up, it keeps growing and has no cap. A Yard's roster (on the Yard page) is only the people who claimed a spot in that specific Yard. So the community can be hundreds of people while a single Yard is capped at its spots, usually a few dozen.
What's on my profile?: Your handle, bio, and X link; a stat row (Yards entered, builds shipped, wins, kudos, followers); your badge shelf; and every build you've shipped. Anyone can view it at /u/your-handle, it's how builders get discovered.
What does following someone do?: It's a one-way connection, you follow a builder to keep track of them, and their profile shows how many followers they have. Following is just a list: there's nothing to approve and nothing to moderate. You can follow or unfollow anyone but yourself, and on the Builders Wall you can filter to show only the people you follow.
What are kudos?: A one-tap way to show respect for another builder. Kudos are positive-only, there's no downvote, and you can give a builder kudos once, so it's a genuine signal, not a spammable counter. They pile up on a profile forever, across every Yard. You'll see your total in your profile's stat row.
How are kudos different from votes?: Votes decide who wins a Yard, one per person per Yard, final, counted only during judging. Kudos are peer appreciation that have nothing to do with winning: they never affect vote counts or who takes a Yard. Think of votes as "who built the best thing this Yard" and kudos as "which builders the community respects," a reputation that's separate from any single result.
What are the badges, and how do I earn them?: There's a ladder, all awarded automatically and shown on your profile and your Builders Wall card: Participant, the moment you claim a spot in a Yard (it's removed if you release the spot); Shipped, when the Yard closes, to everyone who actually submitted a build; Top 3, a top-three finish by votes; and Champion, winning the Yard. On top of those there are a few standing badges: Regular for shipping two Yards in a row, Wire to Wire for checking in before kickoff and then shipping the same Yard, On Deck for joining the waitlist when a Yard fills, and Scout for bringing new builders in. The Founder badge is a one-of-one that can't be earned, it only ever belongs to Hackyard's creator.
What's the leaderboard?: Two boards on the community page, most-followed and most-kudos'd builders, pulled live from the community. It fills out as people follow and give kudos to each other.
Is any of this moderated?: There's nothing to moderate. Following is a list, kudos are a single positive tap, and neither involves free text, so there are no comments, DMs, or posts to police. Hackyard deliberately keeps the only things you do here to building, voting, following, and kudos.
Do I have to use any of it?: No. Following, kudos, and your profile are all optional. The core of Hackyard is still just claiming a spot, building, and voting, the community layer is there if you want it.

Your stuff

Is my submission public?: Yes. Each one gets its own page, screenshot, demo video, writeup, repo link, model declaration, that you can share anywhere.
What do you do with my email?: Send you your spot confirmation and Yard announcements. That's it.
Can I delete my account?: Contact us and we'll remove it along with your submissions.

Still stuck?

Reach out on X: @HackyardSocial, or go look at the Yards.