Solve real problems.
Get ranked.
Get noticed.
Deadlock is a national season of solo build weekends for Canadian students. Each Open gives you one real problem from a Canadian business, nonprofit or town, one weekend to build it, and a rank that hiring teams trust.
Winter Open, February 19 to 21, 2027. Open to every university and college student in Canada.
- Solves the brief
- 27 / 30
- Technical craft
- 26 / 30
- Product judgement
- 18 / 20
- Demo clarity
- 17 / 20
No experience, no job.
No job, no experience.
That loop is a deadlock. An Open breaks it: a real brief from a real problem owner, a ranked result, and a scorecard you can put in front of an employer.
It's experience, with your name on it and nobody else's.
One brief. One weekend. Just you.
Everything happens online, from wherever you are. All times are Eastern.
- Friday 8pmThe brief dropsOne problem, with the owner's real data and a short video from them explaining what they need.
- Saturday 2pmThe PivotA requirement changes for everyone at once, the way real clients change their minds.
- Sunday 11pmSubmissions closeThat's 8pm in Vancouver, so the west coast gets a full Sunday.
- Two weeks laterResults dayYour rank, your scorecard and your Builder Card, win or lose.
You submit a demo video of three minutes or less, your code, your stack and a one-page decision log. Judges score it out of 100, with the problem owner on the panel: solving the brief 30, technical craft 30, product judgement 20, demo clarity 20.
Pick the Winter Open brief
Five real problems are on the shortlist. Voting opens January 25, and the winner is revealed when the brief drops.
| Brief | From | What they need |
|---|---|---|
| Match the shelf | A community food bank | Turn a week of English and French intake notes into a pick list and a forecast of next week's demand. |
| Ask the bylaws | A small-town clerk's office | Answer residents' questions from bylaws and council minutes, citing the source, and say so when the answer isn't there. |
| Why did it come back? | An independent retailer | Read 5,000 return notes and photos and find the reasons, the fixes and the abuse. |
| Plain words | A newcomer literacy nonprofit | Rewrite government letters in plain English without changing what they mean. |
| Dispatch from voicemail | A regional trucking company | Turn drivers' delay voicemails into updated arrival times and customer messages. |
Registered builders get the ballot by email.
One national ranking
Four Opens a year. Your best three count toward the season, so missing a weekend never ends it.
Every builder is ranked nationally, in their province or territory, at their school, and on a separate board for first-timers. Colleges are ranked alongside universities.
| Rank | Builder | School | Prov. | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jordan Tremblay | Université Laval | QC | 1,710 |
| 2 | Harleen Sidhu | BCIT | BC | 1,694 |
| 3 | Ethan Park | University of Waterloo | ON | 1,688 |
| 4 | Sofia Rossi | University of Manitoba | MB | 1,671 |
| 5 | Noah Whitehorse | SAIT | AB | 1,659 |
| 6 | Leila Haddad | Seneca Polytechnic | ON | 1,648 |
| 7 | Amara Okafor | Dalhousie University | NS | 1,642 |
Win or lose, you leave with proof.
Every result is verified and yours to show. The top finishers also take home cash, gear and a month of mentorship.
- Results cardYour rank and percentile as a verified credential you can add to LinkedIn.
- Scorecard for everyoneRubric scores and a national percentile, win or lose.
- Cash prize pool30% of entry fees plus sponsor top-ups, shown live as it grows, never less than $500 an Open.
- Mentor for a monthFour one-on-one sessions with a senior engineer or founder for each winner.
- Engraved keycapsOne for every top-10 finish. The Season Champion gets a full custom keyboard.
- Ship It bonusA second prize 30 days later for the build that real people are using.
- Company introductionsAs companies join Deadlock, the top finishers are the first people we introduce them to.
The Deadlock 10
Every December we profile the ten best student builders in the country, in writing and on video, one a day. It's chosen from the season standings, with one place kept for a comeback story.
Use any AI tool. Keep your receipts.
Every brief is an AI problem, and AI tools are welcome. Your commits start after the brief drops, your decision log says how you used AI, and top builds walk a judge through their code before results are final. We judge your decisions, not your keystrokes.
Hire from results, not resumes.
Every ranked builder solved a real brief, under a deadline, on their own, and can walk you through the code.
- Bring a problem
- Free for businesses, nonprofits and towns. Hundreds of builders work on it, and you keep every solution.
- Sponsor an Open
- Own that weekend's brief, name a prize and sit on the panel.
- Become a hiring partner
- Interview each Open's top 10 and browse opt-in profiles with full scorecards.
- Present the season
- Put your name on all four Opens and The Deadlock 10.
Season 1, 2027
$15 an Open. Any student enrolled at a Canadian university or college can enter, individually.
Questions
Do I need to be good to enter?
No. First-timers have their own leaderboard and their own prize, and everyone gets a scorecard showing where to improve.
Who can enter?
Any student enrolled at a Canadian university or college, including international students. We check your school email and may ask for proof of enrolment.
Can I enter with friends?
You can all enter, but you build alone. Every result belongs to one person, which is what makes it worth something to an employer.
Where does my $15 go?
30% goes straight into that Open's prize pool and 10% into the season prize. The rest runs judging, the platform and the rewards.
Can I get a refund?
Yes, a full refund until February 12. Email askdeadlock@gmail.com from the address you registered with.
What if I miss an Open?
Your best three of four Opens count toward the season standings, so one missed weekend doesn't end your season.