Vibeathon
One Monday brief, a live URL, then hype week. $1,000 prize pool · March 30 – April 10
SaaS Market · Sponsor: Virlo (hype & scores)
Dear founder,
Your task is to build an AI-native news surface where the main event is real reporting: articles readers would take seriously, produced through a pipeline that never needs a human in the editorial path. The implementation can be lean; the editorial instinct should not—aim for the depth and care associated with the world's best newsrooms, and make that bar obvious in your HTTPS demo. Everything else—brief digests, Q&A on a story, a conversational layer over the feed—is optional texture we'd love to see if it serves your idea, not extra boxes to tick. The Virlo API (https://virlo.ai/for-developers) is optional at submission; stronger Virlo use can still lift your multiplier later.
— SaaS Market & Virlo
Timeline
From brief unlock through the build window (March 30 – April 10), into hype week through Friday 10 April (hype closes 6:00 PM MESZ), then the winner at 8:00 PM MESZ that day—chronological beats below.
Mar 30, 2026 · 10:00 PM UTC
Kickoff — brief unlocks
The sealed Monday brief opens for everyone at the same moment. The full task appears here; you can start building immediately.
Mar 30, 2026 – Apr 6, 2026
Build window
Ship a live HTTPS demo and submit for your entry page on SaaS Market. Same deadline for everyone. One lightweight product listing is required for plumbing—it is not your pitch.
Apr 6, 2026 – Apr 10, 2026
Hype week
After the build window closes, the focus moves to the leaderboard: visibility and community signals matter—separate from the shipping sprint.
Apr 10, 2026 · 6:00 PM UTC
Winner announced
Hype closes Friday at 6:00 PM MESZ; we announce the winner the same day at 8:00 PM MESZ. Final standings use the published formula: AI judge × Virlo multiplier + community hype.
How scoring works
score = JAI×mVirlo+Hhype
AI judge — after build week
One pass per entry, once the build window ends.
JAI = sum of categories · 0–100
Categories
- 0–25
Editorial / article quality
Depth and seriousness of reporting-style content for this sprint: credible articles, newsroom bar, aligned with the Monday brief. Unrelated products (marketplaces, directories, generic SaaS marketing with no reporting surface) score ~0–5; thin on-brief stubs score low but above unrelated polish.
- 0–25
UI design
Visual hierarchy, typography, and polish **of the shipped Vibeathon demo**—the AI-native news surface. Do not reward unrelated visual quality: a slick homepage for another product caps low (~0–8) even if it looks fine in isolation.
- 0–25
UX design
Flows and IA that serve **reading / using the news product** from the brief. Clear unrelated-product UX (pricing blocks, founder signup funnels, etc. with no news experience) should stay ~0–8 regardless of smoothness.
- 0–25
Extras & integrations
Meaningful AI editorial pipeline, tooling, or integrations **relevant to automated reporting** (e.g. Virlo). Generic site features or unrelated APIs score low; no automatic points for “techiness” off-brief.
Community votes — hype week
Hhype = weighted hype points in the official window. Added in full to the final score (not multiplied by m).
Cast from the leaderboard or your entry page.
Points per hype
Everyone3 pts
Hypes you can give
Caps by plan for casting hypes during hype week. Uses your normal site hype balance—the same refill rules as everywhere else, not a separate “Vibeathon-only” counter.
- Free3
- Go4
- Pro5
Virlo multiplier
mVirlo multiplies JAI only; community hype Hhype is added in full once both parts are known.
Virlo is optional—you can ship without it.
Scale (integration depth)
Docs: Virlo for developers · full detail in the Monday brief.