Updated August 12 with a new extended deadline of September 1. Sign up at any point, but your applications must be submitted by this new deadline.
Today, after an incredible first Hackathon this spring, we are excited to launch our second Unqork Community Hackathon!
The TL;DR
- This asynchronous competition will take place throughout the month of August, which an extended deadline of 6pm ET on Thursday, September 1.
- The topic is our newly enhanced grids system, a highlight of our Spring 2022 release.
- Everything else you need to know is available on this event page:
F.A.Q.
In addition to the details on the event page, below are some anticipated questions you might have. We’ll update this blog with other frequently asked questions as they occur.
Who can participate?
Any Creator in our community: customer, partner, Unqork staff, and even those still considering and exploring Unqork. The only requirement is that you have Creator access to an environment. (If you’re able to log in to the Community Hub, you have the right access.)
Note: While Unqork staff are welcome to participate, we’ll be limiting the competition to non-staff Creators. You can still earn 100 points for participating and showcase your expertise and creativity if you approve us to share your app with the community.
What’s different from the last Hackathon?
Mostly just the topic of our challenge. Last time, we focused on using accelerators from our Marketplace; this time, we’re focusing on the three new grids added to our enhanced grid system: Freeform, Dynamic, and Uniform grids.
Other small changes include:
- We’re asking you to sign up via the event page. When you sign up, you’ll receive the link for submitting your application. This helps us know who is planning to submit an application for the Hackathon. It’s helpful in case we need to send you any updates, like if we decide to extend the deadline or if there’s any other guidance we have to give.
- We’ve removed the suggested time limit. Last time, we asked that your application could be configured in an hour or less. We learned that was confusing: did you only have an hour? Could you troubleshoot and refine past that hour? What about styling beyond the core functionality? Did planning your app count in your hour? Overall, while most of the apps could be configured quickly, it seems that most participants spent more than an hour fine-tuning their app.
Which leads us to…
How much time will it take to participate?
We believe you can and should participate in this Hackathon even if you only spend an hour or two on your app. While there is no time limit, there’s also no time minimum. If you only have an hour or two to spare, we recommend the steps in the next question.
So then, why the long timeline? As an asynchronous competition, we’re allowing plenty of time for you to build your application whenever you have some free time to explore. Whether that means working for a few hours in one sitting or for a few minutes here and there across a few weeks.
How do I get started?
The primary focus of these Hackathons is to give you a fun reason to explore new functionality and fine tune your skills as a Creator. Getting started means first familiarizing yourself with these new grid components.
- Sign up via the event page. (See above for why
) - Review the documentation for the grid system.
- You may also want to review the recordings of our Spring 2022 Release webinar or our Uncoder Twitch stream on grids.
- Searching and reviewing questions here on the Community Hub may also help you understand use cases and how best to configure these grids.
- Come up with your application use case. It can be simple; it cam be complex. It can be fun, it can solve a business problem. Whatever use case you can think of to meet the criteria outlined.
- Outline your general config. Develop a plan; map out how you might build this application. This will save you time and help you manage the time you spend building. It also might help you earn bonus points, by considering what Marketplace accelerators you can leverage to enhance your application with pre-built functionality.
- Start building! Create a workspace in the training environment or use a workspace you’ve already created.
Why build in the training environment?
We need to be able to access your application. Applications in other environments are not accessible by our judges and other Creators.
Who will see my application?
Initially, just our judges. But we hope that you’ll opt-in to sharing your application in posts like this on the Community Hub. This will help other Creators learn from your work by examining your configuration and asking questions, or maybe even sharing advice.
If you’re chosen as a finalist, many more will see your application on our live showcase event. And the audience gets to choose the winner!
It should be noted, others in the training environment will be able to see your application, both as you build and after it’s complete. So if you want to keep it a secret, get creative with how you name it.
Can I submit more than one application?
Absolutely! Any submissions received by the deadline will be considered. In fact, I’ll give you 100 points for each application you submit.
I don’t think I’ll win, why should I participate?
This is a fun way to explore functionality you might not yet have a use case for in your day job. Maybe you’re early on in the build of your application, maybe you specialize with data workflow, but don’t get to configure the UI, maybe you’re part of a large team and don’t get to design or make the big decisions on your apps.
With this Hackathon, you get to own every part of building a (small) application, as well as having the freedom to get creative or have fun with your use case!
Okay, but what are the prizes?
Each participant will receive 100 points, as well as the Hackathon Participant badge on their Community profile. Finalists each more points, more badges, and more prizes. More details on the event page.
Do you have any examples I can review?
Absolutely! If you haven’t yet, consider watching the recording of our first Hackathon Showcase. You’ll see our four finalists demo their applications. Additionally, you can watch our winner,
Finally, you can find all four of our finalists’ applications, plus a few others, in our Use Case Showcase forum. These posts include their description, as well as links to review both the configuration and the Express preview of the application.
What if I have other questions?
Reply below, send me a message, or email to community@unqork.com
Newly Added FAQ
Can we participate as a group?
No. While I love the idea (it’s Community!), most participants will be building on their own. For fairness in judging, it makes sense to keep all applications to those built by individuals. If we get enough interest and participation, we will explore adding a group category for our next Hackathon.
all four judges have now been confirmed: 
