Future of Blockchain University Hackathon — Prizewinners and Summary

Published in

Encode Club

8 min readSep 15, 2023

The Future of Blockchain University Hackathon has come to a spectacular close, and what a journey it has been! Kicking off on 31st July with a high-octane Launch Event, the four-week online hackathon saw a fervent community of university students and researchers come together to innovate, build, and push the boundaries of blockchain technology.

Sponsored by industry giants Sort, ENS, SpruceID, Avalanche, Arbitrum and Union Finance, the event featured enlightening technical workshops and bounties that enriched the hacking experience.

As the event culminated in an electrifying Finale and Prizegiving event, the spotlight was on the brilliant young minds who pitched their groundbreaking projects live, vying for top prizes. The hackathon not only provided students an unparalleled opportunity to access mentorship, education, and even funding from industry leaders but also showcased a blend of creativity and technical prowess from across various universities worldwide. It’s been an honour to host this incredible convergence of talent, and the innovative projects that have emerged are a testament to the limitless possibilities that blockchain holds for the future.

How it Worked

Our hackathon participants had four weeks to build their projects and submit them for judging. During this time, they also had the opportunity to participate in several events related to the hackathon:

Full Video

Winners

Arbitrum Bounties

Account Abstraction: Loyo ($750)

LOYO is revolutionizing the loyalty program landscape by offering an innovative infrastructure that caters to both clients and businesses. Designed with an easy-to-use client application, LOYO eliminates the need for personal data in acquiring and redeeming loyalty rewards, consolidating various commercial promotions in one convenient place. On the business side, LOYO dramatically cuts infrastructure costs by up to 500 times while offering an open, decentralized data ecosystem. This gives businesses endless opportunities to gain insights into client transactions. Bridging efficiency and user privacy, LOYO is setting the new standard for loyalty program management in the digital age.

Orbit Chains (L3s on Arbitrum): L3 Orbit ($750)

General message route from L2 to L3 orbit chain.

Nova Challenge (Social/Gaming): BuildIt ($750)

BuildIt is a metaverse project developed for the hackathon. It provides users with the ability to own virtual land within a map, place items on the land they own, and even sell the land to other users. The land is represented as ERC721 tokens, while the items are represented as ERC1155 tokens. All interactions within the metaverse are secured by smart contracts.

Open Challenge: Universal Blue Check ($750)

Universal Bluecheck aims to combat AI-generated impersonation and verify media authenticity before sharing content on web2 apps like Instagram, Spotify, and Facebook.

Avalanche Bounties

Launching a Use-case Specific Subnet: OracleVM ($750)

OracleVM is designed to deliver any type of off-chain data to be accessible on-chain by abstracting data/aggregation into a set of universal interfaces, only if the interfaces get implemented for a specified entity (real-life data), that kind of entity can be served on OracleVM easily.

C-Chain Application:
Rebalancer ($400)

This groundbreaking project introduces an Avalanche-native portfolio rebalancer tool that seamlessly integrates with Spruce’s SIWE for user authentication. By simply signing in, users can have their entire token portfolio read and analyzed for optimal asset allocation. The tool collaborates with Dexalot, an Avalanche DEX subnet, enabling users to effortlessly rebalance their assets in a quicker and more cost-effective manner. Eliminating the need to share sensitive API information, the tool enhances both security and usability. Additionally, it offers pre-calculated asset pair allocations and provides direct links to Dexalot for a frictionless rebalancing experience. Combining speed, affordability, and security, this tool sets a new bar for portfolio management on the Avalanche blockchain.

RabbleRabble ($350)

RabbleRabble is a way to wager NFTs with your friends through making lobbies of 1 to 10. Once, a lobby is made anyone can enter, and compete against each other. The winner wins all of the NFT in the lobby using Chainlink VRF.

ENS Bounties

Best Project Using ENS as Usernames: AvalonAI ($1000)

Avalon AI is an innovative AI prompt marketplace built on the Ethereum Blockchain. Drawing inspiration from platforms like Promptbase and PromptHero, Avalon AI takes a step further by allowing users to not only generate images using generative AI models but also convert these images into NFTs, and enable creators and prompt engineers to get paid.

