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Blueprint Challenges are the competitive track that runs alongside Blueprint Monday classes. Each week, a new niche challenge gives you a focused build target with a deadline. Challenges create urgency, reward completion, and generate a wave of new blueprints for the community library.
Challenges are announced every Monday after Blueprint Monday live class and run for one week.

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How Blueprint Challenges Work

1

Monday: Challenge Drops

After Blueprint Monday class, the weekly challenge is announced in the Blueprint Challenges category. It’s tied directly to the niche and blueprint covered in that week’s class.
2

Build During the Week

You have until the following Sunday to build your app, deploy it, and submit your entry.
3

Submit Before Deadline

Submit your build as a reply to the challenge thread (not as a standalone post) with your live URL, screenshot, and what you learned.
4

Sunday: Winners Announced

Challenge winners are announced alongside App of the Week. Top submissions get featured in the community newsletter.

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Challenge Structure

Every Blueprint Challenge includes:

Target Niche

The industry or audience focus for the week (Health, Wealth, Productivity, etc.)

Specific Blueprint

Which blueprint to build, with a suggested complexity level

Core Requirements

Must-have features and deliverables to qualify for completion

Bonus Points

Optional extras that make your submission stand out

Resources

Links to the blueprint file, niche palette, and relevant Ship It guides

Deadline

Submission deadline (typically the following Sunday at midnight your local time)

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Challenge Submission Template

When submitting your challenge entry, reply to the challenge thread with this format: 
**Challenge Week:** [e.g., Week 12 — Healthcare Niche]

**Live URL:** [https://your-app-url.vercel.app]

**Screenshot:** [Attach or paste screenshot of your app]

**Blueprint Used:** [e.g., HW-01 The Macro Alchemist]

**Niche Served:** [Who is this for, specifically?]

**My Twist:** [What did you add or change from the blueprint?]

**Build Time:** [How long did the challenge take?]

**Bonus Features Completed:** [List any bonus requirements you tackled]

**What I Learned:** [Key takeaway from this niche or build]

**Biggest Challenge:** [What was the hardest part?]

**How I Solved It:** [How did you overcome it?]
Every submission that meets the core requirements gets public recognition and personal feedback from DESI, even if you don’t win.

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Example Challenge Format

Here’s what a typical Blueprint Challenge announcement looks like:

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BLUEPRINT CHALLENGE — WEEK OF MARCH 10, 2026

THIS WEEK’S CHALLENGE: Build a Macro Tracker for Health & WellnessNiche: Health & Weight Loss
Blueprint: HW-01 The Macro Alchemist
Difficulty: Beginner
Estimated Build Time: 2-4 hours

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THE CHALLENGE

Build The Macro Alchemist (HW-01) and add ONE custom feature that isn’t in the blueprint. Deploy it to GitHub Pages and share your live URL below. Your app should help users track their daily macros and stay on target with their nutrition goals.

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REQUIREMENTS

  • Must use the Health niche palette colors
  • Must include at least 3 core features from the blueprint (macro input, daily totals, visual progress)
  • Must be deployed with a live URL
  • Must include one personal twist or custom feature

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BONUS POINTS (Optional)

  • Add dark mode toggle
  • Include a weekly summary view
  • Add export data to CSV functionality
  • Create a custom food database with preset macros

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HOW TO SUBMIT

  1. Build your app following the blueprint
  2. Deploy it to GitHub Pages
  3. Reply to THIS post with the submission template
  4. Include your live URL, screenshot, and what you learned

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DEADLINE

Submit by Sunday, March 16 at midnight your local time.
Winners announced in App of the Week on Sunday!

