STONEGATE SYSTEMS

Road to 100 · applications close September 17

We are giving away store number 100.

One brand gets a complete custom storefront built by us, plus a year of hosting and compliance monitoring. Two runners-up get a review and three months. Over $13,000 in prizes.

Apply for the build → Read the official rules

Free to enter · no purchase necessary · US brands, 18+ · judged on published criteria

We have helped 93+ brands. We want to make number 100 count.

Most brands in this space get sold a template, a price, and a shrug about the rules. We would rather spend one build showing what the alternative looks like, in public, start to finish.

So one brand is getting the whole thing on us, and we are filming every week of it.

The prizes

Three brands win. Everyone who applies gets something.

First place

Your entire store, built and run for a year.

One winner

$9,900

The $3,900 build plus 12 months at $500/mo

  • A bespoke storefront designed for your brand, not a recolored template
  • Full commerce engine: catalog, cart, checkout, a payment rail, accounts, order status
  • Admin dashboard for products, orders, customers, inventory and finance
  • The compliance stack: listing guardrail, copy checks, consent, RUO gates, legal pages
  • Domain connected, deployed, email deliverability set up
  • 12 months of hosting and compliance monitoring, so the store stays current as the rules change

Month 13 is your call, and you keep the store either way.

Your current store, reviewed and watched.

Two winners · second and third

$1,650

The $750 review plus 3 months at $300/mo

  • A full compliance review of the store you already run, on any platform
  • Every issue we find, written up in the order we would fix it
  • The fixes made for you, not just listed
  • 3 months of ongoing monitoring, so you stay current as the rules change

No filming requirement on these two.

A scan of your store, win or lose.

Everyone who applies

Free

Delivered the day you apply

  • Live store: we scan it and email you the report, usually within minutes
  • Not launched yet: you get our pre-launch checklist instead
  • No purchase, no follow requirement, no catch

You do not have to win to walk away with something worth having.

How we pick

Judged, not drawn out of a hat.

Every application is scored against the five criteria below. We keep the scoring, and we will show our reasoning when we announce the winners.

  1. The brand is real. A registered business, real products, and a person we can reach.
  2. The build would change something. We favor a brand where a proper store is the thing standing between them and their next stage, over one that already has what it needs.
  3. You can list what you sell. The free build follows the same listing policies as every paid build. If your catalog is mostly compounds we are not able to list, we cannot build your store.
  4. You answered the question. "Why should we build yours?" is the whole application. Effort here is the strongest signal we get.
  5. You are willing to be filmed. The first-place winner agrees to us documenting the build. If that is a no, you are still eligible for second and third.

Ties are broken by our judgment against these same criteria. There is no random drawing at any stage.

The application

Takes about five minutes.

Eight quick questions. One entry per brand, free to enter, and nothing here obligates you to anything.

A sentence or two is enough, and more helps. 0 of 50 characters

Free to enter. No purchase necessary. We do not sell your information, and you can ask us to delete it at any time.

Already planning to hire us? Do not wait on this.

Buy a build while applications are open and go on to win first place, and we refund the build in full. If you are already a client you are eligible too, and a win comes back to you as credit toward more store, more modules, or months of marketing.

Waiting on the result costs you time and buys you nothing.

See what a build includes →

What this is, and what it is not.

Read the full official rules →

Questions

Is this actually free?

Yes. Free to enter, free to win, no purchase at any point. The first-place build and the first year of monitoring cost the winner nothing.

What is the catch?

We film it. The first-place winner agrees to let us document the build start to finish and use it publicly. That is the whole trade, and it is why we can afford to do this.

Do I need an existing store?

No. Pre-launch brands are welcome and are often the strongest applications, because a store is exactly what is in their way. Check "I have not launched yet" on the form.

How do you decide?

Every application is scored against the five published criteria. We keep the scoring and we will explain the decision publicly. There is no random drawing.

Can I enter if I already work with you?

Yes. An existing client who wins takes the prize as credit toward more work rather than a refund on work already delivered.

What if my products cannot be listed?

Then we cannot build your store, and we will tell you that quickly rather than sit on it. Apply anyway if you are unsure. Your free scan will tell you where you stand either way.

When do you announce?

Applications close September 17 at 11:59 PM Mountain. Finalists are announced September 18 and the winners on September 19.

What happens to my information?

It reaches us and nobody else. We do not sell it, and you can ask us to delete it at any time by replying to any email from us.

One brand is getting all of this for nothing.

It takes five minutes, and everyone who applies gets their store scanned. Closes September 17.

Apply for the build →