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After DEV announces a challenge’s winners, it says it will email prize-claim instructions to the address on the winner’s DEV profile within at most 10 business days. That is a deadline for the instructions—not a promise that cash will arrive within 10 business days. What you receive and what you must submit depend on the specific challenge’s prize list and official rules.

How to find out whether you won

DEV posts winner announcements on DEV. Check the challenge page’s Key Dates and look for its announcement post. The DEV Challenge hub says winners are announced the week after a challenge closes, but the individual challenge page provides the dates to follow.

For example, the GitHub Finish-Up-A-Thon page lists its own prize terms and directs entrants to the applicable rules. Do not assume another challenge follows the same schedule or conditions.

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What happens after the announcement

  1. Watch the email on your DEV profile. DEV says it will contact winners there within, at most, 10 business days of the announcement to explain how to claim a prize. Check the address associated with your profile, including spam or junk folders.
  2. Read the instructions and the challenge rules. The prize, eligibility requirements, and claim steps vary by challenge. Follow the winner email and the current official rules for your specific contest.
  3. Return requested paperwork by its deadline. For a cash prize, DEV may require an eligibility affidavit, a publicity/liability release, and tax information. The HF26 hub says requested documents are due within seven business days after the first email notification. Check the message for exactly what applies to you.

DEV’s contact window concerns sending claim details. The reviewed challenge pages do not establish a universal payment method, processor, or date when funds arrive. Use the winner email and that challenge’s rules for payment specifics; do not treat the 10-business-day window as a deposit date.

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What you may receive—and what “getting paid” means

Check the challenge’s prize list: a prize may be cash, a membership, a badge, gifts, or another challenge-specific reward. In the 2026 GitHub Finish-Up-A-Thon, the page listed ten $300 cash awards from a $3,000 total prize pool, plus DEV++ membership and an exclusive badge for each winner. Those are terms of that challenge, not a standard DEV award.

A cash award may involve additional eligibility, identity, release, or tax paperwork before the claim is complete. The reviewed pages do not specify a universal tax treatment or average payment time, so rely on the documents and instructions for your own award.

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  • To access your card information safely, type the complete website address shown on your Gift Card (MyGift.GiftCardMall.com) directly into your browser's address bar. Don't use search engines or shortened versions of the website address, as these may lead you to fake or fraudulent sites. Do not provide any Gift Card details (example: Card Number) to someone you do not know or trust. If you believe you've reached an illegitimate website, contact cardholder service at 1-888-524-1283. Be cautious of phishing sites, there are a variety of scams in which fraudsters try to trick others into paying with gift cards.
  • To report your Lost or Stolen Physical Visa Card, call Customer Service 24/7 at 1 (888) 524-1283 to cancel your Gift Card as soon as you can. You will be asked to provide the Gift Card number and other identifying information.
  • Use your Visa Gift Card in the U.S. everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted, including online.

If you won as part of a team

DEV says it does not split a team’s prize among its members. The team must agree on the division itself. Some challenge pages also ask for participants’ DEV handles for badge awards, so check the entry and claim requirements for your contest.

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If the email or instructions do not arrive

  • If the announcement has appeared but you have not received a message within 10 business days, recheck the email linked to your DEV profile and your spam or junk folders.
  • Revisit the announcement and challenge page for an update or a contact route. If a form, deadline, or payment instruction is unclear, use the route listed for that challenge rather than guessing.
  • If you receive a request for documents, note the deadline in the email. The HF26 hub gives seven business days after the first notification for requested cash-prize paperwork; confirm the terms in your own message.
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Which rules apply to your entry

The individual challenge’s current official rules control eligibility, dates, permitted entries, prizes, and paperwork. Requirements can differ: for example, one reviewed challenge states entrants must be 18 or older, while another includes a challenge-specific English-language eligibility condition. Do not apply one challenge’s conditions to another; consult the rules linked from your challenge page.

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  • To access your card information safely, type the complete website address shown on your Gift Card (MyGift.GiftCardMall.com) directly into your browser's address bar. Don't use search engines or shortened versions of the website address, as these may lead you to fake or fraudulent sites. Do not provide any Gift Card details (example: Card Number) to someone you do not know or trust. If you believe you've reached an illegitimate website, contact cardholder service at 1-888-524-1283. Be cautious of phishing sites, there are a variety of scams in which fraudsters try to trick others into paying with gift cards.
  • To report your Lost or Stolen Physical Visa Card, call Customer Service 24/7 at 1 (888) 524-1283 to cancel your Gift Card as soon as you can. You will be asked to provide the Gift Card number and other identifying information.
  • Use your Visa Gift Card in the U.S. everywhere Visa debit cards are accepted, including online.

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