Contribute to an official .NET Foundation project this October and claim a digital certificate for Hacktoberfest.
Important note: This certificate opportunity is organized by the .NET Foundation. It is not run by individual open source repository maintainers and it is not run by the official Hacktoberfest organizers. It is separate from Hacktoberfest rules and rewards, so it may not count toward your official Hacktoberfest activity. Check the official Hacktoberfest guidelines for their requirements.
Claim window: Oct 27–31 (UTC)
Limit: First 200 valid signups
You qualify if you have at least one meaningful pull request (PR) to an official .NET Foundation repository that is either:
Approved by a maintainer between Oct 1–31, 2025 (UTC). Approval counts even if the PR is not merged yet.
Merged between Oct 1–31, 2025 (UTC).
Substantive contributions include examples such as code, documentation, tests, CI or configuration, samples, tutorials, and localization.
Not eligible:
PRs approved or merged outside October 2025 (UTC)
PRs merged into forks (must target an official .NET Foundation repo)
Spam or trivial PRs (see details below)
PRs with approval revoked or labeled spam/invalid by maintainers
One certificate per person, regardless of number of PRs
We recognize real, useful improvements. The following do not qualify:
Cosmetic-only edits: whitespace-only changes, punctuation or emoji tweaks, import or order shuffles with no clarity or performance impact
Typos with no material value: tiny edits that do not fix accuracy, broken commands or links, or user confusion
Automated or bot-only PRs: mass find and replace, bulk formatting, or blind dependency bumps without human rationale, testing, or risk notes
Low-effort AI dumps: code or docs pasted from an AI tool without editing, verification, or tests; generic tutorials not specific to the repo
Unreviewed machine translations: raw machine output with incorrect terminology or style; no evidence of human review
Drive-by or duplicate PRs: the same superficial change repeated across multiple repos; copycat PRs that duplicate existing work without added value
Readme or profile padding: adding names, badges, or unrelated promotional links; swapping images or screenshots without improving instructions or accuracy
Unscoped refactors: renames or file moves that do not fix a bug, improve readability in a meaningful way, or measurably improve performance
Unverified CI or configuration edits: workflow or settings changes without explanation, tests, or a green run that demonstrates benefit
Small but meaningful changes can count if the impact is clear. Examples: fixing a broken build step, correcting a failing command, repairing a dead link in critical setup docs, or a focused tweak that unblocks contributors. Explain the value in your PR description.
Maintainer signals: we consider maintainer labels and comments. If approval is later revoked or replaced by “changes requested,” the PR is not eligible.
Eligible:
Fixing a bug with a test or clear repro and validation steps
Docs improvements that add a new section or tutorial specific to the repo, fix broken commands or paths, or clarify setup
CI improvements with measurable benefit and a successful run (for example caching or matrix fixes)
Reviewed translations aligned with project terminology and style
Approved in October (UTC) but merged later. Eligible based on the October approval
Ineligible:
Prettier-only or whitespace-only commits; mass formatting sweeps
README punctuation or emoji tweaks; badge rearrangements
Blind version bumps with no context or testing
Unedited AI-generated content or generic tutorials dropped into docs
Raw machine translations without human review
The same trivial change repeated across many repos
During Oct 27–31 (UTC), open the claim form.
Submit your GitHub handle and link(s) to your approved or merged October PR(s).
We will verify and email your digital certificate.
Only the first 200 valid signups will receive a certificate.
Submissions are reviewed for compliance with the rules above.
Do approved but not merged PRs count? Yes. If a maintainer approved the PR between Oct 1–31 (UTC), it counts even if merge happens later, unless approval is revoked.
Do you allow multiple PRs? Great that you did so much. You still receive one certificate total.
Does non-code work count? Yes. Docs, tests, CI or configuration, samples, tutorials, and localization are welcome via PRs.
Does merging into forks count? No. PRs must target an official .NET Foundation repo.
Claim form (Oct 27–31, UTC): Open the form
Disclaimer: This certificate opportunity is organized by the .NET Foundation, not by individual open source repository maintainers and not by the official Hacktoberfest organizers. It is separate from Hacktoberfest rules and rewards, so it may not count toward your official Hacktoberfest activity.
Questions or appeals: [email protected]