- NowJoin, post and heart ideas, pledge to the pool
- 7 daysBuild week, in public repos
- 3 daysBuilders vote, every ballot published
- Day afterWinners announced, then paid in public
The dates are announced once both are true:
- 100+ builders have joined (10 so far)
- An independent third party is holding the pool (not yet)
It needs people. Here is how to help.
This is happening, and the dates are announced as soon as enough builders are in. It needs builders, a few people to help run it fairly, and sponsors. Pick whatever fits. Following along counts.
- Follow alongJoin the email list. You hear when something real happens: the dates, the pool opening, the results.
- BuildCreate your builder account and hold your place. You count toward the 100 or more builders the dates are waiting on.
- Review panelSit on the review panel. It will check entries for cheating and nothing else. It never ranks anyone.
- Help organizeRules, outreach, moderation, and the things one person has not thought of.
- SponsorPut money into the pool, or put up a bounty for something specific.
Every dollar, out in the open.
The prize pool is whatever the community puts in. These figures are counted from what people enter on this site, each time the page loads. Once the pool opens, its total will be read from the holder's public ledger. A pledge is a public promise, not a payment.
$2,750
pledged so far
- Builders joined
- 10
- Paid in so far
- $0. The pool is not open for payments yet
- Organizer's pledge
- $2,500, from his own money
Pledges
Promises, not payments
- lironog@lironog on GitHubpledged$50
- AnonymousChose to stay anonymouspledged$100
- AnonymousChose to stay anonymouspledged$100
- Ethan Rogers, organizer@ethanplusai on GitHubpledged$2,500
- See everythingMake a pledge
Antipaywall takes nothing: no cut, no fee, no profit. Who will hold the money
Build the free version of something people overpay for.
That is the whole brief. Pick something people would otherwise pay for and build the free, open-source version. You get 7 days to build, and one feature of a bigger product is a fair scope.
Why we are doing it this way
- We think software is heading toward open source.AI is making software much cheaper to build, and we think that pushes most of it toward being open. That does not stop anyone building a paid layer on top.
- We think you should give people the thing itself.If you believe something is valuable, hand the community the real thing. If it really is valuable, the demand will show, and a business can still grow from it.
- So this is not a race to ship something to sell.It is a week to make something people can use, read, fork and keep.
Sponsor spots are open.
Sponsors put money into the same public pool as everyone else, or put up a bounty for one thing they want built. They get their name here. They get no say in the main prizes.
This spot is open.
Your logo here, with the amount you put in shown next to it.
How sponsoring worksThis spot is open.
A thank-you post and a mention in the final results.
How sponsoring worksThis spot is open.
Or a bounty in your name for one thing you want built.
How sponsoring works
Wish something was free? Say so.
Ideas tell builders what people actually want. Post one, or heart the ones you would use. They carry no money and no prize of their own.
- Post itName the thing you wish was free. We show you what already exists, so you can say what is missing.
- Heart itOne tap, no account. The most-wanted ideas rise to the top.
- Build itBuilders see what people are asking for before they choose what to make.
Two lanes. They only meet at the payout.
The money
- Anyone can fund itAny amount. Today that means a public pledge; payments open once the holder is confirmed.
- An independent nonprofit will hold itAn independent nonprofit, never Antipaywall or its organizer. Our choice is Open Source Collective, which keeps 10% for that service. It is confirmed here before anyone can pay in.
- Every dollar will be listed hereEach contribution and each payout, in public, with a link to its record.
The builders
- Join free with GitHubOne click. No essay, no pitch, no fee, no upsell.
- Build in public for 7 daysIn a public repo under an open-source licence, so anyone can see when the work was done.
- Builders will pick the winnersEveryone who submits will get three votes, and every ballot will be published.
Nine winners, not one.
Prizes are shares of whatever the pool reaches, as set out in the rules.
Side by side.
Another hackathon is running this month. Here is how the two are set up. Its column is taken from its published rules as we read them on November 11, 2026; ours describes how this one will run. Pick the one that suits you, or enter both. If we got something wrong, tell us and we will fix it.
| Ship or Die $100K Hackathon | Antipaywall | |
|---|---|---|
| Goal | Most profit in 30 days | Build a free, open-source version of something people overpay for |
| Length | 30 days | 7 days to build, 3 days to vote |
| Entry | Free | Free, always |
| Prize money | Provided and paid by the sponsor, directly to the winners | Funded by the community and sponsors. An independent nonprofit will hold it; the organizer never will, and takes nothing |
| Who picks winners | Most verified profit wins. The organizers verify it, and their decisions are final | The builders who submit will vote in public, and every ballot will be published |
| Checking when the work was done | Reviewed by hand, including the domain's history on the Wayback Machine | Work will happen in a public repo, so the commit history shows when it was done |
| Rules | Can be updated to fix mistakes or close loopholes; changes are announced | Published on this site, with every change listed and dated |
| Prizes | $100,000 for 1st, a phone for 2nd, a laptop for 3rd | The pool will be split across 9 winners |
| Cheating review | Organizers may disqualify entries at their discretion, and their decisions are final | A named volunteer panel will review entries, publish its reasoning, and hear appeals in public |