Coding Challenges on Stack Overflow are a place for users to learn new things, test their skills, and enjoy friendly competition with others on the platform. When a new challenge prompt goes live, there is an open period during which users have a designated length of time to submit an entry (usually 2 weeks), and then there is a designated voting period (usually 1 week).
During the open period, challenge entries are not visible until you submit one of your own. During the voting period, all entries are visible to everyone. Entries can continue to be submitted after the open period ends, and even after winners are selected, but only those submitted before the voting period starts will be considered for winning. Any users with at least 1 rep can participate.
How do I win a challenge?
The criteria for winning each challenge will be included in the challenge prompt description. Often the highest score on a challenge entry will win, but there can be other criteria as well. Some challenge prompts allow for multiple winners.
What do I get for winning a challenge?
Users who win a challenge will be recognized on the challenge page in the header image, and the challenge description. As we continue to develop this feature we may experiment with new ways of rewarding challenge winners. No rep is awarded for participating in or winning challenges.
Can I submit my own challenge?
As of now, all challenge prompts are posted by Stack Overflow staff, but users with an idea for a good challenge can add it to our Challenges sandbox. In the sandbox, users can also workshop and suggest improvements on one another’s ideas. Stack Overflow staff review these ideas, and may select some of them for future challenges, usually with some tweaks. Users’ whose sandbox ideas inspire challenges that are posted will be awarded a challenge creator badge.
Can I use AI to help with challenges?
No, using generative AI to produce challenge entries, or challenge prompts in the sandbox, is not permitted per Stack Overflow’s AI use policy. It is also not permitted to plagiarize content from elsewhere on the internet. All challenge content posted by you should be created by you.
Is this replacing Code Golf Stack Exchange?
No, Code Golf SE remains an independent Stack Exchange community. There is some crossover with Coding Challenges on Stack Overflow (and we encourage users who love a challenge to participate in both!), but there are some important distinctions too. Code Golf challenges must have an objective scoring criteria, while Stack Overflow challenges are often much more open ended, accepting a wide range of approaches.
Note: Challenges on Stack Overflow was built (initially as an experiment) utilizing the framework originally built for the retired Discussions feature. This may evolve as the feature continues to be developed.