OpenAI Day: how can sponsored launch events create fair discovery for smaller makers?

I’d like to discuss how launch-day events and sponsored leaderboards can create fair discovery opportunities for smaller makers.

When hundreds of products launch on the same day, teams with established audiences can generate early votes and comments. For newer projects without that audience, being placed low in the leaderboard can result in very little organic visibility. In my case, my launch received only three click-throughs to my website from Product Hunt over most of the day.

OpenAI Day stated that five standout launches would receive $10k in API credits. A few days after the event, I still have not seen a public announcement of the winners or an explanation of how they will be selected. Is there a published update or timeline that I may have missed?

Would mechanisms such as rotating featured projects, category-based discovery, or a separate editorial/judged track make future events more useful for smaller teams?

I’m curious how other makers experienced OpenAI Day and what changes you think would make sponsored launch events fairer.