The results are in for Week 3 of our five Hacktoberfest DEV Challenges! For Slow and Steady, we asked you to channel your inner sloth and build something with open-weight models or open-source AI that rewards laziness.

The builds we saw were anything but lazy. Many of you showed exactly why open innovation matters for this kind of work: automations that run offline, keep personal messages and files on your own machine, and cost nothing to keep running once they're set up.

Thank you to everyone who built with us this week. Now, let's celebrate our winners!

🎉 Congratulations To…

Overall Winner

The laziest way to pick a 2027 health plan beat my model (82% vs 79%). So I built Second Look to tell you when lazy is safe

Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 3: Slow and Steady 🦥
hotragn profile

The laziest way to pick a 2027 health plan beat my model (82% vs 79%). So I built Second Look to tell you when lazy is safe

#devchallenge #hf26challenge #gemma #opensource
12 min read

Featured Category Winners

Best Use of Render

AccessPath: Clearer Forms, One Question at a Time

Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 3: Slow and Steady 🦥
zedaina profile

AccessPath: Clearer Forms, One Question at a Time

#devchallenge #hf26challenge #ai
7 min read

Best Use of TabPFN

My alarm won't let me snooze if I'd be late

Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 3: Slow and Steady 🦥
elias-shieh profile

My alarm won't let me snooze if I'd be late

#devchallenge #hf26challenge #machinelearning #opensource
1
7 min read

Best Use of Tinker

A small, not-so-smart model went from 10% to 99.6% at reading property deeds for $1.15, and it says 'check this line' instead of bluffing

Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 3: Slow and Steady Submission 🦥
advikdivekar profile

A small, not-so-smart model went from 10% to 99.6% at reading property deeds for $1.15, and it says 'check this line' instead of bluffing

#tinker #hf26challenge #devchallenge #hacktoberfest
81
35
12 min read

Best Use of Arduino

I sleep 4 hours a night because of email, so I built a sloth that reads it for me (Gemma 4 on an Arduino UNO Q)

Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 3: Slow and Steady Submission 🦥
muhammadmurtuzahussain profile

I sleep 4 hours a night because of email, so I built a sloth that reads it for me (Gemma 4 on an Arduino UNO Q)

#devchallenge #hf26challenge #gemma #arduino
18
4
9 min read

Best Use of DigitalOcean

Every group chat has one person who plans everything. I built an app so nobody has to be that person.

Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 3: Slow and Steady Submission 🦥
nikithakls17sys profile

Every group chat has one person who plans everything. I built an app so nobody has to be that person.

#devchallenge #hf26challenge
1
7 min read

Best Use of Gemma

I get 50 placement emails a week. A local Gemma now tells me which 4 I can apply to.

Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 3: Slow and Steady Submission 🦥
samarth_kumble_a91ad88634 profile

I get 50 placement emails a week. A local Gemma now tells me which 4 I can apply to.

#devchallenge #hf26challenge #ai #opensource
6 min read

Partner Category Winners

Best Use of Auth0 for AI Agents

SlothGuard - a lazy access reviewer that asks your phone before it revokes anything

Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 3: Slow and Steady Submission 🦥
aridiosilva profile

SlothGuard - a lazy access reviewer that asks your phone before it revokes anything

#devchallenge #hf26challenge
13 min read

Best Use of Backboard

Night Guard: an open-model guard that watches out for kids in game chats, so tired parents don't have to read every message

Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 3: Slow and Steady Submission 🦥
jenniferevangelistade profile

Night Guard: an open-model guard that watches out for kids in game chats, so tired parents don't have to read every message

#devchallenge #hf26challenge #ai #opensource
3
16 min read

Best Use of Browserbase

My college ERP keeps logging me out. Sloth Clerk checks my 75% attendance at 7:30 AM and asks my phone before it clicks Submit

Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 3: Slow and Steady Submission 🦥
aarishmansur profile

My college ERP keeps logging me out. Sloth Clerk checks my 75% attendance at 7:30 AM and asks my phone before it clicks Submit

#devchallenge #hf26challenge
9 min read

Best Use of ElevenLabs

Talk to the Book: dictating the book I owe 57 people

Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 3: Slow and Steady Submission 🦥
nikema profile

Talk to the Book: dictating the book I owe 57 people

#devchallenge #hf26challenge
5 min read

Best Use of Entire

I let a 25 MB model choose the typeface for my quote cards. It got it wrong.

Hacktoberfest Open-Source AI Challenge Week 3: Slow and Steady Submission 🦥
cadets_atease profile
Melwin Siril Joel V