Open Call & Arena
Entry opens soon. Payment is not open yet. You can register your entry now with the website form (choose Arena entry (Open Call) as the submission type). We pre-check it for free, confirm your format and publish date, then email you the payment link. Nothing is charged until then.
The Open Call is a series of themed calls on X where builders and users share the AI tools they rely on or are proud to have made, and say why. Entries that pass a free pre-check go into an Arena: a public post where people vote and leave their reasons.
Who it's for: makers who want to validate an idea fast, and early projects looking for first exposure and honest feedback from real users, and indie makers who want real-user feedback to iterate or to compare two approaches in a Duel.
1. Themed Open Call rounds
Each round has a theme, for example: AI tools for game development, no-code website builders, documentation tools, or mobile app builders. A round opens with a post that asks, for example, "For game development work, which AI tools do you prefer? Or have you built a tool you're proud of? Why?" Themes are announced on X as each round opens.
2. Exposure only, separate from listing
- The Arena gives an entry public exposure and real feedback. It does not list a tool on VibeCodePicks and does not change any ranking.
- Listing is free and follows our public review standards, for every tool, whether or not it entered the Arena.
- Arena results and voters' reasons can be used as evidence when you apply or reapply for listing. They are counted under the user feedback rules like any other public evidence.
3. How to enter
- Register with the website form, choosing Arena entry (Open Call). Add the theme you want to enter, if there is one.
- Free pre-check. We check that your tool fits the theme and that:
- people can actually try it now, with a low barrier;
- it is quick to get started: simple setup or deploy, no long onboarding;
- trying it costs nothing extra beyond the user's own API usage;
- a quick try shows what it does.
- Payment. Once your entry passes pre-check and we confirm its format (Arena, Duel or Solo Spotlight) and publish date, we email you the payment link. Your entry counts once the US$0.99 entry fee is paid.
- Publication. We publish your entry within 7 days of payment (see section 5).
4. Entry fee
- The entry fee is US$0.99 per entry, paid after pre-check, once your format and publish date are confirmed.
- It is an entry threshold fee: it keeps the quality of entries high by asking entrants to decide whether their project is worth entering. It is non-refundable, including if your entry does not win or receives few votes.
- The only exception is our publication guarantee: published within 7 days of payment, or a full refund (section 5). See our refund policy.
- Only paid entries count. Pre-check is free; an entry that does not pass pre-check is never charged.
5. Formats and publication guarantee
| Format | When |
|---|---|
| Arena | 3 or more paid entries in the same theme: an Arena post, "Today's Arena: vote and leave your reasons". |
| Duel | If fewer than 3 paid entries are ready within 7 days of your payment: 2 entries face each other. |
| Solo Spotlight | If yours is the only paid entry: it is featured on its own, and people are invited to vote and leave their reasons. |
Guarantee: every paid entry is published within 7 days of payment, in one of the formats above, or we refund the entry fee in full.
6. Where it is published and how voting works
- Arena posts are published on the founder's X account, @zhishen63629282.
- Every Arena post discloses that the entrants paid an entry fee.
- Voting is public. We do not intervene in voting, do not pick winners and do not edit results.
7. What does not pass pre-check
- The product or repository cannot be accessed.
- The entry is not relevant to the theme (we may suggest a better-matching round).
- Spam, misleading or unlawful products.
FAQ
Does entering the Arena get my tool listed on VibeCodePicks?
No. The Arena is for exposure only and is fully separate from listing. Listing is free and follows our public review standards. You can use Arena results and voters' reasons as user feedback evidence when you apply for listing.
How much does it cost to enter?
US$0.99 per entry, paid only after your entry passes the free pre-check and we confirm its format and publish date. It is a non-refundable entry threshold fee that keeps the quality of entries high. The only refund is our publication guarantee: published within 7 days of payment, or a full refund.
What if not enough tools enter my theme?
Your entry is still published within 7 days of payment: as an Arena with 3 or more entries, a Duel with 2, or a Solo Spotlight with 1.
Can I enter now?
Payment is not open yet. You can register your entry now with the website form (choose Arena entry); we pre-check it for free, confirm the format and publish date, then send the payment link.
Change log
| Version | Effective | Changes |
|---|---|---|
| 1.2 | Payment is requested only after the free pre-check passes and the format and publish date are confirmed; added who the Arena is for and the pre-check criteria (later the same day: indie makers comparing two approaches; "a quick try shows what it does"). | |
| 1.1 | Simplified the guarantee: published within 7 days of payment, or a full refund. | |
| 1.0 | First published version. Entry (payment) opens soon. |