The zkVerify Foundation is excited to invite ZK builders to our second online hackathon, happening January 27th – February 13th, 2025!

Why Join?

After the success of our first ZK online hackathon in November 2024 (check out the winning projects here), we’re back to challenge developers to create innovative and impactful Web3 projects on Open Campus and Arbitrum with advanced ZK proofs using zkVerify’s public, permissionless ZK proof verification system

With zkVerify set to launch on mainnet in Q1 2025, we’re eager to support the development of applications that demonstrate the power of our platform.

This is your chance to:

Build cutting-edge applications on Open Campus and Arbitrum
Win cash and token prizes
Join a follow-on incubator and grants program to bring your ideas to life

Themes and Focus Areas

Open Campus Protocol

A community-driven initiative that harnesses the power of blockchain technology to create a fairer education system. AI and DeSci initiatives are an important focus for Open Campus, and there are specific awards for these technologies.

Arbitrum’s Technology

With a powerful suite of Layer 2 scaling solutions, Arbitrum is shaping the future of Ethereum. Arbitrum technology makes it possible for projects to leverage Ethereum's security to build next-gen apps. Arbitrum advanced Web3 technology with Stylus, an EVM extension that enables builders to integrate Rust and C++ code into their web3 applications alongside Solidity.

zkVerify’s Power

A key layer in the tech stack, enabling powerful, cost-effective applications that incorporate proofs for transparency and trust. Whether you are working on provable randomness, fair gaming, AI training data verification, or secure private communications, zkVerify lets you achieve public proof verification quickly and affordably.

Timeline

December 20

Announcement
Developers start forming teams on zkVerify Discord
Explore Technical Stack
Ask questions of the zkVerify team

January 9 - Registration Opens: https://zk-online-hackathon-for-web3-builders.devfolio.co/

January 14 - Feb 6

Workshops, Presentations, AMA's, X spaces

Introduction to Sponsors and Prizes
zkVerify Architecture Overview and Developer tools
How to build Web3 Smart Contract dApps with zkVerify
Introduction to new ZK verifiers and how to use
Business Discussion Livestream with special guests and Q&A
- Building a business that scales
- How to craft your first product
- Finding, engaging, and keeping users
- Pros and cons of accepting investment
- Path of Hackathon project to self-sustaining product
Technical AMA session

January 27 - Hackathon officially starts

Feb 13 - Project Submission Deadline

Feb 14 - 20 Judges Voting on Projects

Feb 21 - Live Award Presentation

Prize Descriptions

Application Scenarios for ZK Proofs in Web3

zkVerify is the single platform where any application that needs public proof verification on a decentralized and permissionless system can get their proofs verified. This makes zkVerify the main network hub for the rapidly growing ZK proof application space.Key categories of applications include:

1. AI and ML model validation and privacy

Training Data Integrity: ZKPs can validate the characteristics of training datasets (e.g., source, legal compliance, data rights) without exposing sensitive details. This ensures ethical AI practices while maintaining compliance.
Provenance and Authenticity of AI-Generated Content: As AI-generated content proliferates, zkVerify provides a way to verify originality and prevent misuse, addressing issues such as deepfakes and copyright infringement.
Privacy for AI using ZK Proofs
- Protect input training data
  - Protect the identities of people inputting data
  - Protect the IP of their AI model and algorithms
  - Protect sensitive industry specific data
  - Protect the amounts that were staked/transferred, protect who it was transferred to
- Use proprietary AI models
AI model verification
- Model was trained on a specific data set
- Proof of model used for inference - model watermark
- Proof of compute consumed - for trustless pricing
- A specific model was used to create an output
- Specific Examples
  - Proof that the AI bot is actually a bot
  - When one pays for a premium model (expecting higher quality output). When you pay for ChatGPT 4, that you’re not getting the ChatGPT 3 model

2. Gaming and Entertainment

Provably Fair Outcomes: ZKPs can demonstrate fairness in games of chance or skill, addressing player concerns about centralized gaming systems.
Mobile Web3 Games: zkVerify’s speed and cost-efficiency unlock real-time ZKP applications in mobile gaming, enabling provable randomness and fairness in previously impractical contexts.

3. Decentralized Trust and Interoperability

Supply Chain Transparency: ZKPs can verify provenance in supply chains, ensuring that goods meet safety and compliance standards without exposing proprietary logistics data.
Financial Application Interoperability: zkVerify is a universal platform for extending trust from traditional financial services to Web3 decentralized financial applications through the use of ZK proofs and their verification.

