When we launched Zcash almost four years ago, privacy-preserving, freedom-protecting technologies were too scarce. Then came Cambridge-Analytica, GDPR, and countless data leaks impacting millions of people all around the world. Today, privacy is part of the mainstream conversation, and we’re calling on developers to help us build a new reality — one where privacy is always an option.
Electric Coin Co. is joining forces with Gitcoin and others to launch a virtual hackathon starting June 15. Registration is open now.
Challenge
Developers are invited to compete for more than $6,000 in bounty prizes by building applications that use shielded Zcash. Applications can leverage existing libraries, such as our mobile wallet SDKs, or use shielded transactions in a completely new way. The zECC wallet mobile code will be open-sourced the week before the hackathon.
Submissions should add a useful feature or functionality to the Zcash ecosystem, making shielded transactions more accessible. For example, participants might choose to build shielded support for a favorite wallet, devise a messaging application using shielded memo fields, build a shielded merch store to buy and sell Zcash swag, integrate shielded Zcash to MetaMask, or even explore a fun idea for a game or raffle. Whatever the concept, we encourage devs to have fun, get creative and ask plenty of questions along the way.
Need more ideas? Check out ZECpages, Zbay, ZecWallet and Zcash Foundation grants to see great community projects.
Bounties
The winning team will take home $2,000. Runner up teams will be awarded $500. We are also giving out prizes for Most Creative, Community Choice and Best Rookie submissions. The top 15 submissions that do not win a prize will get a consolation prize of $50, provided they meet the general submission requirements. All prizes will be distributed in shielded ZEC.
There will also be 20 general bug and feature bounties for developers who want to contribute to Zcash without submitting an application.
Submission requirements
- The project must be open source.
- Shielded Zcash transactions must be a fundamental element of the application.
- The app must do something that is useful and interesting.
- The app will score better if it has greater appeal to a wider audience.
- Each submission must include a project summary, a product brief and team bios.
Key dates
- June 15 – Hackathon begins (register here)
- June 22 – Midpoint check-in
- June 30 – Zcash community call (register here)
- July 6 – Submission deadline (original deadline was extended by a week)
- July 10 – Winners announced
Judging criteria
We are looking for thoughtful projects that showcase the importance of privacy with shielded Zcash. Submissions will be judged on the following:
| Criteria | Weight |
| Execution (working submission, MVP product, code quality) | 30 |
| Use of shielded Zcash (How does the submission incorporate shielded Zcash?) | 30 |
| Originality of product (Is this totally new or an iteration of an existing product?) | 25 |
| Impact (How many people does your project bring meaningful privacy to?) | 10 |
| Presentation (clarity of project summary and product brief) | 5 |
Join the conversation in the Zcash forum and discord. Beginners are welcome. Creativity, teamwork, and empathy are encouraged. We look forward to meeting you, hearing your ideas and seeing your contributions to the Zcash community.
