Hacktoberfest Hack Day Milano x Coding Bunker
About
One day to build, experiment, and contribute to open source.
For Hacktoberfest, Coding Bunker is changing its format: no event based only on talks and slides, but a hands-on Hack Day dedicated to building projects with open-source technologies, open-source AI, and open-weight models.
The goal is simple: bring together developers, QA engineers, DevOps engineers, architects, designers, and technology enthusiasts to form teams, turn an idea into something that works, and learn by building together.
You do not need to arrive with a ready-made project. In fact, according to the official Hacktoberfest Hack Day rules, work on the submitted project must begin during the event.
How it will work
During the Hack Day:
- Team formation: you can join other participants, find a team directly at the event, or work on your own idea
- Ideation: choose a real problem to solve and define your project
- Build: you will have several hours to design, develop, test, and improve your solution
- Open Source AI: projects will use open-source technologies and/or open-weight AI models
- Mentoring and collaboration: throughout the day, you will be able to exchange ideas with other participants and share approaches, problems, and solutions
- Project submission: at the end of the Hack Day, teams will submit their projects through the official OrganizerHQ Challenges platform
- Demo and judging: we will close the day by showcasing what has been built and evaluating the participating projects
We are not necessarily looking for the most complex project.
We are looking for interesting ideas, experimentation, collaboration, and something that actually works by the end of the day.
Hacktoberfest Challenges
Coding Bunker is taking part in the official Major League Hacking Hacktoberfest Hack Day format.
During the event, one or more official Hacktoberfest open-source prize challenges may be available, together with any partner challenges assigned to the event.
Details about the challenges and any associated prizes will be shared with participants before or during the Hack Day.
Hacktoberfest swag and digital badges will also be available according to the terms of the official program.
Who can participate?
It does not matter whether you are a:
- developer
- QA / Quality Engineer
- DevOps / Platform Engineer
- architect
- data or AI engineer
- designer
- open-source contributor
- or simply curious and eager to experiment
You do not need to be an AI expert or a regular open-source contributor.
The Hack Day is also designed as an opportunity to learn, experiment with new technologies, and work with people whose skills are different from your own.
Bring your laptop, your desire to build, and a few ideas.
We will figure out the rest together.
Registration
As required by the official Hacktoberfest guidelines, participant registration and check-in will be managed through OrganizerHQ.
We will share the official registration link as soon as it becomes available.
What is Hacktoberfest?
Hacktoberfest is an international initiative focused on growth and collaboration within the open-source ecosystem.
In 2026, Hacktoberfest events focus on the opportunity to learn, experiment, and build using open-source technologies and open-weight AI.
The Coding Bunker Hack Day is part of the Hacktoberfest Hack Day format, an in-person event dedicated to building projects through a mini-hackathon approach.
Coding Bunker
Coding Bunker is a community dedicated to Software Engineering and to sharing real-world experiences among professionals.
Testing, Architecture, AI, DevOps, Cloud, Observability, Performance, Accessibility, and Software Craftsmanship are just some of the topics we cover.
This time, though, instead of just talking about them…
let’s build something together.
Telegram Link
Legal Notice
By participating in the event, attendees authorize the organizers to take photographs and video recordings and to use the collected material for communication, promotional, and documentation purposes related to Coding Bunker, Hacktoberfest, and the community.
Prize Categories
5 categories- View Best Use of Gemma 4DDeepmind Google
Best Use of Gemma 4
It’s time to see how much you can build with a lightweight, open model. Gemma 4 packs multimodal intelligence into an open-weights model that you can access through the Gemini API. So, what can Gemma 4 bring to your project?
- Multimodal Experience: Work with text and images to create an assistant that understands more of what users share.
- Focused AI Tools: Build a focused AI tool for learning, creativity, productivity, or your community.
- Rapid Prototyping: Experiment with an open model while using the Gemini API to move quickly from an idea to a working prototype.
Bring your idea to life… what will you build with Gemma 4 today?
Build with Gemma 4View category - View Best Open-Source AI Project
Best Open-Source AI Project
Exclusive Hacktoberfest 2026 Winner DEV Badge & MLH Swag Bag
Build an original project that uses open-source or open-weight AI as an important part of how it works. Teams could create an agent skill, build with an open-weight large or small language model, or build or adapt an open-source model harness. These are examples within one challenge, and teams may combine them.
Open-source or open-weight AI must be an important part of the project.
The project must be published in a public GitHub repository and use an open-source license.
An agent skill must comply with the Agent Skill Open Standard.
A model-harness entry must include an original implementation or meaningful changes to an existing open-source harness.
Build with DigitalOceanView category - View Best Developer ToolEvent prize
Best Developer Tool
Prize: Hacktoberfest T-shirt
This challenge rewards the best project designed to simplify, automate, or improve developers’ workflows.
It can be a CLI tool, a VS Code extension, a testing tool, an automation system, or any other solution that improves the developer experience.
We’ll mainly evaluate usefulness, implementation quality, originality, and ease of use.
View category - View Best AI for GoodEvent prize
Best AI for Good
Prize: Hacktoberfest T-shirt
This challenge rewards the best project that uses artificial intelligence to solve a real-world problem and make a positive impact on people or society.
Projects can focus on accessibility, education, sustainability, inclusion, or any other area where AI can make a meaningful difference.
We’ll mainly evaluate potential impact, usefulness, creativity, and how effectively AI is used.
View category - View Most Creative HackEvent prize
Most Creative Hack
Prize: Hacktoberfest T-shirt
This challenge rewards the most original and creative project of the event.
It doesn’t necessarily have to be the most technically complex project. We’re looking for unconventional ideas, innovative approaches, and solutions that surprise us.
We’ll mainly evaluate creativity, originality, implementation quality, and how well the project is presented.
View category