TL;DR
Welcome back to Dev Opportunity Radar.
This is a weekly series where I share opportunities, resources, communities, and interesting finds that I come across, with the goal of helping people discover things they might otherwise miss.
This week's edition features Code in Place X, the Build, Ship, Shape: Amazon Developer Hackathon, and the Dev3Pack Hackathon, along with Coding Interview University, a free study plan for software engineering and technical interview preparation.
If you're new to the series, you can also browse previous editions, search past opportunities, and explore Community Finds, Reader Updates, and Resources Worth Checking Out on the Dev Opportunity Radar website. I've also written a short post about why I built it. You'll find links to both at the end of this article.
This week's 🌟 Community Finds section features an opportunity shared by Dhruv Jani (@dj29). Thank you, Dhruv, for sharing the Dogfood | 72-Hour Hackathon. I always enjoy seeing readers help others discover opportunities they might otherwise have missed, and I hope this section continues to grow.
If you've discovered something through the Radar, I'd love to hear about it. Whether you applied to an opportunity, attended an event, joined a community, completed a program, built something, or found a resource you hadn't seen before, I'd be happy to feature your experience in a future 💙 Reader Updates section (with your permission).
And if you've come across an opportunity, resource, community, program, event, or anything else you think deserves more attention, feel free to share it in the comments.
If I feature one of your 🌟 Community Finds in a future edition, I'll always make sure to credit you. If you discovered it, that recognition belongs to you.
Table of Contents
⚡ Quick Scan
Opportunities
| Opportunity | Organization | Type | Format | Deadline |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Code in Place X | Stanford University | Programming Course | Virtual | September 28 |
| Build, Ship, Shape: Amazon Developer Hackathon | Amazon | Hackathon | Online | October 24 |
| Dev3Pack Hackathon | Dev3Pack | Hackathon | Hybrid | October 30 |
Resource Highlight
| Resource | Why Check It Out |
|---|---|
| Coding Interview University | A free, self-paced study plan covering data structures, algorithms, computer science topics, coding practice, and software engineering interview preparation. |
Community Finds
| Shared By | Find | Type | Format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dhruv Jani (@dj29) | Dogfood | 72-Hour Hackathon | Software Development Hackathon |
📝 A quick note: I spend a lot of time researching and verifying every opportunity before featuring it in Dev Opportunity Radar. However, deadlines, eligibility, program details, and application requirements can change after publication. Before applying, please take a few minutes to visit the official program page, review the latest information, and confirm that you're eligible.
🔄 Still Open From Previous Editions
Before we get into this week's opportunities, here are a few from the two most recent editions that are still accepting applications.
As the Radar has grown, there are now quite a few opportunities spread across the different editions. I used to keep all the still-open opportunities here, but I don't think repeating a long list every week makes the editions easier to read.
So I keep this section to the two most recent editions as a quick reminder of opportunities you may have missed. Older opportunities are still available on the Dev Opportunity Radar website, where you can browse the full collection and use the filters to find something specific.
I've already covered the opportunities below in detail, so I won't repeat everything here. If any of them catch your attention, you can go back to the original edition for the full overview, eligibility details, and application links.
| Opportunity | Organization | Type | Format | Deadline | Featured In |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| AI for Education Fellowship | Worldwide Studios | Fellowship | Virtual (Global) | Rolling | Edition #16 |
| AWS Student Rewards | AWS Builder Center | Student Rewards Program | Online (Global) | Open | Edition #16 |
| Bharat Builds Tour | WeMakeDevs × AWS Builder Center | Student Hackathon Series | Online (India) / In Person | September 17–20 | Edition #15 |
📍 This Week's Opportunities
Here are a few opportunities I came across this week that I thought were worth sharing.
📌 Code in Place X
Who it's for: Anyone 18+ who wants to learn programming, or people who already know Python and want to volunteer as a teacher.
What it's about: Code in Place X is a new free course from Stanford that teaches programming while also helping students practice explaining what they build.
The course is six weeks long and you'll meet every week on Zoom with a small group of students and a volunteer teacher who will guide you through the material. You don't need any previous programming experience, and the course is completely free.
I wanted to include this one because I like that it is not only about writing code. Students also get to practice explaining their thinking and what they built, which is a useful skill whether you're learning programming for the first time or already working with AI coding tools.
The course also has an interesting approach to AI. Students can use AI as part of their learning, but they are expected to come to their weekly section ready to show what they learned and share how they are using AI. So the course is also exploring what it means to learn programming when AI can already write a lot of code for us.
There is also a volunteer teacher option. If you already know how to write a simple Python program and can explain your thinking, you can apply to lead a small group. You don't need to be a professional engineer or have teaching experience. Teachers spend around 4 hours per week and receive lesson plans and section problems to work with.