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RESOURCES

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Challenge Rotation Schedule

Challenges rotate through all niches to ensure every member sees their interest featured:
WeekNicheChallenge IdeaBlueprintDifficulty
1HealthBuild the Macro Alchemist with custom food databaseHW-01Beginner
2HealthCreate a Meal Architect with your own recipe collectionHW-03Intermediate
3WealthBuild the Income Tracker with savings goal visualizerWB-01Beginner
4WealthCreate the Offer Architect for your freelance servicesWB-02Intermediate
5RelationshipsBuild a Date Night Generator with 50 custom ideasRD-01Beginner
6RelationshipsCreate the Love Language Quiz with custom questionsRD-02Intermediate
7Personal DevBuild the Affirmation Engine with 100 original affirmationsPD-01Beginner
8Personal DevCreate the Habit Forge and track 3 real habits for a weekPD-02Intermediate
9FaithBuild the Devotional Companion with your favorite 30 versesFB-01Beginner
10FaithCreate the Prayer Journal with custom prayer categoriesFB-02Intermediate
11FitnessBuild the Rep Counter and use it in a real workoutFT-01Beginner
12FitnessCreate the Workout Architect with 10 custom routinesFT-02Intermediate
13ParentingBuild Chore Quest for your own kidsPC-01Beginner
14ParentingCreate the Storytime Forge with themed story templatesPC-02Beginner
15BeautyBuild the Skincare Routine Builder for your actual routineBS-01Beginner
16BeautyCreate the Product Tracker with your real beauty inventoryBS-03Intermediate
17ProductivityBuild the Focus Timer and use it for one full work sessionPT-01Beginner
18ProductivityCreate the Weekly Sprint Planner and plan next week with itPT-02Intermediate
Challenges start with Beginner difficulty for the first month, then mix in Intermediate as the community builds confidence.

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Judging Criteria

Challenge submissions are evaluated using this rubric:
CriteriaWeightWhat We Look For
Completion30%Does it work? Is it deployed? All requirements met?
Creativity25%How original is the personal twist? Did they go beyond the blueprint?
Design20%Does it use the niche palette? Is it clean and usable?
Effort15%Did they push themselves? Is it their best work?
Community10%Did they help others? Share tips? Encourage fellow builders?
How to break a tie: Default to Creativity. The builder who found the most interesting personal angle wins. Technical polish is learnable — original thinking is the skill we’re developing.

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What You Get for Participating

Every challenge submission that meets the core requirements receives:

Public Recognition

Your build gets highlighted in the challenge thread and community feed

Personal Feedback

Direct feedback from DESI on what worked and what to try next

App of the Week Entry

Automatic consideration for App of the Week recognition

Community Archive

Your app becomes a permanent reference in the community showcase

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Winners Get Extra

Challenge winners are featured in:
  • Weekly email newsletter with their live URL and build story
  • Main community feed announcement
  • Potential showcase in future live classes
  • Monthly “Builder of the Month” consideration

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Challenge Success Tips

Members just watched you walk through a blueprint live in Blueprint Monday. The challenge is their chance to make it their own. The tighter the connection between the lesson and the challenge, the higher the participation rate.
If you’re new to challenges, start with Beginner-level challenges even if you’re comfortable coding. The goal is to ship and share, not to prove your technical skills. You can always add bonus features for extra creativity points.
Before submitting, scroll through other people’s entries. You’ll see different approaches, creative twists you didn’t think of, and solutions to challenges you faced. Learning happens in the replies, not just in the building.
A working app with rough edges that’s submitted beats a perfect app that’s still on your local machine. Ship it, get feedback, iterate in v2. The learning happens when you share, not when you polish in private.
The best challenge submissions are apps the builder would actually use. Customize the blueprint for your real needs — your genuine use case makes the app more creative and more useful to others in your niche.
When you finish your submission, spend 10 minutes reading other people’s posts and offering feedback. The community criterion in judging rewards builders who give back. Plus, helping others solidifies your own learning.

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Challenge Archive

Past challenge threads remain visible in the Blueprint Challenges category. New members can:
  • Browse previous challenges and build them at their own pace
  • See the progression of community builds over time
  • Use past submissions as case studies for specific blueprints
  • Find inspiration for their own custom blueprint ideas
You don’t need to wait for the current week’s challenge. You can tackle any past challenge whenever you’re ready — just post in the original thread with your submission.

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Challenge Participation Etiquette

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For Participants

  • Post submissions as replies to the challenge thread, not as standalone posts
  • Meet the deadline or clearly mark your submission as late (late entries are still celebrated)
  • Use the submission template so your entry is easy to evaluate
  • Include error-free live URLs — test your link before submitting
  • Reply to feedback when DESI or community members comment on your build

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For Commenters

  • Celebrate every submission — completing a challenge in one week is an achievement
  • Be specific with feedback — “Great job” is nice, but “The color scheme really works for the wellness niche” is useful
  • Ask questions about their process — “How did you implement the streak counter?” helps everyone learn
  • Suggest ideas for v2 — “Have you thought about adding a weekly summary view?” plants seeds for future builds

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Next Steps

Ship It Showcase

Learn how to share your deployed apps outside of challenges

Blueprint Lab

Share custom blueprints inspired by challenge builds

Community Overview

Explore all community channels and the builder’s journey

Contributing

Help improve the vault and give back to the community

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

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