Watch our Blocks SDK preview video

Since the invention of the graphical user interface more than 40 years ago, the elements required to build an application have not fundamentally changed. Even with the advent of cloud computing and hosted services, the effort required to build a full-stack web app is immense.

The first thing you have to do is build a database. Then you need to build a modern user interface for editing information. You need to create flexible views that can be filtered or sorted by users. User needs change so you need to create the ability to add custom tables and fields. Once all the basic stuff is in place you need to add commenting and sharing, etc. The list is long.

If you want a modern, authenticated, real-time CRUD interface for users and admins, it can take up to 90% of your effort. Only the remaining 10% of your time is spent building the actual logic and components that make your app unique.

Today, Airtable is kicking off the developer preview of Custom Blocks with a $100,000 developer contest. With Custom Blocks, we're letting developers increase the power of Airtable by building highly composable components on top of our end-user-friendly real-time database.

Now you can spend 100% of your time focused on what makes your app unique and leave the rest to Airtable.

The best part? Custom Blocks are built with Javascript and React. You can leverage npm's 1,200,000+ modules to build almost anything you can imagine.

We have three major contest categories:

Blocks for Business Teams (5 winners)
Blocks for Education or Non-Profit (2 winners)
Wildcard (2 winners) 

Each winner receives $10,000. The best overall submission from all categories wins an additional $10,000.

Each Custom Block you build can only be submitted to one category. However, you are allowed to submit multiple blocks to the same category and compete in all categories. That being said, we recommend you focus on quality over quantity of submissions.

All contestants will be required to open source their block. To get started, you can sign up for the Blocks SDK and refer to our documentation and UI kit. See contest Official Rules for judging criteria for each category.

Need inspiration? We highly recommend taking an idea from our list of use cases.

Good luck!

$105,000 in prizes

• Imagination (40%)
  The extent to which the block shows creativity and addresses a use case that has never been possible until now. How far can you push the boundaries of the Blocks SDK?
• User impact (20%)
  The extent to which the block unlocks new user value and addresses the need. What is the magnitude of the impact delivered to the user? To what extent does it unlock new user value?
• Design execution (20%)
  Ease of use, design & UI/UX. Is the solution intuitive and elegant? Is user navigation easy and simple? We suggest you review our interface guidelines: https://airtable.quip.com/qtOIAHJyoiDt
• Functionality execution (20%)
  Quality of submission, lack of errors, security best practices. How ready is this block for wider distribution and user consumption? Review our guide to polishing your block here: https://airtable.com/developers/blocks/guides/polishing-your-block