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Calling all builders, creators, entrepreneurs, and big thinkers. Do you have an idea that will push the boundaries of the interchain and trigger the next wave of development in cross-chain innovation? Do you believe that with the right resources and support, you can bring your vision to life? Then Ideahacker’s Guide to IBC, the first-ever IBC Ideathon, is for you.

Ideahacker’s Guide to IBC is a hackathon just for ideas. No coding or software engineering is required. Anyone with a background in blockchain can submit an idea for a chance to win a share of the $30,000 cash prize pool and the opportunity for their idea to take flight at the IBC Incubator Istanbul in 2025. The idea submission period will take place from October 7 - 27, 2024.

The world's most widely adopted blockchain interoperability protocol, the Inter-Blockchain Communication Protocol (IBC) facilitates over a billion dollars of monthly trading volume across 115+ chains, with new connections forged regularly to major blockchain ecosystems like Polkadot, Avalanche, Polygon, and Solana. The Ideahacker’s Guide to IBC is about finding the next big ideas that will roll out across these ecosystems, appeal to a broad base of users, and bring web3 to the next billion people and beyond. Read on to learn more about the ideathon, the tracks it includes, how to participate, and the prizes available. 

Ideahacker’s Guide to IBC is an international, online ideathon that challenges developers and non-technical creators to push the limits of cross-chain innovation using IBC. It differs from a traditional hackathon by requiring less time and energy to build an eligible submission. The ideathon is a hackathon just for ideas—no coding or software engineering is required. Participants submit an idea rather than a GitHub code base or Proof-of-Concept product. While you don’t need to be a developer to take part, you’ll need a fundamental knowledge of blockchain and the willingness to learn the basics of the IBC Protocol.

Submitting an idea to Ideahacker’s Guide to IBC is less time-intensive than a traditional hackathon. However, the winning ideas must be high-quality and genuinely innovative. We’ll release a separate guide on building a winning IBC idea and what idea submissions must include to be eligible.

There is a total prize pool of USD $30,000 in ATOM tokens for the Ideahacker's Guide to IBC, plus a chance to join an all-expenses-paid trip to Istanbul to bring your idea to life. We want to encourage as many ideas as possible and reward as many excellent ideas as possible.

There are five winners in each of the five tracks:

• The first-place winner receives $3,000 in ATOM.

• The second-place winner receives $1,500 in ATOM.

• There are 3 third-place winners; each receives $500.

The first-place winner in each category will receive an all-expenses-paid opportunity to join the IBC Idea Incubator in Istanbul in 2025. Istanbul is Turkey’s largest and most captivating city, and home to a thriving community of Interchain builders.

The IBC Incubator will be a hands-on experience. It will involve learning and working on bringing your idea to life alongside IBC engineers and IBC ecosystem builders. The Interchain Foundation will sponsor the winners’ participation and travel expenses for the event.

We're looking for the idea catalysts that will change web3 forever, whether it's a user-friendly DeFi app, a popular gaming solution, or solutions for MEV. The Ideathon is arranged into five tracks representing up-and-coming sectors in blockchain. There’s no limit to the number of ideas you can submit, but only one of your ideas can win per category.

Later this week, we will publish a detailed walkthrough of the tracks with idea suggestions for each.

Use Solana’s high-performance blockchain as the foundation for cross-chain innovation. This track seeks innovative interoperable ideas that use IBC to connect Solana to new ecosystems, use cases, and applications.

Generate novel ideas for cross-chain DeFi apps and workflows using two or more blockchain networks.

Make cross-chain interactions invisible and frictionless by pushing the limits of chain abstraction. This track focuses on ideas that leverage cross-chain interactions over IBC for a seamless end-user experience.

Optimize cross-chain interactions with IBC-powered ideas. User goals are efficiently achieved through intent-centric systems that optimize transaction delivery speed while providing incentives for operators, including through MEV.

Because innovation can come from anywhere, submit IBC-powered cross-chain ideas that fall outside the above categories. The Wild Card track welcomes creative and unique concepts that explore new and unexpected ways to think about cross-chain expansion.

Ideahacker’s Guide to IBC is an online event. The idea submission period is October 7 - 27, 2024. Judging will take place from October 28 to November 10, and winners will be announced in mid-November 2024.

The participants will use the IBC Idea Builder to visually map out their IBC Idea and ideate on how to push the boundaries of blockchain interoperability. Idea submissions will involve an export from the Idea Builder, plus a write-up. We will release full submission requirements shortly. You can enter as a single participant or in a team of two people.

Ideahacker’s Guide to IBC is an accessible and fun way for builders, creators, entrepreneurs, and thinkers to experience building with IBC, contribute ideas that will connect ecosystems, and shape the future of web3. Good luck to all ideathon participants. We’re excited to see what you come up with.

Register for Ideahacker's Guide to IBC on Dorahacks and visit the main Ideahacker's Guide to IBC site for more information on the event, prizes, and tracks.