DevCertificate

Sorry for not following the template - it doesn't fit this hackathon well.

Main idea

I propose to implement a centralised winner and participant certificate provision. Some offline hackathons already do this on their own - they handle printed certificates to finalists. However, only a few online hackathons go this way: none of 5 hackathons I participated in were issuing such.

Why bother with it?

Because downloadable pdf is great! For example, it can serve as a part of CV/portfolio. This is important, because some freelance services do not allow adding external links to the profile, so direct Devpost portfolio is unusable (e.g. Upwork forbids personal and contact data sharing, and I can't link to Devpost portfolio).

Also some job applications go similar way: you are expected to attach your certifications and achievements to the CV. This actually means that you can't use Devpost hackathons there, if the application is submitted on paper, and look worse anyway - HR managers would prefer a person with 5 attached award certificates to another person with a single link.

Implementation details

Authorship

I propose to create a universal certificate template. Hackathons that want to be more creative and design their own should be allowed to issue additional certificates, which do not substitute Devpost-issued. Certificates should include hackathon official name, participant legal name, submission name and category (if applicable).

Access

The certificates should be globally accessible, preferably with a permalink which can be sent to other people - employees, clients, or anybody else interested. The certificate should be available to preview on Devpost directly (as a way to confirm authenticity) and downloadable as a single-page PDF file. The preview link should be displayed in participant's profile near every project and on the project page.