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Total Prize Pool: $10,000 in Software Credits

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Graph-Powered

Intelligence

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Sponsored by Neo4j

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Sponsored Tags

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#graph-database

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#knowledge-graph

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#data-intelligence

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#graph-rag

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#contextual-retrieval​​

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#graph-powered-agents​​

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Prize Highlights

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10 winners × $1,000 Neo4j credits

Free access to Neo4j Aura DB

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Submissions open

January 5, 2026​

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Submissions close

June 5, 2026​

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Results announced

Monthly

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About This Theme â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€

 

Dive into graph technology — knowledge graphs, contextual retrieval, and AI agents built on connected data. Projects should demonstrate graph-powered intelligence and data relationships for real-world use.

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How to Enter â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€â”€

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Step 1   â”€â”€â”€â”€   Build your project with Neo4j Aura DB​

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Step 3  â”€â”€â”€â”€   Enter the Proof of Usefulness Hackathon

 

 

​​​​1. Submit & Generate Your PoU Report

Your official registration. Without this report, your project will not be scored

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  • Go to proofofusefulness.com and Click “Submit Project'

  • Provide evidence of traction: active users, API calls, or GitHub stars/forks

  • Submit your live project URL, GitHub repo, and integrated tech stack

  • Receive your PoU Score (0–1000+) and downloadable report card

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2. Document Your Project on HackerNoon

Your technical documentation and pitch to the judges

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  • Write about the problem, solution, and implementation with code snippets

  • Tag with #proof-of-usefulness and Neo4j sponsor tags

  • Submit for publication to complete your entry​

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3. Compete for Monthly & Grand Prizes

Jan 5 – June 5, 2026: Continuous improvement and monthly judging.

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  • $10,000 in monthly software prizes awarded on a rolling basis

  • Update your product and improve your PoU score anytime

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The Proof of Usefulness Hackathon by HackerNoon is built around one simple idea: real utility instead of just vibe-coded beauty, technical sophistication, or pitchdeck projections. We evaluate projects based on actual human, technical, and financial adoption to answer the most important questions.

 

Is it useful? Do people use it?

 

Individual developers and budding startups are welcome to participate, with access to free tools that help you build and promote something meaningful. Any technology is welcome, but bigger prizes are reserved for AI and ML projects that use sponsor technologies.

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