Hacktoberfest 2026
No fixed deadline. Applications are reviewed as they come in, so earlier is better.
For1st year · 2nd year · 3rd year · Final year · Master's / PhD · Graduated · School
Read this first
Pull requests **no longer count** this year. Swag comes from collecting stickers at Fests, livestreams and DEV challenges, and is mailed 8–12 weeks after October ends.
What Hacktoberfest 2026 is
300+ one-day 'Fests' on open-source AI in October; no PR-counting this year
Who can apply
anyone, any year, any branch, anywhere, free; sign in with MyMLH and join online or at a local Fest
The organiser's rules Anyone; university clubs invited to host
Important dates
- Dates
- Year-round
- Checked
- 31 October 2026, on MLH + DEV + DigitalOcean's own page
The receipt
Copied word for word from MLH + DEV + DigitalOcean's own page, so you can check it yourself:
“Hacktoberfest is a month-long celebration of open source throughout October.”
Desk notes
Now live. 2026 format: no PR-counting; collect virtual stickers via livestreams, weekly DEV mini-hackathons, Global Hack Week and 400+ in-person Fests; three stickers earn a mailed swag pack. Deadline set to 31 Oct as the end of 'throughout October', page does not print an explicit end date (judgement call). Runs through October; the page prints no closing date, so no countdown.
FAQ
Is there a deadline for Hacktoberfest 2026?
No fixed deadline is posted; applications are reviewed as they come in. MLH + DEV + DigitalOcean's own page says: "Hacktoberfest is a month-long celebration of open source throughout October."
Who can apply for Hacktoberfest 2026?
anyone, any year, any branch, anywhere, free; sign in with MyMLH and join online or at a local Fest. In the organiser's words: Anyone; university clubs invited to host.
Where do I apply for Hacktoberfest 2026?
On MLH + DEV + DigitalOcean's own site: https://hacktoberfest.com/. The Deadline Desk links only to the organiser's page, never an aggregator.