It was great to see so many of you join our Shipyard LIVE on Tuesday. We didn’t have time to answer every question live, so we’ve pulled together the most commonly-asked ones here. We hope this info helps on your journey to building a monetizable MVP — keep building, and we’ll see you at the finish line!
Still have a question?
Check out the submission guide, or jump into Discord to connect directly with the team.
Building your app
Q: Can I build for both iOS and Android?
A: Yes. Cross-platform frameworks like React Native or Flutter are allowed — your app just needs to be a mobile app (iOS or Android).
Q: How do I get access to the Shipping Container?
A: Once you register for the contest on Devpost, you will receive an email within 48 business hours with information on how to redeem all of the offers. Reach out to our team in Discord if you encounter any issues.
Q: Do I need to use the tools included in the Shipping Container?
A: No. You are free to use any tool you want; it’s not a requirement to use the tools contained in the Shipping Container to build your app, and this does not impact judging.
Q: Do I need a working backend, or is it enough to have demo userflows that explain the function and demonstrate how it should work?
A: Everything in the app should be working. Your backend doesn’t need to scale to a large user base — this is an MVP — but documentation or user flows alone aren’t enough.
Q: Does a TestFlight Expo app that uses WebView for some screens still qualify, or does it need to be fully native to be compliant?
A: An Expo/React Native app distributed via TestFlight still qualifies, even if some screens use a WebView. More information on using RevenueCat with React Native is available in our documentation here.
Monetization
Q: Is a RevenueCat integration required?
A: Yes, your app must have RevenueCat installed and active to be eligible.
Q: Is an integration with RevenueCat’s Test Store sufficient?
A: No, this does not count as an integrated SDK. More info here.
Q: Do I have to charge for my app, or can I just use RevenueCat to introduce a ‘Donate to Developer’ experience?
A: Yes — this is allowed and within the rules. That said, creators are ultimately looking for apps that meaningfully monetize their audience, so you should think carefully about whether this approach aligns with the brief.
Q: How do I decide what features to monetize? How do I price correctly?
A: This is up to you. You should be pitching how and why you’d monetize your app as part of your submission — not just what you’d charge for. Hear more from our Judges on this here.
Submission and testing
Q: Do I need to publish to the App Store?
A: Apps must be accessible via TestFlight (iOS) or Play Internal Testing (Android). Your app does not need to be on the public stores (App Store or Google Play Store). If your app is also live on an app store, this will not affect the judging of your submission (positively or negatively).
Q: Can I submit multiple projects for the same brief?
A: No, you can only submit one submission per brief (seven submissions total). Choose wisely!
Q: Can changes be made after the Feb 12 deadline? How do we know which version of the app will be judged?
A: Yes, you can continue working on your app after the Feb 12 submission deadline. The Intellectual Property remains yours, and we can’t (and don’t want to) restrict ongoing development.
However, you should clearly specify which version of your app is being submitted for judging in your Devpost submission. Judges will evaluate the version you reference there and the one that features in your demo video.
Q: Do I need to upload to GitHub if the app is vibe-coded?
A: No. You don ’t need to upload your code to GitHub.
Q: What tester emails should I use for TestFlight or Play Internal Testing?
A: All the information on how to submit, including what tester emails to use, is available here.
Q: Should I ensure the judges can access and test premium features, or will seeing a paywall suffice?
A: You should ensure all the features that you want the judges to evaluate are available.
Q: Since the App Store URL is allowed, can we provide instructions to redeem free credits for judges to test the app?
A: Yes, this is fine.
Judging
Q: For the video submission, should I screen record on my phone to demo the app, and do I need to have a face cam?
A: Up to you! How you record the feature and whether you feature yourself/voice/face in it is entirely your call. The only thing that will affecting judging is the quality of your app and the effort put into submission — better quality videos or more engaging demos might stand out more, but you won’t be penalized for not showing your face.
Q: Will the Creators use my app or just watch the demo video I provide?
A: Due to the expected number of submissions, we can’t guarantee that every app will be fully installed and tested. The only requirement is that judges watch your demo video — this is how all submissions are reviewed before shortlisting. Shortlisted submissions will be fully tested. Make sure your video clearly shows the core experience and value of your app. Hear more about this here.
Q: How long should my demo video be?
A: We recommend keeping your demo video to 2–3 minutes. Shorter videos may hold attention spans more, but judges will watch videos of any length. This isn’t a hard limit — longer videos won’t be rejected.
Q: Should we disable paywalls for testing?
A: No, don’t worry about this. In TestFlight and Play Internal Testing, the transactions won’t be charged.
Q: Are sandbox purchases sufficient, or do the Judges need to see a real transaction flow?
A: TestFlight / Sandbox purchases are sufficient.
Q: What would you say matters more, how the app looks and feels, or the level of functionality?
A: See the response from our judges here.
Q: Will it impact the judging if a Creator specifically mentions a preference for iOS vs. Android?
A: If a creator mentions a platform preference, it’s smart to factor that into what you build. It can help your app better fit their audience.
That said, you won’t be disqualified for building on the other platform. If you do, make sure to explain your choice and include a clear roadmap for supporting the creator’s preferred platform. Judges will focus on overall audience fit, product quality, and long-term potential — not just the initial platform.
Q: Any bonus points if your app is launched with users?
A: No, judging isn’t based on user numbers. The focus is on the quality of your MVP, how well it fits the creator’s audience, and its monetization potential. Having users won’t hurt, but it won’t give you extra points on its own.
Creator-specific questions
Q: Can you share more information on the Creator’s audience demographics
All the information we have is available here.
Q: Gabby, do your followers typically DM you, and what sort of questions do they ask?
See Gabby’s response here.
Q: Gabby, do you think it’d be useful to include a feature that allows users of your app to interact with one another?
See Gabby’s response here.
Q: Eitan, can I use recipes from your website (https://www.eitanbernath.com/recipes/) in my app?
Yes, you can use recipes from Eitan’s website for the purposes of the hackathon. However, once the competition ends and your app is published to an app store, those recipes will need to be removed. This is to ensure content rights are respected beyond the scope of the contest.