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Hacktoberfest
A month-long celebration of open-source software held every October, encouraging beginners to submit their first pull requests to participating public repositories.
Academic Year Eligibility
Key Benefit
Digital Badges, Tree Planting in Your Name, Swag Kit & First Pull Request Experience
Eligibility Requirements
Eligible Degrees
All Degrees & Backgrounds
Eligible Branches / Streams
All Branches
Gender Eligibility
All Genders
Geographic Scope
Worldwide
Participation Format
Individual
Minimum Qualifications
No technical prerequisites or degree required. Open to all students.
Benefits & Rewards
• Learn Git, GitHub, markdown, and collaborative code reviews hands-on. • Digital rewards, verified Holopin badges, and optional tree planted in your name. • The lowest barrier of entry to make your very first real open-source contribution.
How It Works
1. Register on the official Hacktoberfest website during October. 2. Look for open-source repositories with the 'hacktoberfest' topic. 3. Submit 4 valid pull requests that adhere to community standards and are approved by repository maintainers.
How to Apply
1. Sign in with GitHub on hacktoberfest.com when registrations open. 2. Track your 4 accepted PRs on the participant dashboard.
Visit Official PortalPreparation Guide
### Beginner Contribution Checklist - Learn how to fork a repository, clone it locally, make changes on a feature branch, and submit a PR. - Look for issues with the label 'good first issue' or 'documentation'. - Never submit spam PRs (e.g. changing indentation or fixing typos without value), which result in disqualification.
Pro Tips
• Do not wait until October to learn Git. Spend 2 hours in September mastering branching and pull requests so you can immediately begin making valid contributions.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can complete beginners participate?
A: Yes! Hacktoberfest is intentionally designed as an on-ramp for beginners to make their first contribution.
Q: Are documentation fixes allowed?
A: Yes, meaningful technical documentation improvements and tutorial additions count as valid contributions.