Build a dream-like digital experience that feels surreal, emotional, and alive. Optionally choose 1+ "dream fragments 🧱" to implement: Fluid Interface (organic UI), Emotional Memory (remembers feelings), Temporal Shifts (strange time behavior), Voice of the Machine (speaks/narrates), or Metamorphic Media (evolving visuals/sounds). Prizes: $ 1,000 / $ 300 / $ 200 + $ 500 Community Choice. Goal: Make people feel something real through something unreal.
TL;DR
72-Hour Hackathon
Dreamware
Engineering the Surreal
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Build a dream-like digital experience that feels surreal, emotional, and alive. Optionally choose 1+ "dream fragments" to implement: Fluid Interface (organic UI), Emotional Memory (remembers feelings), Temporal Shifts (strange time behavior), Voice of the Machine (speaks/narrates), or Metamorphic Media (evolving visuals/sounds). Prizes: $ 1,000 / $ 300 / $ 200 + $ 500 Community Choice. Goal: Make people feel something real through something unreal.
TL;DR
A non-profit community — UK [C.I.C] — 15 557 917.
DreamWare Hackathon 2025 invites you to blur the line between technology and imagination to build experiences that don’t just serve users, but haunt them a little.
Today’s apps are functional, logical, and optimized, but rarely alive. What if we brought dreams back into code? What if software could whisper, mutate, or feel instead of just work?
Dreams are the oldest software our minds ever ran, self-generating worlds built from fragments of memory and emotion. They’re nonsensical, yet meaningful. Fleeting, yet vivid.
The Vision
AliveInterfaces
DigitalImagination
Dreamware
Build an app, experience, or digital world that behaves like a dream. Surreal, nonlinear, emotional, or self-aware.
It could be playful, meditative, haunting, or simply beautiful, as long as it makes people feel something real through something unreal.
Think of it as a creative rebellion against "productivity software."
Your goal: turn emotion into interaction.
It could be playful, meditative, haunting, or simply beautiful, as long as it makes people feel something real through something unreal.
Think of it as a creative rebellion against "productivity software."
Your goal: turn emotion into interaction.
The Brief
(Choose 1+ Features to Implement)
Dream Fragments
These are like dream fragments you can add to your project to enrich it (and maybe get some brownie points!). Under every fragment, there are examples. You won’t necessarily implement exactly these, but something LIKE them.
2. Emotional Memory
1. Fluid Interface
- Images that evolve with interaction.
- Music that adapts to pace or silence.
- Interfaces that dissolve or rebuild as you explore.
- Users' previous moods affect the next experience.
- Joy, fear, or calmness alter what the system shows.
- Dream-history screen: a map of your emotional trail.
- Screens decay if you stay too long.
- Content rearranges itself each visit.
- Every reload feels like waking from a new dream.
- Buttons that drift slowly across the screen.
- Menus that blur when ignored too long.
- Colors that change based on your typing rhythm.
UI that behaves organically. Shifting, breathing, reacting to user emotion or time.
5. Metamorphic Media
4. Voice of the Machine
- AI conversation or narration of events.
- Reactive soundscapes that reply to user actions.
- Text that types itself like it’s thinking.
Nothing stays static, visuals, sounds, or data morph in real time.
Your app remembers feelings, not data.
Time behaves strangely inside your creation.
Let your system speak back, literally or symbolically.
3. Temporal Shifts
2. Emotional Memory
1. Fluid Interface
- Images that evolve with interaction.
- Music that adapts to pace or silence.
- Interfaces that dissolve or rebuild as you explore.
- Users' previous moods affect the next experience.
- Joy, fear, or calmness alter what the system shows.
- Dream-history screen: a map of your emotional trail.
- Screens decay if you stay too long.
- Content rearranges itself each visit.
- Every reload feels like waking from a new dream.
- Buttons that drift slowly across the screen.
- Menus that blur when ignored too long.
- Colors that change based on your typing rhythm.
UI that behaves organically. Shifting, breathing, reacting to user emotion or time.
5. Metamorphic Media
4. Voice of the Machine
- AI conversation or narration of events.
- Reactive soundscapes that reply to user actions.
- Text that types itself like it’s thinking.
Nothing stays static, visuals, sounds, or data morph in real time.
Your app remembers feelings, not data.
Time behaves strangely inside your creation.
Let your system speak back, literally or symbolically.
3. Temporal Shifts
Each feature you add should feel alive, unpredictable, and slightly insane, the kind of logic only dreams understand.
The Visionaries Behind the Dream
Head Judges
Our head judges are veteran developers, architects, and technical innovators — specialists who understand cutting-edge implementation and creative problem-solving. They bring expertise in modern frameworks, performance optimization, and elegant code design and evaluate each project's technical execution, scalability, and engineering depth.
Technical Pathways
- Build surreal interactive sites with React, Next.js, or Vanilla JS + CSS animations.
