Essential Lab Season 1 | Student Contest

Rohit · 2026-02-11T09:59:51+00:00

![](https://cdn.nothing.community/2026-02-11/1770800505-336787-essential-lab-kv-16x9.png "banner") Hey Community, Most software is built for everyone. Essential is built around you. It's the layer within Nothing OS where your phone learns what you need, remembers what matters and creates tools that fit how you actually live. We're early. The only way to build this properly is to learn from how real people use it. #### That's why we created Essential Lab. Essential Lab is where we invite people to experiment, build and turn everyday needs into useful tools. What comes out of it directly shapes how Essential evolves, from the apps you build to how Space, Search and Memory work together. Your ideas don't just stay yours. They accelerate personal software for everyone. #### The Contest For Season 1, we're starting by inviting students from around the world to explore what personal software looks like. You'll have 24 hours to build one Essential App, a small personal app designed to help with a specific moment, task or decision in your day. Describe what you want it to do, and our AI-powered Apps Builder helps bring it to life. You can also explore Essential Apps created by the Nothing Community on Playground, from simple everyday tools to more experimental ideas. You don't need a Nothing phone to participate. The contest runs entirely through a contest environment in the Essential Apps Builder, so any participant can build and submit. Simple ideas are encouraged. Think a task you repeat often, a daily problem you deal with or a small tool you wish already existed. To help inspire what you build, here's what your app can tap into during the contest: * Calendar * Contacts * Location * Weather * Camera * Microphone * Gallery * Motion sensors * Health Connect * Daily steps * Usage statistics * System notifications * Internet data * Vibration * Sounds and toast notifications. Once the contest window closes, the Essential team reviews every submission. We're looking at clarity, usefulness, thoughtfulness and execution. Simple and focused usually stands out. > **For the best experience, and to publish smoothly during the contest window, please open the contest environment link and use the Apps Builder on a laptop/desktop.** #### What happens after. This contest is just the start of Season 1. We'll keep expanding Beta access from the waitlist, testing new Essential experiences and learning from how people actually use this stuff. Shortlisted participants and winners get invited into the Essential Network, a smaller group we work with more closely through early access, feedback sessions and ongoing collaboration as Essential evolves. Register your interest and read the full contest details here: 👉 [Contest Page Link](http://playground.nothing.tech/lab) 👉[Playground Link](https://playground.nothing.tech/)

Kuberwastaken

Just got my email too 🙂

hari

Kuberwastaken Congrats!

what was your idea bro?

Shaurya

I didn’t got any mail yet. Am I not winner? 😢

Jaikify 🇮🇳

Shaurya I think me too and better luck next time

ThomasPrice

hari ayyy that’s a nice idea, i can imagine it would be very useful

Kuberwastaken

hari Hacker News live sync and highlights with a UI that doesn’t suck on phone haha

mantismonkey

ThomasPrice Thanks for the information also Nice idea i would love to use this daily one day

qonstellations

will they allow us to publish the app even if it doesn’t get selected?
im really looking forward towards its development

Jaikify 🇮🇳

qonstellations yaa

SomoyetaMakal

I didn’t got any mail!

Shaurya

I’ve created over 15+ widgets, each of them is unique and useful. One of them is highly appreciated by community too ( i.e Snapp). How will I deploy it without testing it, and for testing NP3 is required. Idk what will happen, will those widgets be remain unpublished.

Jaikify 🇮🇳

Shaurya I hope that you will able to come under top 5 Good luck

Vidyut_nagarkar

Shaurya I know this really is a bummer

Shaurya

Jaikify 🇮🇳 I hope judges are watching my comment and make decision based on it.

I just want to deliver those awesome widgets to community and I am sure people have never seen such widgets before.

Jaikify 🇮🇳

I have also been published widget and judge will approciate dicision

AskariRizvi

You guys created really helpful and cool widgets! Congratulations 🎉

mantismonkey

At the end of the day it was a fun challenge and making the top 50 is a win in itself, congrats to the winners and can’t wait to see what everyone builds next!

Shaurya

mantismonkey have you got top 50 mail?

LouisRomana

It seems like the winning widgets are live on playground

mantismonkey

No but according to rules stated on the playground website only 50 were shortlisted and they even asked us our sizes in the form they sent soo maybe thats top 50

Shaurya

#Concern regarding Result

Congrats to the winners but i want to know how a Tempo counter solves a real day to day problem. OR how Quote Diary is useful. There are many quote related widgets already published on playground.

I have seen there was a sample widget on contest website which was regarding BPM and Tempo Tap is same thing, even it’s not useful and daily problem solver.

If I’m wrong then community please clarify it.

JorgeRicoEsteban

Shaurya Bro, that’s not cool. If the jury has decided that those are the winning widgets, there must be a reason. Respect the winners’ work.

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