The course itself takes around 7 hours per week for students and begins on October 12, 2026.
Format: Online | Duration: 6 weeks
Class Begins: October 12, 2026
Orientation: October 7, 2026
Time Commitment: Around 7 hours/week for students | Around 4 hours/week for volunteer teachers
Cost: Free
Eligibility: 18+ | No prior programming experience required for students
Applications Close: September 28, 2026
Language: English
📌 Build, Ship, Shape: Amazon Developer Hackathon
Who it's for: Developers, students, AI builders, and anyone interested in building applications for Amazon devices and services.
What it's about: The Build, Ship, Shape: Amazon Developer Hackathon brings Fire TV, Alexa+, Bee, and Ring together in one global hackathon. You can choose one of the four tracks and build a working project using the developer tools, APIs, SDKs, or simulators for that track.
I wanted to include this one because there are quite a few different ways to approach the challenge. You can build for Fire TV, Alexa+, Bee, or Ring, depending on what you're interested in. There are also additional AWS Builder and Open Source mini challenges that you can enter alongside your main track.
For example, the Fire TV track lets you build an app using React Native, web technologies, Android, or another framework that runs on Fire OS or Vega OS. The Alexa+ track focuses on building an MCP server or Agent Skill, while Bee projects use data from a Bee device or Apple Watch running Bee software. Ring projects can use Ring APIs, SDKs, simulators, or devices.
You also don't necessarily need to already have experience with Amazon's developer tools. The hackathon provides documentation, sample code, simulators, and live office hours to help participants get started.
The submission needs to include a working project, GitHub repository, and a demo video under three minutes, along with product feedback on the Amazon tools you used.
There is a $138,000 cash prize pool, with prizes across the four main tracks and the AWS Builder and Open Source mini challenges. Track winners also receive a 1:1 meeting with the Amazon Developer team, depending on the track.
One thing to check before choosing your project is the specific requirements for each track. Some tracks require you to actually use the relevant technology in your code or demo, so simply mentioning a particular Amazon service isn't enough.
Format: Online | Global
Deadline: October 24, 2026 at 12:30 AM IST
Team Size: Not specified in the information provided
Main Tracks: Fire TV, Alexa+, Bee, Ring
Mini Challenges: AWS Builder, Open Source
Prize Pool: $138,000 in cash + additional AWS credits and other prizes
Submission: Working demo + GitHub repository + under-3-minute demo video + product feedback
Eligibility: Above the legal age of majority in your country of residence | Global, subject to standard country/territory exclusions
🔗 Learn More & Join the Hackathon
📌 Dev3Pack Hackathon
Who it's for: University students and student builders interested in building on Solana. You can participate solo or in a team of up to four.
What it's about: Dev3Pack Hackathon is a three-day hybrid hackathon where students from around the world can build on Solana, either online or at one of the local build stations.
The hackathon runs from October 30 to November 1, 2026, but there is also a free Solana Rust Bootcamp running from October 6 to 30. So if you're new to Rust or Solana, you can use the weeks before the hackathon to learn and get ready.
I wanted to include this one because it has a little more of a community and learning side than just the three-day hackathon. You can join a local build station if there is one near you, meet other students and mentors, or participate completely online if you prefer.
There are currently 40+ build stations listed around the world, including Mumbai, along with locations across Asia, Africa, Europe, and the Americas.
The project needs to be open source and must use Solana if you want to be eligible for prizes and the accelerator. You can also use AI coding tools while building, as long as the project is yours and you understand and can explain what you built.
After the hackathon, top teams can be invited to the Bridge Accelerator, which runs from November through January. The exact prize tracks and amounts for this edition are still to be announced.
There are also some builder perks available to participants, including Noah AI credits, v0 credits, and Cursor Pro for select countries, along with other perks listed in the participant dashboard.
Format: Hybrid | Online or local build station
Dates: October 30 – November 1, 2026
Preparation: Solana Rust Bootcamp | October 6–30
Duration: 3 days
Team Size: Solo or up to 4 members
Location: Worldwide | 40+ build stations
Cost: Free
Project Requirement: Open source + Solana
AI Tools: Allowed
Prizes: Tracks and prize amounts to be announced
After the Hackathon: Top teams can be invited to the Bridge Accelerator
📚 Resources Worth Checking Out
Not every useful find comes with an application deadline.
Here's one resource worth checking out this week.
Coding Interview University
If you're preparing for software engineering interviews and don't know where to start, Coding Interview University is a free study plan that puts a lot of the topics you need to learn in one place.
It covers things like data structures, algorithms, Big-O, trees, graphs, sorting, dynamic programming, networking, and coding interview practice. It also has sections on resumes, finding a job, interview preparation, and other parts of the interview process.