- Use Canvas / WebGL / Three.js / p5.js for evolving visuals or generative dreamscapes.
Analyse
- Create music-reactive environments using Tone.js or WebAudio API.
- Experiment with text-to-sound or AI voice modulation to give your dream a voice.
Audio-Visual Art
- Generate dream imagery or poetry using Stable Diffusion / GPT / text models.
- Build adaptive experiences that respond to sentiment or user behavior.
AI/ML-Infused Dreams
- Command-line "dream simulators" with ASCII art and auto-generated text.
- Browser extensions that subtly distort your daily browsing.
- AR/VR portals — step into a lucid dream through your screen.
Experimental Mediums
However you approach it, the goal is the same:
Make your software feel sentient.
Make your software feel sentient.
Dreamware 2025 isn’t just a hackathon — it’s a portal.
Join creators, designers, and engineers from around the world to craft digital experiences that feel alive.
Don’t just code. Feel. Build. Dream.
Join creators, designers, and engineers from around the world to craft digital experiences that feel alive.
Don’t just code. Feel. Build. Dream.
Enter the Dream
From Idea to Legend
Timeline
Follow the rhythm of the hackathon — from the moment the surreal coding journey begins to the day dreams become winners. Each phase marks a step from imagination to reality, where technology and emotion intertwine to create something truly alive.
28 November
28 November
Registration closes & hackathon begins
Last call to join Dreamware 2025. The surreal coding journey begins — 72 hours to dream in code.
1 December
1 December
Submissions due (72 hours later)
Time’s up. Submit your project — your dream becomes digital reality.
1–13 December 2025
1–13 December 2025
Main evaluation period (12 days)
Judges explore each creation, feeling for emotion, originality, and the spark of life within the code.
13 December
13 December
Main winners announced (1st, 2nd, 3rd place)
The best resurrected digital artifacts will be revealed.
13–20 December
13–20 December
Community voting period (7 days)
Now it’s your turn. The global audience chooses the project that moved them the most.
20 December
20 December
Community Choice winner announced
The people’s dream is crowned. One project that captured hearts beyond the code.
Evaluation Criteria
40%
- How well does your app implement the stack it’s built in?
- Are the chosen features responsive and the UI/UX impressive?
- Is the experience technically polished and retain control over edge cases?
Technical Execution
30%
- Does it evoke emotion or curiosity?
- How cohesively does it reflect dreamlike logic?
- Is there a strong artistic or philosophical concept behind it?
Concept & Depth
30%
- Does it feel new, even slightly unexplainable?
- Is there a sense of atmosphere or narrative?
- How memorable is the world you’ve created?
Originality & Presence
$ 500
Community Award
Chosen by the people. The dream that resonated most, leaving an echo in every viewer’s mind.
$ 200
For a creation that stands out with originality, depth, and artistic codecraft.
Finalist
$ 300
Runner-Up
For a project that demonstrates outstanding digital archaeology and a compelling transformation of a forgotten codebase.
$ 1000
Grand Prize
For the project that redefines what it means to build alive software — surreal, emotional, and unforgettable.
Awards for the Dream-Makers
Prizes
DreamWare Hackathon 2025
F.A.Q.
Find answers to the most common questions about Dreamware 2025 — from registration and team setup to submission rules and judging criteria. Everything you need to start dreaming in code.
What's the team size limit?
You can participate solo or in teams. We recommend 2−5 people for optimal coordination during the 72 hours, but there’s no strict maximum.
Can I use pre-existing code?
Libraries and frameworks are fine, but your core concept and implementation must be original work created during the hackathon. No repurposing existing projects.
How do I submit my project?
Submission details and the form will be shared closer to the deadline (December 1). Make sure you’re in our Discord for updates.
Are Dream Fragments mandatory?
No. They’re optional inspiration. You can implement one, several, or none—focus on creating something emotionally resonant.
Can I work on my project before November 28?
No. All development must happen during the 72-hour hackathon window (Nov 28 — Dec 1). Planning and research beforehand are allowed.
What if my project isn’t "functional" in a traditional sense?
Perfect. DreamWare celebrates experiences over utility. If it evokes emotion or creates atmosphere, you’re on the right track.
How does Community Choice voting work?
After main judging (Dec 13), the public votes Dec 13-20 on their favorite project. The winner receives an additional $500 prize.
Organised by Hackathon Raptors
Organized solely for social good [and fun] and designed by Hackathon Raptors. A non-profit community — UK [C.I.C] — 15 557 917.
Website: raptors.dev
E-mail: hello@raptors.dev
LinkedIn: Hackathon Raptors
Twitter: Hackathon Raptors
Discord: Hackathon Raptors
E-mail: hello@raptors.dev
LinkedIn: Hackathon Raptors
Twitter: Hackathon Raptors
Discord: Hackathon Raptors
Get in Touch with the Dream
