The Core Revelation: In the AI graveyard lie countless machine learning experiments, abandoned neural networks, and discontinued AI tools that were simply ahead of their time. From early chatbots to experimental computer vision projects, these repositories contain the DNA of today's AI breakthroughs.

Across the sprawling digital graveyard of GitHub rest over 100 million repositories (GitHub, 2024), with 85% falling into disuse within two years of their inception¹. These aren't merely lines of code—they're aspirations cut short, innovations cast aside, and solutions awaiting their moment of redemption.

Every failed Chrome extension holds lessons. Every discontinued npm package carries wisdom. Every abandoned developer tool represents hours of brilliant minds solving real problems, only to see their work fade into digital obscurity.

Statistical Reality:

of "innovative" features existed in previous implementations⁵

%

%

of repositories become inactive within 24 months¹

billion

£

in annual redundant development costs³

+ million

repositories on GitHub alone⁴

Research shows that 78% of successful modern applications share core concepts with previously abandoned projects². Meanwhile, developers worldwide spend countless hours recreating solutions that already existed in some forgotten repository. The global software development market wastes an estimated £47 billion annually on redundant development³.

We’re not just building software—we're practicing digital archaeology, extracting value from the technological past to create a better future.

The Challenge We're Addressing:

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Mission

The Freedom to Choose:

Unlike restrictive hackathons, you have complete creative freedom. Resurrect any type of project that captures your imagination—from simple Chrome extensions to complex developer tools, from abandoned games to forgotten productivity apps.

Become a digital archaeologist and code necromancer. Find abandoned projects, understand their vision, and bring them back to life using modern tools and fresh perspectives. Your mission is to prove that the graveyard of forgotten code contains tomorrow's breakthroughs.

The Challenge

What You'll Do:

Simple Git was maintained by Elastic’s engineering team and used by millions of Node. js applications worldwide.

Untrusted was crafted by experienced developers to teach programming concepts through gameplay.

Each repository contains lessons learned, architectural decisions tested under real-world usage, and code patterns refined through community feedback. The beauty of digital archaeology lies in discovering that these "abandoned" projects often contain more wisdom and better engineering practices than many actively maintained codebases.

These aren’t random hobby projects—they represent thousands of hours of work by skilled engineers, creative game designers, and thoughtful developers. 2048 sparked a global phenomenon and inspired countless variations.

The Archaeological Reality: These aren’t random hobby projects—they represent thousands of hours of work by skilled engineers, creative game designers, and thoughtful developers. 2048 sparked a global phenomenon and inspired countless variations. Untrusted was crafted by experienced developers to teach programming concepts through gameplay. Simple Git was maintained by Elastic’s engineering team and used by millions of Node. js applications worldwide.

Each repository contains lessons learned, architectural decisions tested under real-world usage, and code patterns refined through community feedback. The beauty of digital archaeology lies in discovering that these "abandoned" projects often contain more wisdom and better engineering practices than many actively maintained codebases.

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aside

The key is choosing a project that genuinely interests you — passion for the domain will carry you through the archaeological challenges and inspire innovative resurrections.

Browse through different complexity levels to find what excites you. Fancy game development? Try Hextris or Particle Clicker. Interested in developer tooling? Simple Git offers clean API design patterns. Want to explore creative programming education? Untrusted is a masterclass in interactive learning design. Love minimalist design? A Dark Room proves that compelling experiences don’t require flashy graphics.

Evaluation Formula: Final Score = (Archaeological Excellence x 1.2) + (Technical Implementation x 1.4) + (Innovation & Vision x 1.3) + (User Experience x 1.1) + (Documentation Quality x 1.0)

The Resurrection Standard

fieldset

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Track the pulse of the resurrection. From the first spark to the final judgment—here's when the digital ghosts rise and meet their fate.

Hackathon

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prizes

Total Prize Pool: $ 2,000
Celebrating those who bring digital ghosts back to life with skill, imagination, and purpose.

A distinguished panel of software architects, startup founders, and digital historians will evaluate submissions based on archaeological rigour, technical excellence, and innovative vision.

judges

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Building Tomorrow from Yesterday: The most revolutionary software often builds upon forgotten foundations. Your archaeological work today could uncover the missing piece that unlocks tomorrow’s breakthrough.

Contributing to Digital Heritage: Your work helps preserve and revive valuable software heritage whilst reducing redundant development efforts across the global tech community. Every successful resurrection potentially saves countless developer hours and brings forgotten innovations back to users who need them.

Join the Archaeological Community:

Community Interest Company — 15557917

Organized solely for social good [and fun] and designed by Hackathon Raptors. A non-profit community — UK [C.I.C] — 15 557 917.