Shape the Future
of Codewars.
Codewars was built by its community. Now the community decides what comes next. You've been telling us what needs to happen: fix the foundation, improve kata quality, modernize the experience. We heard you. Now we're opening up the product roadmap - and putting you in the driver's seat.
We've already heard from you - through the 2025 Census, GitHub discussions, and Discord. Platform stability. Kata quality. Outdated language runtimes. UX that hasn't changed in years. This challenge picks up that conversation and turns it into an action plan.
// The platform is yours.
// Tell us what to build next.
You know what improvements Codewars needs. Tell us - and tell us well. You've hit the bugs, worked around the quirks, and probably suggested fixes in Discord and GitHub that went nowhere. That changes now.
Not every submission has to be about something broken. A missing feature is a problem. A workflow that should exist but doesn't is a problem. If Codewars would be meaningfully better with it, that counts.
Your problem doesn't have to be a massive redesign. A quick fix that's been ignored for years can score just as high as a big-picture overhaul - what matters is clarity, evidence, and impact.
How It Works
This isn't a one-off event. It's a structured series where each challenge builds on the last. Here is the exact lifecycle of your ideas:
01_Submit()
Your challenge is to identify a core platform issue and submit it using our official Challenge Kata. We treat problem discovery as a legitimate developer skill. A great submission outlines:
- The Problem: What is broken/missing?
- The Evidence: Links, data, threads.
- Why it matters: Who does this affect?
You have nearly two weeks to submit. A thoughtful submission on day 12 counts the same as day 1.
02_Shortlist()
We expect hundreds of submissions. Our review panel - Codewars leadership and active community moderators - scores every submission across problem clarity, evidence, impact, and feasibility.
We narrow the field to a competitive shortlist. Every submission will be reviewed by the panel. No ideas disappear into a void.
03_Vote()
The shortlist will be published for a live, community-wide vote. Every member ranks exactly 3 proposals.
Your #1 pick carries the most weight, your #2 carries less, and your #3 the least. Rankings are final. You decide what matters most. The days of hoping feedback gets noticed are over.
Categories & Guidelines
Not sure what to submit? We are looking for high-impact problems across these seven areas.
Site performance, code runner reliability, timeout issues, or infrastructure problems that affect your ability to use Codewars.
Issues with the beta process, translation approvals, ranking accuracy, or authorship tools.
New user experience, learning paths, UI/UX improvements, navigation, or progression clarity.
How Codewars should adapt to AI tools, AI-assisted workflows, or AI-era skill measurement.
Missing integrations, API requests, clan features, profiles, leaderboards, discussions, or educator tools.
Specific, reproducible issues that have persisted. Known problems that need fixing.
Doesn't fit the categories above? Submit it anyway. Great problems don't always fit neat labels.
What Makes a Strong Submission?
This isn't just a bug report - but if there's a persistent bug that affects a whole category of users, that absolutely counts. Think about what's actually broken - or missing - at a deeper level. A strong submission clearly defines the problem, backs it up with evidence, and explains who it affects and how badly. You don't need to have the solution - that's what Phase 2 is for.
A Note on Tools
Can you use tools like GitHub Copilot, Claude, or other AI assistants to help draft your proposal? Absolutely. We know modern tooling is part of how developers work in 2026, and part of this challenge is understanding those workflows. Just honestly report what tools you used in your submission fields - including "none" if that's the case.
The Stakes
This isn't a suggestion box. The top 3 problems become the official technical briefs for Phase 2: The Solution Sprint. You and fellow Codewarriors build and ship real fixes. Your problem defines what Codewars builds next.
Interactive Voting Preview
You can filter the shortlist by category, expand cards to read full technical proposals, and watch consensus build. Try it out below:
Standardize Runtimes Across Languages
Code runner reliability varies wildly. Several languages are running on versions that are 4+ years old.
Overhaul the Beta Approval Process
Great Katas get stuck in beta for years because the approval thresholds are too rigid for niche languages.
The Timeline
Full dates for Phase 1 and the Solution Sprint.
Challenge Kata goes live.
The Solution Sprint launches.
Why We're Doing This
Codewars has always been community-driven. The thousands of katas, the 55+ languages, the moderation, the culture - all of it came from you. But the platform hasn't had a major investment in years, and software engineering is changing fast. AI tools, new workflows, new ways of building. We want to evolve Codewars for what comes next, and we want the community to drive that evolution.
These challenges are the start. You tell us the problems. You build the solutions. We ship them. We're also tracking something bigger: how developers actually work today. What tools you use, where AI helps, and where it doesn't. That data helps us understand what it means to be a developer beyond 2026, and it shapes how Codewars grows.
Panel & Scoring Criteria
Submissions are reviewed by Codewars leadership and community moderators for real impact and technical feasibility. We'll publish the full scoring breakdown for every submission. No black boxes.
Problem Clarity [25%]
Is the problem clearly defined? Could someone who doesn't experience it still understand why it matters?
Evidence & Specificity [25%]
Is there real evidence - data, examples, community threads? Specifics beat generalities.
Impact & Reach [20%]
How many people does this affect? Is it a niche frustration or a platform-wide issue?
Feasibility [15%]
Is this a problem that could realistically be tackled? A well-scoped problem scores higher.
Community Vote [15%]
The community weighs in. Problems that resonate with other members get a boost in the final score.