4. Regulatory Compliant Privacy for Business Applications and DeFi

Supplier and Customer Communications and Payments: As businesses seek to use web3 applications to enable system interoperability, it is important to protect aspects of these transactions from their competitors. This will be done with applications integrating ZK proofs, with verification of the proofs done publicly at low cost and high speed on zkVerify
Multi-jurisdictional payments using Stablecoins: Businesses employ people worldwide, and international banking is high friction. Business will move to stablecoin payments when there is sufficient regulatory compliant methods with sufficient partial privacy, enabled by ZK proofs
Web3 DeFi applications have matured to the point where they are recognized as an important and useful segment of the financial services sector. ZK proofs directly enable regulatory compliant private DeFi, including
- Private token placements
- Darkpool trading
- OTC transactions
- DAO and Board private voting of shares

5. Decentralized Science: Zero-Knowledge (ZK) proofs for DeSci

Private data sharing: ZK proofs enable researchers to share sensitive data, such as experimental results or participant information, without revealing the underlying data.
Decentralized verification: ZK proofs allow for decentralized verification of research findings, eliminating the need for trusted third-party intermediaries.
Secure collaboration: ZK proofs facilitate secure collaboration among researchers, enabling them to work together on sensitive data without compromising confidentiality.
Transparent and auditable: ZK proofs provide a transparent and auditable record of research findings, ensuring that the process is tamper-evident and trustworthy.
Compliance with regulations: ZK proofs can help researchers comply with regulations governing data privacy and security, such as GDPR and HIPAA.
Federated learning: ZK proofs can enable federated learning, a decentralized approach to machine learning where multiple parties contribute to a shared model without sharing their individual data.
Decentralized reputation systems: ZK proofs can be used to establish decentralized reputation systems for researchers, allowing them to demonstrate their expertise and credibility without revealing sensitive information.
Secure intellectual property protection: ZK proofs can help protect intellectual property in decentralized science by enabling researchers to demonstrate the novelty and originality of their work without revealing the underlying details.

How to Participate

Here’s how you can dive into the zkVerify Hackathon:

Educate Yourself: Start by diving into zkVerify's documentation. Understanding the basics of how ZK proofs work and how zkVerify verifies them is crucial.
Join Information Sessions: Attend our online information sessions. These sessions will provide insights into using zkVerify, its benefits, and how to integrate it into your projects.
Learn to Code ZK: Familiarize yourself with writing ZK circuits. Tools like Noir or Circom are excellent for building your proof circuits. Code in Rust and prove the execution of your application in a ZKVM.
Community Engagement:
- Join the zkVerify Discord: Connect with other participants, share ideas, and seek advice or collaboration opportunities.
- Form Teams: Hackathons are often more fruitful with a team. Look for like-minded developers or bring your own crew to scale your project.
Explore Prize Categories: Check out the prize categories on offer. Plan your project to align with these, maximizing your chances of winning by targeting specific challenges or themes.
Study Existing Projects: Browse GitHub for published ZK applications. Forking these projects and updating them with newer ZK proofs could be a smart move to get started quickly.
Follow the Tutorials: The zkVerify documentation includes tutorials on how to verify your proofs on the zkVerify blockchain. Make use of these resources.
Interactive Learning:
- Join AMAs and Live Sessions: Participate in our live sessions where we discuss zkVerify usage, and engage in Q&A. It's a great place to get your questions answered directly by the team.
Project Submission:
- Prepare Your Project: Ensure your application is ready for submission.
- Demonstration: Create a short demo video or presentation showcasing your project's functionality.
- Submit via Devfolio: All submissions must be uploaded to Devfolio by December 10th. Ensure you meet this deadline to be considered for the prizes.

Join us in this exciting journey to explore and expand the use of zero-knowledge proofs with zkVerify. Ready your coding skills, embrace the challenge, and let’s innovate together!

How zkVerify Supports This Hackathon

Developer Support at the zkVerify Hackathon

The zkVerify Hackathon is designed to offer extensive support to developers, ensuring they have the tools and assistance needed to bring their innovative ideas to life. Here's how:

Expert Team: zkVerify is developed by a seasoned team of cryptographers, software engineers, and developer advocates. Their collective expertise in zero-knowledge (ZK) applications provides a robust foundation for participants.
Industry Partnerships: zkVerify collaborates with numerous key players in the ZK ecosystem, including:
- Leading Blockchain projects in the Arbitrum ecosystem.
- Developers of ZK virtual machines.
- Operators of ZK proving networks.
- Builders of ZK co-processors.
These partnerships not only enrich the hackathon's resource pool but also extend the community's reach, allowing developers from these partner organizations to participate and share their insights.
Community Engagement:
- Active Channels: Join the conversations on Discord and Telegram where you can interact with the zkVerify team, partners, and fellow developers. Here, questions are answered, ideas are discussed, and collaborations are formed.
Educational Resources:
- Comprehensive Documentation: The zkVerify documentation is thorough, with numerous tutorials that guide developers through the process of leveraging ZK proofs.
- Open Source Projects: Multiple demonstration projects are available on GitHub, licensed openly for developers to explore, learn from, or even contribute to.
Inspiration and Guidance:
- zkVerify commits to providing research on potential project ideas that align well with the capabilities of their platform. This initiative aims to spark creativity and guide participants towards impactful uses of ZK proofs.

