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Permit.io Authorization Challenge
Never build permissions again!
Running through May 4, the Permit.io Authorization Challenge invites you to push the boundaries of what's possible with authorization-as-a-service.
Gone are the days of hardcoding authorization or building complex in-app permissions. With Permit.io's powerful platform, you can manage access control easier than ever – making your applications more secure, flexible, and easier to maintain.
We have three prompts for this challenge with three ways to win. Each prompt winner will receive:
- $1,000 USD
- Mechanical Keyboard 🤩
- DEV++ Membership
- Exclusive DEV Badge
Ready to revolutionize the way applications handle permissions? Read on for our prompts!
Sponsored by Permit.io
Permit.io is a full stack authorization as a service - build and enforce zero-latency permissions for any application with Policy-as-Code, IaC, APIs, SDKs, Gateway Integrations, and user facing UIs.
Key Dates
- Contest start: April 23, 2025
- Submissions due: May 04, 2025
- Winners announced: May 15, 2025
Badge Rewards


Challenge Prompts
Permissions Redefined
Build an application of your choice and implement fine-grained authorization using Permit.io. We strongly encourage you to utilize the Permit CLI. Document your process and guide others through implementing similar solutions.
Your submission will be judged primarily on the quality of your documentation (DEV submission post and repository README) but we expect the core functionality of your project to work as well.
Judging Criteria:
- Clarity and Quality of Project Development Journey
- Clarity and Quality of Project README (Installation/Tutorials/Guides)
- Functionality and Usability of Application/Tool
- Innovation and Creativity in the Authorization Approach
AI Access Control
Build an AI application of your choice that includes authorization controls specifically designed for AI (i.e. safeguards for AI actions that require approval workflows, fine-grained controls over what AI agents can access or modify, etc). Document your process and guide others through implementing similar solutions.
Judging Criteria:
- Clarity and Quality of Project Development Journey
- Clarity and Quality of Project README (Installation/Tutorials/Guides)
- Functionality and Usability of Application/Tool
- Innovation and Creativity in the Authorization Approach
API-First Authorization
Build an application of your choice that elegantly implements an authorization system that embraces API-first principles and declarative rules using Permit.io.
Avoid generic, boilerplate CRUD apps — we’re looking for thoughtful implementations that demonstrate real-world access control and meaningful architecture. Treat authorization as a core part of your API design, enforced through external policies rather than hardcoded logic. Document your process and guide others through implementing similar solutions.
Judging Criteria:
- Clarity and Quality of Project Development Journey
- Clarity and Quality of Project README (Installation/Tutorials/Guides)
- Functionality and Usability of Application/Tool
- Innovation and Creativity in the Authorization Approach
Permit.io Authorization Challenge FAQ
Participation
Can I submit to multiple prompts?
Yes, you are welcome to submit to multiple prompts.
Can one submission qualify for multiple prompts?
Yes, if your submission offers a solution to multiple prompts, it can qualify for multiple prompts.
Can I submit to a prompt more than once?
Yes, you can submit multiple submissions per prompt but you’ll need to publish a separate post for each submission.
- In the event that you may win two or more prompts, and your submission is very close with another participant, we will favor the other participant.
- In the event that you do win two or more prompts, you will only receive one winner badge.
Can I work on a team?
Yes, you can work on teams of up to four people.
- If you collaborate with anyone, you’ll need to list their DEV handles in your submission post so we can award a badge to your entire team! Please only publish one submission per team.
- DEV does not handle prize-splitting, so in the event that your submission wins the shop gift, you will need to split that amongst yourselves. Thank you for understanding!
How old do I have to be to participate?
Participants need to be 18+ in order to participate.
If I live in X, am I eligible to participate?
For eligibility rules, see our official challenge rules.
Submission
Can my submission include open source code?
Riffing on open source code and borrowing and improving on previous work/ideas is encouraged but it’s important your changes are significant enough to ensure your submission is valid.
When does riffing become plagiarism?
It will depend, but transparency is important, license compatibility is important. You can use someone else’s code to give you a jumpstart to demonstrate your ideas on top of someone else’s base, but not just re-package the base. It should be clear to the judges what you added to the project in terms of the code and conceptual inspiration. This means, you should clearly state what you were building on and what elements are original to this new submission. When building on existing code, we expect a significant change that adds something tangible to the output. i.e. a new animation, and new sprite, a new function, a new presentation. Not just changes to the source - i.e. changing colours, changing one sprite, changing one function.
What happens if my submission is considered plagiarized or invalid?
Anything deemed to be plagiarism will not be eligible for prizes. Incidental plagiarism may simply result in your disqualification from the challenge (regardless of the number of other valid submissions you have published). Egregious plagiarism will result in your suspension from DEV entirely. Any non-generic, non-trivial usage of prior work, including open source code must be credited in your submission.
Do submissions have to be in English?
Non-english submissions are eligible for a completion badge but not eligible for prizes due to the current limitations of our judges. We will not be judging on mastery of the English language, so please don’t let this deter you from submitting if you are not a native English speaker! We hope to evolve this in the future to be more accommodating.
Do I need a license for my code?
You are not required to license your code but we strongly recommend that you do. Here are some you may consider: MIT, Apache, BSD-2, BSD-3, or Commons Clause.
Can I use AI?
Use of AI is allowed as long as all other rules are followed. We want to give you a chance to show off your skills in realistic scenarios. If you use AI tools to help you achieve your submission, all the power to you.
How do I embed my project directly into my DEV post?
Our editor supports many types of embeds, including: Stackbliz, Glitch, Github, etc. You can typically use the {% embed https://... %}
syntax directly in the post. Click here for more information on our markdown support.
- For CodePen, you will need to use this syntax:
{% codepen http://... %}
- For CodeSandbox, you will need to use this syntax:
{% codesandbox http://... %}
Judging and Prizing
Can there be ties?
In the event of a tie in scoring between judges, the judges will select the entry that received the highest number of positive reactions on their DEV post to determine the winner.
How will I know if I won?
Winners will be announced in a DEV post on the winner announcement date noted in our key dates section.
When will winners receive their Forem Shop gift?
The DEV Team will contact you via the email associated with your DEV profile within, at most, 10 business days of the announcement date to share the details of the shop gift.
When will I receive my DEV badge?
Both participation and winner badges will be awarded, in most cases, the same day as the winner announcement.
When will I receive my prizes? The DEV Team will contact you via the email associated with your DEV profile within, at most, 10 business days of the announcement date to share the details of claiming your prizes.
What steps do I need to take to receive my cash prize?
The winner (including each member of a team) may be required to sign and return an affidavit of eligibility and publicity/liability release, and provide any additional tax filing information (such as a W-9, social security number or Federal tax ID number) within seven (7) business days following the date of your first email notification.
Permit.io Authorization Challenge Rules
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Open only to 18+. Contest entry period ends May 4, 2025, 2025 at 11:59 PM PDT. Contest is void where prohibited or restricted by law or regulation. All entires must be submitted during the content period. For Official Rules, see Permit.io Authorization Challenge Contest Rules and General Contest Official Rules