When developers were challenged to dig through the digital graveyard and bring abandoned software back to life, eight teams answered the call. Code Resurrection Hackathon, running July 20 through September 2, 2025, asked participants to find forgotten open-source projects, understand why they died, and rebuild them for the modern era. Thirty-three judges evaluated submissions across five criteria—Archaeological Excellence, Technical Implementation, Innovation & Vision, User Experience, and Documentation Quality—each scored on a 0–5 scale. Here's what rose from the digital ashes.
✯ Grand Prize Winners
- 1st Place — Modern Face API (Team: Sujal Shah). A comprehensive resurrection of the abandoned
face-api.js library that once powered browser-based facial recognition for thousands of developers before falling into disrepair. The team analyzed why the original failed—10 FPS performance, painful setup, no privacy guarantees—then rebuilt it from scratch with TypeScript, WebGL acceleration achieving 60 FPS, one-line integration, and fully client-side privacy-first processing. Includes a Next.js + React 19 live demo with real-time face detection, landmarks, expressions, and age/gender recognition. Score: 4.36/5.0. "This is a fantastic resurrection. You didn't just patch an old library — you showed real digital archaeology by analyzing why face-api.js failed and then reimagining it for today's needs."
- 2nd Place — Snippet Box 2.0 (Team: Smart Builders). Revival of the abandoned
pawelmalak/snippet-box project, rebuilt with a React/TypeScript frontend, Node.js/Express backend, SQLite + Sequelize database, and Docker deployment support. The standout innovation: AI-powered snippet creation using OpenAI for automatic titles, descriptions, tags, language detection, vulnerability scanning, and code translation. Score: 4.03/5.0. "You clearly did your archaeological work, identified the issues of the original Snippet Box, and delivered a modern full-stack solution with AI features and a modern UI."
- 3rd Place — WebAccessibility (Team: honey). A first-year student's abandoned AI mouse experiment resurrected into a modern accessibility tool using Python, MediaPipe, and OpenCV for gesture-based computer control—head tracking, facial movement detection, and finger motions for volume control. Includes a Chrome extension for hands-free web browsing aimed at improving computer accessibility for people with disabilities. Score: 3.64/5.0. "A really impressive resurrection — you managed to take a personal abandoned experiment and turn it into an accessibility-focused tool with genuine impact."
✯ Excellence Tier
- Super Mario Upgraded Edition (Team: Hyper Girl) — A creative reimagining of a classic Mario platformer built entirely in vanilla HTML, CSS, and JavaScript with no build step. Added gravity flips, coin magnetism, glitch mode, emotional power-ups, ally Goombas, and adaptive enemies—all running on a single canvas with responsive design and mobile support. Score: 3.38/5.0
- 3D Educational Maze (Team: Big dawgs) — An abandoned open-source 3D maze project rebuilt into an educational platform for learning pathfinding algorithms: BFS, DFS, Dijkstra, A*, and Greedy Best-First. Features real-time algorithm visualization via minimap, gameplay elements including a health bar, damage mechanics, and sound effects. Built with Three.js and JavaScript. Score: 3.24/5.0
- GitHub Resume Builder (Team: Shubh) — Revival of the abandoned
resume.github.com concept, rebuilt with TypeScript, Next.js, Firebase, and Google Authentication. Generates ATS-friendly resumes from GitHub profiles with AI assistance, ATS score checking, template options, live preview, and PDF export. Score: 3.22/5.0
✯ Standout Submissions
- Memory Warriors (Team: server) — A polished memory card matching game delivered in a single HTML file under 1KB with offline-first architecture, multiple difficulty levels, combo multipliers, Web Audio API sound effects, and strong accessibility features including screen reader support and keyboard navigation. Score: 3.13/5.0
- GO-FOCUS (Team: A+P+I) — A Chrome productivity extension that blocks distracting websites using psychological friction rather than simple blocking. Features robotic narration with text-to-speech, motivational quotes, a cyberpunk 3D-themed UI, Pomodoro timer, and streak tracking. Score: 3.01/5.0
✯ Evaluation Panel
Six senior technology leaders evaluated submissions across Archaeological Excellence, Technical Implementation, Innovation & Vision, User Experience, and Documentation Quality:
- Serhii Onishchenko — Senior Software Engineer, Performance Optimization & Accessibility (Fortune 100)
- John Wesly Sajja — Enterprise IT Leader, Deloitte Consulting
- Vishnu Prasad Krishnakumar — Supply Chain & ERP Transformation Expert
- Artem Kuznetsov — Ex-Meta Software Engineer, Large-Scale System Design
- Giridhar Raj Singh Chowhan — Senior Solution Architect, Microsoft
- Siva Prasad Sunkara — Technology Leader, Microsoft