This hackathon is not just about coding; it's an opportunity to immerse yourself in a supportive environment where you can learn, grow, and innovate in the field of zero-knowledge proofs. Whether you're a seasoned developer or new to the ZK space, the resources and community support at zkVerify are here to help you succeed.

Technical Stack

The zkVerify Hackathon provides developers with a robust technical framework:

zkVerify Blockchain: At the core of this hackathon is the zkVerify blockchain, constructed on the Substrate framework. This blockchain integrates specialized verifier pallets that enable rapid and cost-effective verification of zero-knowledge proofs. These proofs, once verified, are:
- Posted to the Blockchain: Making them publicly available and accessible via an API or blockchain explorer for transparency and auditability.
- Aggregated Verifications: Periodically, these verifications are batched and forwarded to zkVerify smart contracts deployed on multiple EVM testnets like EDUChain testnet, Apechain Curtis, and Arbitrum Sepolia, ensuring compatibility and interoperability.
Project Diversity: The applications leveraging zkVerify can span a broad spectrum:
- Web3 Smart Contract dApps: Here, ZK proofs enhance smart contract functionalities, particularly for privacy-focused applications like:
  - Private messaging systems
  - Secure and anonymous voting or polling mechanisms
  - Darkpool trading
  - NFT trading
Development Tools:
- zkVerifyJS: A JavaScript library available on NPM, designed to streamline the integration of ZK proofs into your applications, making development more accessible and efficient.

This technical stack not only supports the development of diverse applications but also ensures that they can operate within an ecosystem that values privacy, security, and scalability. Developers are encouraged to leverage this stack to create innovative solutions that push the boundaries of what's possible with zero-knowledge proofs.

Rules for Hackathon

This contest is to develop new and innovative applications using ZK proofs that can be verified on zkVerify.

Definition of Complete Application for Submittal

Submitted to the Hackathon management system before the deadline

General Rules

Projects must be created by the individual or team entering them in the contest.
No project that was submitted for an award in a previous zkVerify hackathon is qualified.
No project that re-uses code with a non-permissive license.
Project code must be created after the hackathon start date
It is permissible to fork a previous project and improve it for use with zkVerify and one of the web3 smart contract blockchains
Project code should show regular commit history during the hackathon.
Must integrate zkVerify for ZK proof verification with any of the verifiers available as listed at https://docs.zkverify.io/overview/supported_proofs

Web3 dApps

The dApp must be built on Arbitrum Sepolia, EDU chain, or Apechain Curtis
The smart contract should interact with the zkVerifyAttestation contract instance deployed on that chain in order to verify proof of correctness.
The dApp should be functional in one of two ways:
- Preferred - abstract the use of zkVerify
  - the end user should only interact with the dApp frontend and shouldn't be required to have funds on zkVerify or a Substrate wallet.
  - The dApp backend should take care of submitting the zk-proof to zkVerify and handling the event emitted by zkVerify upon successful verification.
- Optional - require user to have both EVM and zkVerify wallet to use dApp
Submit source code via a public GitHub repository
A clear README file with a short description of:
- How to set up and use the dApp
- A clear use cases for ZK proofs
- Team and background
Optional Architectural diagram

Judging Standards

Judging will be done by a panel of judges drawn from the zkVerify project and Sponsoring projects

Functionality (25%)
- Does the project successfully achieve its intended purpose using zkVerify?
- Is the zkVerify integration sound and working correctly?
- Is the project bug-free and stable during testing?
Innovation & Creativity (25%)
- How innovative is the project in terms of utilizing zero-knowledge proofs?
- Does it push boundaries or introduce novel approaches to privacy and trustless interaction?
- Does it solve a new problem or offer a unique application for ZKPs?
Technical Complexity (20%)
- Did the team overcome significant technical challenges in the project?
- Is there a balance between sophistication and efficiency (e.g., how computationally intensive the solution is)?
Usability & User Experience (10%)
- Is the project easy to use and accessible to its target audience (e.g., developers or end-users)?
- Does it have a clear and simple user interface (UI) ?
- How well does it document how others can use or implement the solution?
Team Collaboration & Presentation (10%)
- How well did the team work together to complete the project?
- Was the project’s presentation clear, and did it effectively communicate the technical features?
- Is the project well-documented for potential future development?