Most Interesting Use of ENS: Loyo ($1000)

Additional Pool ($200 each):
LoveChain

LoveChain redefines online dating, leveraging decentralized technologies. Personal data is securely stored via web3 storage, while Spruce ID links that stored data. ENS ensures verified profiles, fostering trust. The platform hosts an NFT marketplace for creativity. Experience a comprehensive dating journey that prioritizes privacy, security, and authenticity. Users can see the Union Finance Portfolio. With LoveChain, users enjoy enhanced control over their data and interactions, propelled by innovative blockchain solutions.

OptiSign
EzPay
AVA AI
Verbal Language Learning
My ENS Network
Digi-Afrika
0xWeb3Gram
Ethernite
Puddle Network
ENSMail
DappID
SpruceDAO
ENS-wallet-browser-extension
PitchTube

PitchTube revolutionizes the startup incubation landscape by harnessing the unique capabilities of Non-Fungible Tokens (NFTs). This ground-breaking platform enables startups to tokenize captivating video pitches as NFTs, offering a fresh avenue to attract potential investors. Beyond serving as a fundraising conduit, PitchTube also enriches the startup ecosystem by facilitating networking and mentorship opportunities. Special privileges are extended to holders of the Investor Soulbound NFT, who gain exclusive rights to invest in promising startups with flexible financial commitments. By integrating storytelling, tokenization, and community engagement, PitchTube provides a comprehensive, inclusive platform that accelerates the funding cycle and nurtures entrepreneurial ventures.

SpruceID Bounties

Let Users Bring Their Own Identity and Data to Your App:
EcoMatch (Most innovative app use case) — $1500

An interactive app that finds your volunteer passion. With courtesy of SpruceID’s private credential verification system, EcoMatch takes your preferences to deliver customized results allowing for greater user control and specificity in their volunteer goals.

BuildIt (Best technical implementation of the libraries) — $1000

LoveChain (Implementation with the best user experience) — $500

Logging in without a Username ($375 each):
EcoMatch
Recommend Me
DACA
LoveChain
BuildIt
Journify
Vent
Lexar

Union Bounties

Build something cool on Union:
CreditSource ($2000)

Credit Bureau ($1000)

UnionBot ($500)

No or Low Code Challenge ($1000 split equally):
Alice Step
Collins Abegunde
Isioma Light
SummerEncoders
Kamal Singh
mattylegend
Sanjana Gupta

Sort Bounties

Tell a Story with Sort’s Blockchain Data: SpruceDAO (0.5 ETH)

SpruceDAO lets users create DAO/DataDAOs with an entry barrier of their SpruceId credentials (Github/Twitter/email). After setting up the requirements while creating the DAO, the users who wish to join the DAO first need to verify using their credentials using spruceId. Once verified they can join the DAO and make proposals, vote on the current proposals and even lend/borrow money from fellow DAO users using Union Finance.

Additional Pool ($100 each in Sort Credits for the new platform):
D-bet
The Flying Hellfish Tontine
Andrew Agard and Moesha Moore
Puddle Network
Deep Dive Into Chillenials NFT
Karan Goraniya and Devendra Bhoraniya
Health Chain
Haonan Chen
Krishang Shah
Onchain
Sambit Sargam
Segun Ogar
Shankar Mata

Other Finalists

LinkedOutAndAbout

LinkedOutAndAbout is not just another networking platform; it’s a paradigm shift in professional networking, bringing decentralization to the forefront of human connections. By leveraging blockchain technology, this innovative platform offers users unprecedented control over their networking experience, eliminating biases that plague traditional platforms. Whether it’s skin colour, origin, race, or gender, LinkedOutAndAbout aims to level the playing field, letting skills and abilities be the true focus. By putting the networking power back into the users’ hands, LinkedOutAndAbout is transforming the way professionals connect, interact, and build meaningful relationships, all in a bias-free environment.

PayEz

PayEz revolutionizes the way financial transactions are managed in today’s digital landscape. Built on the robust Avalanche network, this cutting-edge tool employs smart contracts to automate and simplify the distribution of payments to multiple recipients. Whether it’s handling large team payouts, allocating funds for a joint project, or just dividing a dinner bill, Payez makes it effortlessly seamless. The integration with Ethereum Name Service (ENS) adds an extra layer of security and user-friendliness, ensuring that your financial management is not just efficient, but also secure.

About Encode Club

Encode Club is a web3 education community learning and building together through fantastic programmes with the leading protocols in the space. Together we organize programmes like education series, bootcamps, hackathons, accelerators both online and in person. We then help our community get jobs and funding for projects and startups.

Questions

If you have any questions, please email: hack@encode.club or reach out on Discord.

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