Hackers League 2024: A $2M Hackathon for Early Stage Founders
TON Society
Our 'New Mission' statement establishes the guiding principles for our path to becoming a decentralized independent organization. These principles will be instrumental in elevating the TON Ecosystem by pursuing greater community engagement, transparency and democratized access to the TON community.
Today, we’re excited to unveil the Hackers League, which represents a significant stride towards our ultimate objectives. The Hackers League is a global ecosystem-wide winter competition inviting founders, developers and hackers to showcase their blockchain skills and win from a $2M prize pool.
Participants will compete across five tracks, each offering unique challenges and opportunities to win substantial rewards. From DeFi to GameFi, Hackers League provides a platform for developers to demonstrate their expertise and creativity.
Beyond coding, the Hackers League is about building blockchain capacity for the present and the future. To integrate blockchain into daily life, we need blockchain builders to serve the masses with useful everyday dApps. The competition includes 19 in-person bootcamps, offering hands-on experience and networking opportunities in 19 cities globally. Each bootcamp will culminate in a wrap-up party, celebrating the experience.
The Hackers League will take place from September 12 to December 20, 2024, and consists of different stages, such as registration, building, and judging.
We invite you to explore the exciting tracks and discover the incredible opportunities that await.
What is the Hackers League?
The Hackers League is a competition encouraging individual and team participants to showcase their creativity and technical skills across the TON ecosystem. It is a three-day developer event held in 19 cities worldwide. It’s a chance to learn from industry experts, interact with TON representatives, and engage with TON community members who share a passion for blockchain innovation.
Each offline bootcamp offers a $5,000 prize pool, distributed among the top three teams. With 19 cities hosting these events, the total bootcamp prize pool amounts to $85,000, providing plenty of opportunities for participants to win.
Key features of the Hackers League:
- $2M Prize Pool: The substantial prize pool ensures that top teams receive rewards for their efforts.
- 19 IRL Bootcamps: These in-person events provide immersive experiences in the TON ecosystem, offering workshops, lectures, and networking opportunities.
- Partner Tracks: Collaborate with industry partners and learn from experts to enhance your project.
Hackathon Schedule
The Hackers League has a carefully planned schedule to ensure participants have enough time to work on their projects, receive feedback and make necessary improvements before the final judging. Here’s a breakdown of the key dates:
- Registration Begins: September 12, 2024
- Hackathon Building Phase: October 5, 2024 – November 23, 2024
- Bootcamps: October 11, 2024 – November 17, 2024
- Semi-finalists Selection: November 23, 2024 – December 5, 2024
- Finalists Selection: December 5, 2024 – December 15, 2024
- Live Judging Sessions: December 16, 2024 – December 17, 2024
- Winners Announcement: December 20, 2024
Hackathon Tracks
The Hackathon offers five main tracks, each with a specific focus area. Participants can choose the challenge that best aligns with their expertise and interests.
Here’s an overview of the tracks and the corresponding prize pools:
| Track | Total Prize | 1st Place | 2nd Place | 3rd Place |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DeFi | $185,000 | $35,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits | $25,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits | $20,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits |
| SocialFi & Utility | $75,00 | $35,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits | $25,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits | $20,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits |
| GameFi & Onboarding | $75,000 | $35,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits | $25,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits | $20,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits |
| On-chain Data Analytics | $75,000 | $35,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits $25,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits | $20,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits | $20,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits |
| Interoperability | $75,000 | $35,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits | $25,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits | $20,000 + $10,000 TG ads credits |
What exactly can you build?
Each track brings its own set of difficulties and cues to spark your creative energy. Let’s break it down:
In the DeFi track, we’re looking for solutions to problems like Collateralized Debt Positions (CDPs) and synthetic assets. Think about how you can make it easier for people to borrow against their crypto or create new assets.
Or maybe you want to design a yield farming protocol that’s profitable, safe, and sustainable. And who knows, you could even develop a new way to make algorithmic stablecoins more stable.
Over in the SocialFi & Utility track, consider using Telegram’s social features to build amazing apps. You can create a platform that helps brands connect with their fans or a tool that makes it easier for people to manage their online communities.
Consider the options in the table below.
| Track | What to Build | Focus Areas |
|---|---|---|
| DeFi | Collateralized Debt Position (CDP) / Synthetic Assets | Secure, decentralized CDP protocols with innovative collateral mechanisms. |
| Yield Farming | Design sustainable, secure yield farming strategies with advanced DeFi mechanisms. | |
| Algorithmic Stablecoins | Create scalable, decentralized algorithmic stablecoins with innovative stabilization mechanisms. | |
| Concentrated Liquidity Market Maker | Build advanced market-making algorithms optimizing liquidity pools within specific price ranges. | |
| New DeFi Primitives on TON | Innovate new financial instruments or decentralized protocols exploiting TON's unique features. | |
| Interoperability | Interoperability Solutions | Develop bridges, cross-chain swaps, and liquidity protocols to connect TON with other networks. |
| Social & Utilities | Telegram-based Social & Utility Apps | Build B2C/B2B2C dApps leveraging Telegram’s social potential with Web3 elements. |
| Gaming & Onboarding | Telegram-based Gaming & Onboarding apps | Build games with sustainable economies to onboard new users to TON and Telegram |
Remember, these are just ideas to get you started. We urge you to be creative and create unique, innovative ideas.
Requirements and eligibility
Submitting pre-made code is prohibited. The hackathon requires all apps to be developed from scratch and not started before the first public announcement.
In order to be eligible for the prizes, projects must fulfill the following requirements by the submission deadline (23/11/2024):
- DeFi: launched on mainnet;
- Gaming & Onboarding, Social & Utility: fully launched on TON with on-chain mechanics;
- Infra: full launch.
For projects submitting in the DeFi, Gaming and Onboarding, or Social and Utility tracks, a working Telegram Mini App is required.
TON Ventures Investments and Open League Incentives
In addition to the cash prizes, the top projects can secure investments from TON Ventures, with a potential investment pool of $500,000. TON Ventures is a $40M fund is set to fuel the next wave of innovation in the TON ecosystem by supporting early-stage crypto projects.
The Open League Incentives also offer additional rewards for outstanding projects selected to join the program. The Hackers League is a gateway to innovation, collaboration, and success in the TON ecosystem. Don’t miss your chance to be part of this creative journey—register now and start building!
Partner tracks
Additionally, we will reveal the partner tracks and each of them will have its own nominations and rewards. Follow TON Society and t.me/hackathonx.
TON Society