Resource Links

zkVerify Hackathon on Devfolio
zkVerifyJS: https://www.npmjs.com/package/zkVerifyjs
- https://github.com/HorizenLabs/zkverifyjs
zkVerify web app bootstrap command: npx @zkVerify/create-zkVerify-template
zkVerify Website https://zkverify.io/
zkVerify Documentation https://docs.zkverify.io/tutorials/tutorials/
zkVerify github - https://github.com/zkVerify

Terms of Participation for Hackathon Participants

1. Acceptance of Terms

By participating in the zkVerify Hackathon (“Hackathon”), you agree to comply with and be bound by these Terms of Participation (“Terms”). Failure to comply with these Terms may result in disqualification.

2. Eligibility

Age Requirement: Participants must be at least 18 years old or the age of majority in their jurisdiction, whichever is greater.
Participation Capacity: Participants may enter individually or as part of a team.
Non-Eligibility: Employees, contractors, or representatives of zkVerify Foundation and its affiliates, subsidiaries, or advertising and promotional agencies are not eligible to participate.

3. Registration

Application Process: Participants must complete and submit a registration form through the Hackathon website before the registration deadline.
Acceptance: Participation is subject to acceptance by the zkVerify Foundation (the “Foundation”), which reserves the right to limit the number of participants or teams.

4. Code of Conduct

Respect and Professionalism: Participants must conduct themselves in a professional and respectful manner. Harassment, discrimination, and offensive behavior are prohibited.
Compliance with Rules: Participants agree to follow all instructions and rules set by the Foundation throughout the Hackathon.

5. Intellectual Property Rights

Ownership of Submissions: Participants retain ownership of their submissions. However, by participating, participants grant the Foundation a non-exclusive, royalty-free, perpetual, worldwide license to use, display, and promote submissions.
Pre-Existing IP: Participants represent and warrant that their submission does not violate the intellectual property rights of any third party.

6. Disclaimers and Liability

No Endorsement: Participation does not imply endorsement of any participant or submission by the Foundation.
No Warranties: The Hackathon, its platform, tools, and any associated services are provided “as is.” The Foundation disclaims all warranties, express or implied, including those of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement.
Limitation of Liability: To the maximum extent permitted by law, the Foundation is not liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or any loss of data, use, or profits, arising out of or in connection with the Hackathon, regardless of the theory of liability.
Assumption of Risk: Participants understand and assume all risks associated with participation in the Hackathon.

7. Confidentiality

Participants may receive or have access to confidential information. Participants agree to keep such information confidential and not to disclose it to third parties.

8. Privacy Policy

The Foundation may collect and use personal information for Hackathon-related purposes, such as participant verification, communication, and prize distribution. Personal information will be managed according to the Foundation's Privacy Policy.

9. Disqualification

The Foundation reserves the right to disqualify any participant who violates these Terms, behaves inappropriately, or otherwise interferes with the Hackathon’s integrity.

10. Modification of Terms

The Foundation reserves the right to amend these Terms at any time. Participants will be notified of any changes.

11. Governing Law and Dispute Resolution

These Terms are governed by the laws of the state of Delaware. Any disputes arising out of or in connection with the Hackathon shall be resolved through binding arbitration in New York City, New York.

KYC Notice and Requirements For Prize Payments

KYC and Eligibility Disclaimer for Hackathon Winners

KYC Requirement for Prize Eligibility
- All Hackathon winners are required to complete a Know Your Customer (KYC) verification process to confirm their identity before any prizes can be awarded.
- The KYC process may require winners to provide proof of identity, address, and other necessary information to comply with applicable laws and regulations.
- Winners will have 10 days from the time of notification to complete the KYC process.
Sanctions Compliance
- Participants and winners must not appear on any national or international sanctions lists, including, but not limited to, lists maintained by the United Nations, European Union, United States, or other relevant authorities.
- Participants must not reside in, or be citizens of, countries or regions subject to comprehensive international sanctions.
Consequences of Non-Compliance
- If a winner fails to complete the KYC process within the designated time or is found to be on a sanctions list, or is otherwise ineligible under applicable sanctions laws, they will forfeit their prize and be deemed ineligible.
- In the event of ineligibility, the Foundation reserves the right to select an alternate winner or redistribute the prize at its sole discretion.

Note: Compliance with these requirements is mandatory, and by participating in the Hackathon, participants acknowledge and accept these terms.

zkVerify blog

ZK Online Hackathon for Web3 Builders