Back to School / FAQ
Asked Twice
Everything about the assignment, in the order people ask it. If you have explained something twice and wished you had built it instead, this page is the whole brief in twenty-three answers.
What this is
Thirty-one days, thirty-one apps that explain something. Education is the theme, building is the requirement.
What is Netlify Back to School?
A thirty-one-day build challenge running August 1 to 31, 2026. The assignment is one teaching app a day: pick a concept you can explain, build a working app that explains it, and deploy it live.
It follows Hot App Summer in June and Hot AR Summer in July.
What does "one app a day" actually mean?
One deployed, working app each day of the month. Miss a day and you start the streak again tomorrow — the streak is the point, and it is what breaks ties on the leaderboard.
Apps you already shipped stay counted. Only the unbroken run resets.
Who can enter?
Everyone. It is aimed at domain experts, subject matter experts, students, and anyone who has explained something twice and wished they had built it instead. Students with a .edu email get a head start, but entry is not restricted to students.
Do I need to be a developer?
No. You do not need to be a developer to start. Bring the thing you know best — your field's first principles, your top three tips, the STEM idea that finally clicked — and build it with AI.
What should I teach?
Any concept you can explain: how gravity works, why recursion clicks, how compound interest grows, what an HTTP request actually does. Education is the theme; the specific subject is yours.
There are twelve starter ideas on the home page — a sales pitch practice app, a fractions kitchen, a sound waves lab, a toy neural net. They are starting points, not assignments: use one to build your app around, or come up with something on your own.
What counts as an entry
Every entry has to be a working app at a live URL. The teaching happens inside the app.
What counts as a valid submission?
A working app, running at a live URL, that teaches something. Format is wide open as long as someone can open it and learn the idea.
Which formats are allowed?
- Static site — a crisp explainer page or cheatsheet people actually bookmark.
- Interactive — sliders, toggles, and playgrounds that make the idea click.
- Game — a lightweight browser game with a lesson baked in.
- Simulator — change the inputs, watch the system respond in real time.
Those four are examples of what works, not a closed list. The requirement is that it runs and it teaches.
How do I hand something in?
Five steps, repeated thirty-one times:
- Build an education themed app.
- Deploy it live on Netlify so anyone can open it.
- Submit the live URL to the wall so it counts.
- Share it, mention @netlify, use #NetlifyBackToSchool.
- Climb the leaderboard for the rest of the month.
Does posting about a build count instead of submitting it?
No. The deploy is the entry — posts amplify a build, they never replace it. Submit the live URL to the wall, then share it wherever you like.
Which stack, framework, or AI tool should I use?
Any stack, any tool, any agent. Nothing about the build path is prescribed — the app just has to be deployed on Netlify at a live URL.
Are Agent Runners required?
Not this month. Agent Runners were required in July; in August they are an optional track. Entering that track makes a build eligible for the weekly Best use of Agent Runners prize.
More on them at netlify.com/platform/agent-runners.
What is the hashtag?
#NetlifyBackToSchool. Mention @netlify when you post so the build can be picked up and boosted.
What you can win
Credits, amplification, and the top of the board. Judging looks at shipped apps only.
What are the prizes?
- 10,000 credits every week for the strongest Agent Runners build — an optional track with real upside.
- 3,000 credits, one time as a student head start for verified .edu emails.
- Top spot on the leaderboard — credits and bragging rights.
Submitted builds also get promoted and boosted all month, so shipping early earns real distribution.
How do I get the student head start?
Verify a .edu email and 3,000 credits land at the start, one time. It is a head start, not a restriction — anyone can enter without one.
How do I claim my student credits?
Verify a .edu email, then connect your Netlify account from your dashboard. Pick your team if you belong to more than one, then hit the claim button.
Credits are granted by hand afterward, so do not expect them to land instantly.
How is the Agent Runners prize judged?
Each week the strongest Agent Runners build is picked and awarded 10,000 credits. Judging looks at shipped apps only — a build that is not deployed cannot win.
The winning build is posted on the home page and leaderboard, and carries a winner badge.
Who picks the Agent Runners winner each week?
A Netlify teammate reviews that week's Agent Runners entries and picks the winner by hand. There is no auto-ranking by votes or shares.
Winners are posted publicly with a badge on the winning build.
Can I win more than once?
The Agent Runners prize runs every week of the month, so there are multiple chances at it. The student head start is one time. Leaderboard standing is independent of both.
Where your work shows up
Every submitted app lands on the wall, and the leaderboard ranks builders by apps shipped. Both open on August 1.
What is the wall?
The showcase — every submitted app, browsable as tiles or a list and filterable by format. Thirty-one days of shipped lessons in one place.
How does the leaderboard rank builders?
By apps shipped, with day streak as the tiebreaker. Where two builders have shipped the same number, the longer unbroken run takes the higher spot. See the board.
When do the wall and leaderboard open?
Both are open now and stay live through the month. Every entry and standing you see is a real submitted build — there is no placeholder data on either surface, so an empty stretch just means nobody has shipped that thing yet.
What happens if I break my streak?
You start again tomorrow. Every app you already submitted stays on the wall and stays in your count — only the streak resets, and daily deploys stay visible and competitive all month either way.
My question is not here. Where do I ask?
Ask in Discord. Anything not covered on this page — edge cases on eligibility, formats, or credits — gets answered there.
School is in. Bring what you know.
One app a day, all August, each one teaching a single idea. Students with a .edu email get a head start, and the best Agent Runners build wins credits every week.