The story
Every product starts as somebody's late-night idea. This one started as a game. In the last hours before Deep 2026, one of our engineers shipped a small tic-tac-toe service so attendees would have something to play between talks. Then, somewhere past the point where good decisions are made, they left a door unlatched, and in the quiet of their home folder, tucked away a single photograph, a private memento they never meant anyone else to see.
We found the server the next morning, still humming, still dreaming. Rather than wipe it, we sealed it exactly as it was and put it online for you. The game still runs. The door is still unlatched. The photograph is still there, waiting in the dark. Your job is simple to say and hard to do: get in, find the photograph, and prove you were there.
The challenge
Work your way through the machine, reach the place where the photograph is kept, and retrieve it. Along the way you will find tokens at each checkpoint you clear. Collect them: they are your proof of how far you got. No hints. This one is on you.
The proof on the machine refreshes from time to time. When you reach the end, grab what you need and submit it promptly: a stale trophy will not count.
How to win
You will need the conference app. Install the official Deep Conference app and open your profile: your unique secret phrase is there. It is how we confirm you are a registered attendee, so install it before you start. A submission without the phrase cannot win.
How to submit
Email deep2026-challenge@aboutdream.io with all of the following. We check submissions as they arrive and rank by the time they reach us. Everyone who makes progress earns a place on the leaderboard, so even a partial run is worth sending.
- The photograph you recovered.
- The tokens you collected at each checkpoint.
- A short write-up of how you did it, enough for us to follow your path.
- Your contact details, so we can reach you.
- Your secret phrase from the Deep Conference app, found under your profile, which confirms you are a registered attendee.
Ready to submit?
Made partial progress worth bragging about? Send that too.
The rules
Play hard, play fair. By taking part you agree to these rules.
- Only the challenge box at deep2026-challenge.aboutdream.io. Nothing else.
- You are authorized to attack this specific machine for the duration of the event.
- Knocking the service over for everyone.
- Going after the submission mailbox.
- Interfering with other players.
- Anything beyond the challenge box: your authorization does not extend to it.
Your privacy: we collect your contact details, write-up, and secret phrase only to verify your solution and award the prize, and we delete them within two weeks of the conference.
Not here to hack? Come play.
You do not have to break anything to join in. The tic-tac-toe game is real, and it is there for everyone. Register, grab a friend or a stranger, and play a few rounds against other attendees between sessions. Whether you are here to outwit the machine or just to win three in a row, the board is open.
The game is real. The door just happens to be unlatched.
Open the boardGood luck, and sweet dreams.