WELCOME TO HACKTHECHAINS SPRING 2024!

At HackTheChains, you'll meet fellow hackers from around the world, learn new skills, and work alongside seasoned mentors. We'll have free workshops, lecture series, mentorship, prizes, games, and more. Don't have a team or even an idea? Don't worry! We'll give you the tools to build something incredible.

For 36 hours from March 22nd to March 24th in-person on Southern Methodist University's campus, you'll have the opportunity to collaborate and build out brilliant, innovative, and impactful ideas.

Get started

Hackathon Sponsors

Prizes

$12,450 in prizes
Grand Prize Overall - 1st Place
1 winner

PS5

Grand Prize Overall - 2nd Place
1 winner

Airpods Pro

Grand Prize Overall - 3rd Place
1 winner

D'Cent Wallets

Grand Prize Overall - 4th Place
1 winner

D'Cent Wallets

Cartesi
1 winner

$500 - 1st Place - Best Implementation

Cartesi
1 winner

$500 - 1st Place - Best Implementation

Chainlink
1 winner

$1000 - 1st Place (Best project using Chainlink CCIP)
$500 - 2nd Place (Best Use of Chainlink Functions, VRF, Automation, Data Streams, Data Feeds or PoR)
$500 - 3rd Place (Best Use of Chainlink Functions, VRF, Automation, Data Streams, Data Feeds or PoR)

Arbitrum
1 winner

$500 - Most Original Project

Arbitrum
1 winner

$300 - Most Original Project

Arbitrum
1 winner

$200 - Most Original Project

Solana
1 winner

$500 USDC + $1,000 of Helius credits

HAWK
1 winner

$500, 1 year HAWK membership, and the opportunity to further develop your project with the HAWK team after the hackathon!

HAWK
1 winner

2nd Place (ML Model Optimization)

$150 and 6 month HAWK membership

Best Domain Name from GoDaddy Registry
1 winner

GoDaddy Registry is giving you everything you need to be the best hacker no matter where you are. Register your domain name with GoDaddy Registry for a chance to win a Hack from Home Kit! Each Kit contains wireless earbuds, blue light glasses, selfie ring light and a pouch for easy transport.

Best AI Application Built with CloudFlare
1 winner

Cloudflare is one of the world’s largest networks enabling hackers like you to build, deploy, and deliver trusted applications, no matter where you are! With Cloudflare, you’ll have all the building blocks to create a full-stack application; from C3 instance deployment to object storage. You can even run machine learning models in the cloud and leverage your AI functionality via API requests using Cloudlfare’s Workers AI! Enjoy Cloudflare’’s generous free tier to get started at no cost! This weekend, we want you to build an AI Application utilizing Cloudflare’s numerous services for a chance to win Arduino Student Kits for you and your team!

MLH - Best Use of Starknet
1 winner

Starknet Care Package Starknet is a general-purpose network where you can write and deploy your own smart contracts and interact with other contracts just like Ethereum. Build your application around Starknet using Rust or Python for your backend infrastructure, Starknet DSL for smart contract development, and React / JavaScript for your front end user interface. There are several SDKs available for you to choose from, making integrating Starknet into your hackathon project a breeze. Use Starknet in your project this weekend for a chance to win a Starknet care package, including a backpack, socks, water bottle, and a ticket to a Starknet sponsored Web3 conference of your choice!

Best DEI Hack sponsored by Fidelity
1 winner

At Fidelity, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are viewed as major keys to the success of their business, which is why they are challenging you to come up with innovative ways to create forward-thinking financial tech that promotes equality for all people! We want you to use your hacking skills to find and build solutions that put financial opportunities and resources within reach for all communities, creating accessible, sustainable, and/or inclusive solutions. The team with the best hack will win a Fidelity branded wireless charger for each team member!

MLH – Best Use of Flow
1 winner

Flow is a public, decentralized, layer-one blockchain designed for creating limitless Web3 apps for mainstream adoption. Flow empowers hackers like you to build decentralizedKotlincations and share them with the world. Write safe and readable smart contracts with Cadence and explore the potential of composable, on-chain logic. With SDKs in multiple languages like Javascript, Go, Kotlin, Python, Swift, Unity, you can jump in and start your hack using Flow this weekend for a chance to win $100 USD worth of FLOW token for each member of your team!

Devpost Achievements

Submitting to this hackathon could earn you:

Judges

Rory Arredondo

Rory Arredondo
ETHGlobal

Bam Owoseni

Bam Owoseni
Hacker House HQ

Simon Mak

Simon Mak
Executive Director of the Caruth Institute for Entrepreneurship

Maindeep Yenugula

Maindeep Yenugula
The Chickasaw Nation

Tobalo Torres-Valderas

Tobalo Torres-Valderas
Oracle

Jacob Poling

Jacob Poling
Project HENRY

Rahul Arulkumaran

Rahul Arulkumaran
Foundry Digital

Zach Prater

Zach Prater
Cartesi

Seetharamareddy Gowda

Seetharamareddy Gowda
FedEx Servies

Judging Criteria

  • Creativity
    How unique is the concept behind the hack? Does it address a problem you didn’t even know existed? Does it address a common problem in a creative way or with an intuitive algorithm? What is this hack’s “ah-ha” moment?
  • Utility
    Does this hack function? If so, how in-depth is its functionality? How likely would you be to frequently use this hack in its current state in your own life?
  • Charity
    Does this hack address a specific societal need? If so, how well does it address it? What contributions does this hack make in the nation’s service and the service of humanity?
  • Avidity
    How excited do the team members seem about the final state of their project? Passion can be demonstrated through their presentation, the project’s description on Devpost, the future plans they have for their hack, or an overall polished program.
  • Jury
    For general judging, present your project to the judge(s) for 3-5 minutes about your app, how you built it, your challenges, and a demo

Questions? Email the hackathon manager

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