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Disqualified from a National Web Design Competition for Using GitHub (medium.com)

492 points by 101008 · 1287 days ago · 302 comments on HN

Article summary

A participant in a national web design competition was disqualified for using GitHub, with the judges apparently considering it a template engine. The participant's project was hosted on GitHub Pages, but used self-crafted HTML, not templates. The disqualification has sparked a discussion about the judges' technical literacy and the rules of the competition. The project's code is publicly available, showing that it was not generated by a template engine.

Main themes

  • technical literacy
  • competition rules
  • version control systems
  • web development
  • judging criteria
  • GitHub and GitHub Pages

What commenters say

  • The judges' decision was likely due to a lack of technical understanding, as GitHub is not a template engine, but a version control system.
  • The competition rules should be clearer about what is and is not allowed, to avoid similar disqualifications in the future.
  • The participant's use of GitHub Pages does not necessarily imply the use of a template engine, and the judges should have looked closer at the code.
  • The disqualification is an example of incompetence on the part of the contest and judges, who failed to understand the technology used.
  • The ability to use version control systems like GitHub is an important skill for developers, and should not be discouraged.
  • The judges' decision may have been based on a misunderstanding of the difference between GitHub and GitHub Pages.
  • The competition should focus on the quality of the code and the project, rather than the tools used to create it.
  • The disqualification is a learning experience for the participant, who can use it to improve their skills and prepare for future competitions.