git commit to the darkness

01Key dates (SGT)

• Fri Oct 30
  Hacking window opened
  Only projects started on/after Oct 30 are eligible — 2025 projects excluded
• Thu Nov 12 · 02:00
  Devpost Build Session optional
  Nov 11 · 10:00 PT — signup on the Devpost page
• Fri Nov 27 · 20:00
  Our checkpoint kizamu reminder
  Project working end-to-end · demo video drafted · Devpost draft saved
• Tue Dec 1 · 20:00
  Request 4,000 free Kiro credits action
  Resources tab — hard cutoff Dec 1 · 12:00 PT (Dec 2 · 04:00 SGT); reminder set for the evening before
• Fri Dec 4 · 20:00
  Final submission evening deadline
  Hard deadline Dec 4 · 14:00 PT = Dec 5 · 06:00 SGT — last full evening before it

02The 2025 winners' board

Recovered from "Winner" badges in the project gallery + direct Devpost submission pages: 1st and 2nd place are officially verified; the other five are badge-verified winners whose exact slot was never published. Full study pages in the Graveyard →

03Champion playbook

1. Name a sharp pain pointKiro's own Grand Prize framing: "the difficulty of vibe coding complex computer vision logic without hallucinations." Not "an AI app" — a specific wedge.
2. Ship a template with two demo apps insideInteractionKit ships Math-O-Lantern (game) + Holo-Board (video tool). The demo apps double as the demo video script.
3. Zero setup friction./setup.sh and it runs. Judges test repos; every manual step costs points.
4. Cover every Kiro feature with a concrete artifact3 hooks that auto-integrate new gestures · steering docs for architecture & testing · spec workflow with a copy-paste example spec in the README · MCP (Context7) wired in .kiro/settings.
5. The README is the "how Kiro was used" write-upJudged criterion: "how thoroughly and skillfully does the project use Kiro". Time-shares (~40% vibe / 30% spec / 15% hooks / 10% steering / 5% MCP), example prompts, measured outcomes.
6. Honesty differentiates2026 rival seance-relay-chat logs which spec task actually ran in Kiro (3.8 credits) and which hook didn't fire. Against inflated claims, verified honesty reads as maturity.

04Prize lanes — students stack

05Idea shortlist

06Submission checklist

• /.kiro directory at repo root — NEVER gitignored (disqualification risk)
• Public GitHub repo (not GitLab/Bitbucket) with all source, assets, instructions
• OSI open-source license visible in the repo About section
• Working app URL (+ login credentials in the private form if needed)
• Demo video ≤ 3 minutes, public on YouTube, shows the app working
• Kiro write-up: IDE/CLI/Web/Crew · custom agents · hooks · specs vs vibe coding · steering strategy · MCP · property-based testing · powers
• Only new code — project started Oct 30 or later
• Student lane: LinkedIn + student email + year/degree/school per member; enrollment proof on hand
• Bonus: blog post URL (≈100 × $1,000 lane)
• Bonus: social post URL starting with #KiroweenHackathon26
• Skeleton Crew only: 2 separate app folders in the repo