Port Mortem 2026 - Code Resurrection Hackathon

Port the Code. Prove the Performance.

About the Hackathon:

Port Mortem 2026 is a 72-hour online hackathon focused on AI-assisted software migration and cross-language code porting. Participants will rewrite a real open-source project from one programming language to another while preserving its functionality, correctness, and engineering quality.

Rather than simply generating code, teams are expected to demonstrate behavioral equivalence through testing, benchmarking, and documentation. The challenge emphasizes engineering discipline, software quality, and production-ready implementations.

Eligibility:

• Open to students, professionals, researchers, and software developers worldwide.
• Participants from any college, university, organization, or country are welcome.
• Solo participation is allowed.
• Teams may consist of 1–4 members.
• Inter-college teams are allowed.
• Inter-specialization and cross-disciplinary teams are allowed.

Event Format:

Registration Phase:

• Register individually or as a team.
• Join the official Discord server for announcements, discussions, and support.

Repository Selection:

At hackathon kickoff, participants will choose a repository from a curated pool of eligible open-source projects or submit an alternative repository for approval (subject to organizer guidelines).

Development Phase (72 Hours):

Teams will:

• Port the selected project into the target programming language.
• Preserve the original behavior and functionality.
• Validate correctness using the original test suite whenever possible.
• Benchmark the implementation.
• Document architectural decisions and implementation trade-offs.

Submission:

Each team must submit:

• Public GitHub repository
• Build instructions
• Working implementation
• Benchmark report
• DECISIONS.md
• Differential testing/fuzzing artifacts (if applicable)
• Demo video

Tracks:

Participants may choose one of the following migration tracks:

• C → Rust
• Zig → Rust
• TypeScript → Go
• Python → Rust
• Go → Rust
• JavaScript → Go or Rust
• C → Zig
• Open Pair (Any Language → Any Language)

Judging Criteria:

Projects will be evaluated on:

Functionality & Reliability (40%)

Build quality, successful execution, and test suite compatibility.

Behavioral Equivalence (30%)

Accuracy of the migration, differential testing, benchmarking, and performance analysis.

Code Quality (20%)

Idiomatic implementation, maintainability, engineering practices, and documentation.

Innovation (10%)

Creative solutions, architectural improvements, and valuable enhancements.

Bonus points may be awarded for:

• Differential fuzzing
• Minimal unsafe code
• Discovering bugs in the original project
• Exceptional engineering documentation

Rules:

• Team size: 1–4 members.
• All development must be completed during the official 72-hour hackathon period.
• AI coding assistants and developer tools are permitted.
• The submitted repository must be public at submission time.
• The project must build using a single documented command.
• Source-language runtime wrappers or proxy implementations are not permitted.
• Teams should preserve the original test suite wherever feasible. Any modifications must be documented.
• Participants must comply with all open-source licensing requirements.
• Plagiarism or submission of pre-existing ports may result in disqualification.

Prizes:

$1,800 Available in Prizes