What I like about this resource is that it gives you a path to follow instead of just giving you a list of random topics. You can go through the topics step by step and practice coding problems along the way.
There are also a lot of free resources linked throughout the plan, including videos, books, courses, and coding practice sites.
It is a pretty big study plan though, so you definitely don't need to finish everything. You can pick the parts that make sense for where you are in your interview preparation.
Format: Free, self-paced study plan
Covers: Data structures, algorithms, coding problems, computer science topics, and interview preparation
🔗 Explore Coding Interview University
🌟 Community Finds
One of my favorite things about this series has been seeing people share opportunities, communities, and resources that others might not have discovered otherwise.
Dogfood | 72-Hour Hackathon
Shared by Dhruv Jani (@dj29).
Dhruv shared the Dogfood | 72-Hour Hackathon by Hackathon Raptors, and I thought this was an interesting one to include because the challenge itself is quite different from a usual hackathon.
Instead of letting everyone build different projects, everyone is working on the same product: an open-source, self-hostable platform for running hackathons, including registration, team formation, submissions, judging, scoring, and results.
What I found interesting is that the goal isn't just to build a working demo. The winning project will be forked, self-hosted, and used for future Hackathon Raptors events. Teams also keep ownership of their work.
The technical requirements are quite specific too. The platform needs to run locally with docker compose up and work without a hosted database, external API, cloud account, or network connection. The challenge also covers things like role isolation, judging, score normalization, voting, APIs, testing, and documentation.
There are four tiers to work through, but you don't have to try to build everything. The organizers mention that a clean and correct lower tier is better than a broken higher tier, which I thought was a good approach for a 72-hour challenge.
Who it's for: Developers, students, engineers, open-source contributors, and anyone interested in software development, backend systems, APIs, DevOps, security, or data and algorithms.
Format: Online
Duration: 72 hours
Event Date: September 25–28, 2026
Team Size: 1 to 4 participants
Prize Pool: ₹2,50,000
Thank you to Dhruv Jani (@dj29) for thinking of the Radar and sharing this one with the community. It really means a lot 💙
I'd love for this section to keep growing.
If you've come across an opportunity, fellowship, grant, hackathon, conference, community, resource, or anything else you think more people should know about, feel free to share it in the comments.
If I feature it in a future edition, I'll always make sure to credit you. If you discovered it, that recognition belongs to you.
One small request: If you're sharing an opportunity, please avoid posting raw URLs directly in the comments. DEV sometimes filters them before I get a chance to see them.
A short description alongside the link makes it much easier for me to review and potentially feature it in a future edition.
💙 Reader Updates
I'm looking forward to this section gradually growing over time, and I'd still love to hear from you.
One of my favorite parts of writing Dev Opportunity Radar has been hearing from people who discovered something they otherwise might have missed.
If you discovered an opportunity through the radar, applied to something, joined a community, attended an event, or simply found a resource you hadn't seen before, I'd genuinely love to hear about it.
You don't need to have been accepted or have a big success story to share. Sometimes simply discovering the right opportunity at the right time is already a win.
If you'd like to share an update, feel free to leave a comment on this edition. With your permission, I may feature it in a future 💙 Reader Updates section and tag you so other readers can celebrate your journey too.
I hope this section gradually becomes a place where we can celebrate those stories together, one update at a time.
👋 Until Next Friday
Before I go, I just want to say thank you.
Every week, I spend time searching for opportunities, resources, and communities that I think deserve a little more attention. But one of my favorite parts of this series isn't the research. It's seeing what happens after an edition is published.
Seeing someone discover an opportunity, apply to a program, share a resource, suggest a Community Find, or come back to tell us what they learned reminds me why I started Dev Opportunity Radar in the first place.
The goal has always been simple:
Help people discover opportunities they otherwise might have missed.
Thanks to all of you, it feels like we're doing exactly that.
Whether you've been reading since the very first edition or this is your first time here, thank you for being part of the journey. Every comment, suggestion, and shared opportunity helps make this series better than I could build on my own.
If you ever come across an opportunity, resource, event, community, or anything else you think deserves more attention, I'd love for you to share it in the comments. And if Dev Opportunity Radar helped you discover something exciting, I'd love to hear that too.
Thank you for reading, for sharing, and for helping make this our radar, not just mine.
I'll be back next Friday with more opportunities, resources, and Community Finds.
Until then, take care, and I hope you discover something amazing this week 💙
🌐 Dev Opportunity Radar Website
If this is your first time discovering the series, you can explore every edition, browse opportunities by category, discover Community Finds, and catch up on Reader Updates on the Dev Opportunity Radar website.
👉 Website
I also wrote a short post about why I built the website and the journey behind it.
