PROOF OF USEFULNESS

The Proof of Usefulness Hackathon by HackerNoon is built around one simple idea: real utility instead of just vibe-coded beauty, technical sophistication, or pitchdeck projections. We evaluate projects based on actual human, technical, and financial adoption to answer the most important questions. Is it useful? Do people use it? Individual developers and budding startups are welcome to participate, with access to free tools that help you build and promote something meaningful. Any technology is welcome, but bigger prizes are reserved for AI and ML projects that use sponsor technologies.

Submissions open in
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$20k
Cash Prizes
$70k+
Software Credits

Rolling Submissions: January 5th - June 5th, 2026

Winners Announced Monthly | Final Awards: June-July 2026

Sponsored by

Bright DataStoryblokNeo4jAlgolia

Rewarding projects under these HackerNoon tech tags:

#AI Search#API-First-CMS#Contextual Retrieval#Data Intelligence#First-CMS#Graph Database#Graph-Powered Agents#GraphRAG#Knowledge Graph#Omnichannel-Content#Retrieval#Retrieval-Augmented-Generation-(RAG)#Search API#Semantic Search#ai#ai-agents#api#automation#data#data-science#developerhackathon#generative-ai#hackathon#proofofusefulness#web-development

The Problem vs The Solution

We're drowning in style over substance, while real people need real tools.

The AI Vibe Decay Problem

Style over substance everywhere

Beautiful apps with no users
Pitch decks for products that don't exist
Vaporware funded because of alma mater clout and TikTok charisma
MVPs that launch, then vanish

Meanwhile, real people need real tools.

The Solution

Measure what actually matters

The world needs tools, not another pitch deck.
Usefulness is how ideas grow.
Usage is the new valuation
No one remembers what was promised. Everyone remembers what worked.

Proof of Usefulness rewards real impact.

Free Credits to Build Something Useful

Our sponsors are offering free credits to help you build. Claim yours and start creating with enterprise-grade tools.

Bright Data logo
$250
In Free Credits

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?

Claim Credits
Storyblok logo
$540
45-days Growth+ Plan Access

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.

Claim Credits
Neo4j logo
AuraDB
Free For All

Neo4j is the graph intelligence platform that transforms data into knowledge to power the next generation of intelligent applications and AI systems. Trusted by 84 of the Fortune 100, Neo4j enables accurate, explainable, and governed AI through its enterprise-ready graph database and analytics capabilities across any environment or data source.

Claim Credits
Algolia logo
Build Tier
Free For All

Algolia provides a managed retrieval layer that lets developers quickly build web search and intelligent AI agents. Built for speed, relevance, and scale, Algolia handles indexing, ranking, semantic understanding, and vector search so teams can focus on building great experiences. With products like AI Search, Agent Studio, and AI Recommendations, it delivers real-time updates and instant results out of the box. Whether you're powering e-commerce, SaaS, or AI-driven apps, Algolia makes retrieval fast, reliable, and easy to integrate.

Claim Credits
HackerNoon logo
$750
Worth of HackerNoon Inventory

HackerNoon is a leading technology publication for tech professionals and enthusiasts.

Claim Credits
David Smooke
David Smooke
Founder & CEO, HackerNoon

Proof of Usefulness is about cutting through the noise and measuring what actually matters: does your project solve real problems for real people? It's time we reward utility over hype.

The Proof of Usefulness Algorithm

The validation system that measures what matters: real utility instead of vibe coded beauty, technical sophistication, or pitchdeck projections. HackerNoon's Proof of Usefulness evaluates human, financial and technical adoption and value creation. Is it good? Do people use it? A technical approach to answering these simple questions.

Bitcoin's proof-of-work requires miners to solve cryptographic puzzles, consuming massive energy to validate transactions. Our proof-of-usefulness requires projects to solve real problems for actual users.

Instead of hash rates and mining difficulty, we measure user adoption, revenue sustainability, technical stability, and genuine utility. Projects are scored from -100 to +1000 based on empirical evidence, with seven distinct tiers:

  • 751-1000:Unicorn Utility - Product has undeniable utility and massive adoption.
  • 601-750:Category Standard - Product is a default choice and trusted across its category.
  • 451-600:Industry Mainstay - Product is a definitive solution to a market problem.
  • 301-450:Certified Problem Solver - Product is self-sustaining and provide long-term operational stability
  • 101-300:Gaining Momentum - Product is officially moving from "neat idea" to "serious contender"
  • 0-100:You're In Business - You’ve hit "Deploy" and the world didn't crash.
  • (-100)-0:Lab Mode - Product is almost ready for the big reveal

The algorithm cross-validates responses against publicly available data, ensuring projects can't simply claim utility without demonstrating it.

calculateUsefulness()
function calculateUsefulness(project) {
let baseScore = 0;
let qualityMultipliers = [];
// Evidence depth analysis
const responseQuality = analyzeResponseDepth(project.responses);
const quantitativeEvidence = extractMetrics(project.responses);
const crossValidation = validateAgainstPublicData(project.url);
// Core utility scoring
for (const criterion of UTILITY_CRITERIA) {
const rawScore = evaluateCriterion(criterion, project);
const qualityFactor = responseQuality[criterion.name];
const validationFactor = crossValidation[criterion.name];
const adjustedScore = rawScore * qualityFactor * validationFactor;
baseScore += criterion.weight * adjustedScore;
}
return Math.clamp(baseScore, -100, 1000);
}
Core Algorithm
PoUscore = Σi=1n (wi × Ci × Qi) x Um

The Proof of Usefulness score aggregates weighted criterion scores, adjusted by response quality factors and cross-validation results, with a usefulness multiplier to account for the potential market impact of the product.

wi
Weight Factor
Statistical weight based on correlation analysis of 500+ successful projects
Ci
Criterion Score
Normalized score from response analysis and evidence validation
Qi
Quality Factor
Response quality multiplier based on depth and specificity
Um
Usefulness Multiplier
Market impact adjustment based on verified usage patterns and adoption signals

Weight Distribution

CriterionWeightCorrelationJustification
Real-World Utility25%r = 0.847Problem-solution fit and practical actionability
Evidence of Traction25%r = 0.792User adoption, media coverage, and verifiable signals
Audience Reach & Impact20%r = 0.734Size and real-world influence
Technical Innovation15%r = 0.681Novelty and quality of implementation
Market Timing & Relevance10%r = 0.667Competitive positioning and timeliness
Functional Completeness5%r = 0.643Clarity, evidence, and thoughtfulness

Proof of Usefulness Validation Criteria

Six comprehensive criteria determine utility, each requiring evidence that demonstrates genuine value creation and sustainable operation.

Real-World Utility

Does this solve a genuine problem? Is the solution practical and actionable? Score 0–100 based on problem-solution fit.

Weight: 25%

Evidence of Traction

Evaluate user adoption, media coverage, testimonials. Score 0–100 based on verifiable traction signals.

Weight: 25%

Audience Reach & Impact

Verify claimed reach and growth trajectory. Score 0–100 based on size and real-world influence.

Weight: 20%

Technical Innovation

Assess novelty and quality of technical implementation. Score 0–100 based on innovation and sophistication.

Weight: 15%

Market Timing & Relevance

Assess competitive positioning and timeliness. Score 0–100 based on market relevance.

Weight: 10%

Functional Completeness

Evaluate clarity, supporting evidence, and thoughtfulness. Score 0–100 based on submission quality.

Weight: 5%

See How Major Brands Score

From tech giants to startups, see real Proof of Usefulness scores based on actual utility metrics

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