Local Gems was built at Hack the Coast 2026, a 24-hour hackathon, in collaboration with @Crysuski, @david-w06, and @Decentblup.

Inspiration

When someone asks what to do in Vancouver, the answers usually default to the headline attractions. Great spots, but they leave out the smaller discoveries that make a city feel personal: a tucked-away viewpoint, a quiet pond, a mural on a side street, a pop-up event you only notice by walking past. We wanted a way for both tourists and locals to surface those moments and make exploring feel more like a shared story than a checklist.

How it works

Local Gems includes a map-based feed of photos and notes pinned to specific places. Users explore gems within a chosen radius, open pins to see what was shared, appraise favorites, and post their own gem at their current location. The result is a lightweight way to discover new corners of a city and leave something behind for the next person.

It also has a built-in camera and photo editor UI so users can capture gems on the go and share them with others.

Once posted, gems will appear on the map, as well as on the user’s profile page. Users can customize their profile’s appearance and view their stats.

Tech stack

• Frontend: Next.js, React, Tailwind, Motion
• Backend: Node.js, Redis
• Database: MongoDB, AWS S3
• Auth: Better Auth, Google OAuth 2.0