Hacktoberfest 2023 continues the annual tradition celebrating open-source contributions. Registration opened in September 2023 with an October 31 deadline.
Getting Started
The challenge requires completing four merged pull requests to repositories labeled for Hacktoberfest. Participants can register directly or join the DoWhile x Hacktoberfest initiative for additional opportunities.
Key Resources
The guide highlights several helpful platforms:
- First Issue curates accessible problems from popular projects
- Opensource.guide provides best practices for contributing
- Official Hacktoberfest website features events and resources
- DoWhile AI offers code-understanding assistance for unfamiliar repositories
Prize Changes
Unlike previous years, T-shirts are no longer guaranteed. Instead, the first 50,000 participants with four accepted PRs receive a tree planted in their name, plus digital reward kits for everyone.
Alternative Merch Opportunity
DoWhile sponsors merchandise for participants using their AI tool throughout the challenge. The tool helps developers navigate unfamiliar codebases through AI-assisted queries, serving over 10,000 developers across 2,000+ projects.
Community Concerns
The post acknowledges past criticism regarding "spammy PRs" driven by merchandise incentives, which strained maintainers. Current organizers have implemented safeguards to encourage meaningful contributions.
Community Engagement
Participants can join Discord communities — both the official Hacktoberfest channel and DoWhile's dedicated hangout spaces — to connect globally and access additional resources.