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The VIBE Box Challenge · Rules

Build a Vibe. The fine print.

Short version first, the full rules below. In plain words – if something is unclear, mail us before you start.

Now → 15 DecSubmissions, 23:59 CET
2 VIBE Boxes1 community vote · 1 hub pick
1 account, 1 voteDouble opt-in
Min. 20 entriesQualifying Vibes

01Who runs it

The VIBE Box Challenge is run by The Firmware Hub, a project of Sven Trogus / Designburg, Hamburg, Germany. Full contact details are in the imprint. Questions: zven@thefirmwarehub.com.

This is a skill-based competition, not a lottery or a game of chance. Entries are judged on what you build. Taking part is free; nothing has to be bought.

02When

  • Submissions: open now, until 15 December 2026, 23:59 CET.
  • Voting: on the hub from 16 December to 26 December 2026, 23:59 CET.
  • Winners: announced on 27 December 2026 on the hub and on YouTube.

If we have to change a date, we'll say so on this page and on the hub, in good time.

03Who can enter

  • Anyone aged 18 or over, anywhere in the world – except where EU sanctions or local law don't let us ship a prize (e.g. Russia, Belarus, Iran, North Korea).
  • Solo or as a team. A team wins one VIBE Box and names one person who receives it.
  • Up to three entries per person or team.
  • Not eligible: people involved in running the challenge or building the VIBE Box.

04What counts

A qualifying entry is a Vibe that meets all of these:

  • Built with the VIBE FM SDK – an instrument, effect, tool or game. Anything goes.
  • It runs in the VIBE FM Playground and in the VIBE FM plugin, without crashing in normal use.
  • It uses at least one or two things the FM-1 can't do: the audio inputs, the 480 × 320 screen, the pads, the four knobs, CV, the song position from your DAW, the extra memory.
  • It's yours. Ports of FM-1 firmwares are welcome – as long as you respect the original license, credit the original authors, and add that extra VIBE touch.
  • The source code of the version you enter is published under an open-source license (OSI-approved, e.g. GPL-3.0, MIT, Apache-2.0) by the time submissions close. Later versions are yours to license as you like.
  • No malware, nothing hateful or illegal, and no samples, code or artwork you don't have the rights to.

We check every entry before it goes into the vote. Entries that don't qualify get a short note why – and, while submissions are open, a chance to fix it.

05How to submit

  • Submit your Vibe through Submit a firmware: choose VIBE FM as the device and tick “Enter it in the VIBE Box Challenge”.
  • You need: a public GitHub repository with the source, a release with your .wasm (a screenshot beside it helps), a name, a one-line description, and which VIBE features it uses.
  • You can update your entry until submissions close. The last version counts.

06Voting

  • Anyone with a hub account can vote. Accounts need a double opt-in (a link by mail, no password).
  • One account, one vote. You can't vote for your own entry.
  • Fake accounts, bought votes, bots or any other trick: votes get removed, and an entry that profits on purpose is disqualified.
  • We publish the final vote counts with the winners.

07Winners

  • Community pick: the qualifying entry with the most votes.
  • Hub pick: one entry chosen by The Firmware Hub – the one we love most, for its idea, its sound or how it uses the VIBE.
  • One VIBE Box per person or team. If one entry would win twice, the next one in line moves up.
  • On a tie, the hub decides.
  • We contact winners by mail. Please answer within 14 days with a shipping address – otherwise the box goes to the next in line.

08Minimum entries

The challenge needs at least 20 qualifying entries (see 04) to award both VIBE Boxes.

If there are fewer, we may extend the submission period, award fewer prizes, or – if it really doesn't come together – call it off. Whatever happens, we say so openly on the hub. Your Vibes stay on the hub either way.

09The prize: a developer kit

Each prize is one VIBE Box prototype – a developer kit for building and testing Vibes. It is not a finished consumer product.

  • It's built on an off-the-shelf single-board computer (Raspberry Pi / Orange Pi class) with a screen, controls and connectors.
  • No built-in sound card: you need your own USB audio interface. Everything else works like on the final VIBE FM.
  • Powered over USB-C (5 V). Please use a proper USB power supply and the safety notes that come with the box.
  • As a prototype it does not carry the certifications of a finished product and comes without warranty beyond what the law requires. Firmware updates come over the hub.
  • Shipping is on us. Customs and import fees, if any, are on the winner.
  • No cash alternative, not transferable before it's shipped.

Honestly: this is the box the VIBE FM is being built on. Rough around the edges, but it runs. You'll be one of five people in the world with one.

10Your rights, our rights

  • Your Vibe stays yours. You keep all rights; your license applies.
  • By entering, you allow The Firmware Hub to list your Vibe on the hub, show and play it in the Playground, and feature it – with your name – in videos, posts and the VIBE FM crowdfunding campaign.
  • You confirm that you have the rights to everything in your entry.

11Your data

We use your name, email and entry only to run the challenge: checking entries, voting, contacting and announcing winners, shipping. Winners are announced with the name or handle they choose. Details in our privacy policy.