ORGANIZATION OF THE HACKATHON

The Next Top Blockchain Startup is a global virtual skills competition hosted by GDA Capital and it's participating memebers. The competition aims to spotlight aspiring entreprueners in blockchain while providing them with valuable resources to build their projects.

Dates: The competition begins on June 10th, 2021 and requires all teams to submit their projects by August 8th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT. If a team fails to deliver the required submissions on August 8th, 2021 at 11:59 EDT, then the team will not be considered for the applicable prize or prizes. 

Eligibility: 

  • Teams of 1-8
  • Above legal age of majority in country of residence.
  • All countries/territories, excluding standard exceptions (including without limitation Iran, Cuba, Sudan, Syria and North Korea)
  • Any occupation or background. 

Prizes & Categories: the hackathon has multiple prize categories hosted by sponsors. Teams can compete in one or multiple prize categories as long as they meet the requirements set out in each category (see Submission Requirements). 

SUBMISSIONS - Due August 8th, 2021 at 11:59PM EDT

See 'Submissions Requirements' for a detailed breakdown on what's required. 

Each submission must inlcude the (1) mandatory submission requirements + (2) prize category specific submission requirements. Additional submissions are not required but will make the project more competitive. 

Mandatory Submissions: 

  1. White Paper, Prototype and/or Proof-of-Concept (e.g., MVPs) + Description.  Some prizes require just a white paper, whereas others require protoypes and multiple submissions. See Submission Requirements tab for the criteria.
  2. A link to a short (max 5 minutes) video introducing the project, it's use case and functionality.
  3. Meet the requirements for each applicable prize category (see below).
  4. Submissions and their content must be in English
  5. Meet the Devpost deadline. 

Non-mandatory / additional submissions - Not Required

Bonus points if you submit the following: 

  • A project post on Medium explaining the project, it's market and objects, team members, roadmap and more. 
  • Market survey data.
  • Powerpoint or pitch deck.
  • Online websites and social communites (as an example of what they would create).

Prize Category Submissions 

Every idea is automatically considered for the Open Innovation category. In order to be considered for specific sponsor hosted prize categories, you must opt-in to them and meet the categories requirements - see Submission Requirements. Important: remember to apply to the prize categories you want to be considered for. You can opt in to as many that apply to your idea. 

JUDGING

A panel of judges with a diverse background in blockchain will judge every idea in the Open Innovation category. You can find the standardized judging critera in the 'Judging' section of the Hackathon's home page. 

For prize category specific judging, the relevant organization hosting the prize category will appoint the judge or judges. The critera used will be alligned with the standardized critera mentioned above, but considered specific to each organization. 

INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY

All of the ideas and corresponding proprietary rights created before, during, or after the competition will belong to the creators. What you decide to do with your idea is up to you.

HACKATHON CODE OF CONDUCT

Our hackathon is dedicated to providing a safe and comfortable environment and harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of the following: gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, nationality, religion, political views, previous hackathon attendance or lack of, computing experience or lack of, chosen programming language or tech stack. 

We do not tolerate harassment of hackathon participants in any form. Sexual language and imagery is not appropriate at any hackathon venue, this includes the following: hacks, talks, presentations, or demos, workshops, any parties associated to the hackathon, social media, any other online media.