Welcome to the HackerDoc! This will be the best place to find information about the event.
Questions? Here’s how to reach us:
- Join the KU Blockchain Institute Discord channel here! When you get accepted, you’ll receive a link to join our attendee group in the Discord channel so you get network with fellow attendees, organizers, and mentors.
- Contact an organizer via Email: hack@kublockchain.com
💬 Overview
The Midwest Block-a-Thon is a 20-hour hackathon bringing builders of all ages and skill levels together for a weekend of blockchain exploration and innovation.
- Over 200 hackers and community members with hands-on experience in web3 development, mentorship from industry experts, and a chance to win big prizes.
- It will be hosted at the University of Kansas, the 💖 of the Midwest, where hackers will be welcome to stay overnight.
There aren't opportunities for people interested in blockchain development in our region. The Midwest Block-a-Thon will expose web3 technologies to students and community members who wouldn't otherwise be exposed to them. By providing exposure, we hope hackers will continue to be curious about these technologies and go on to create or join blockchain clubs, participate in protocol governance, and pursue careers in web3!
📍 Time and Location
The Midwest Block-a-Thon will take place at the University of Kansas on March 29-30, 2025 in the following two locations:
- Burge Union (1565 Irving Hill Rd, Lawrence, KS 66045)
- KU School of Engineering (1520 W 15th St, Lawrence, KS 66045) — contains several spacious buildings for hacking!
These two locations are a 5 minute walk apart. For your convenience, all public transportation within the City of Lawrence is free. Although you shouldn’t need to leave campus during the hackathon, visit lawrencetransit.org/routes/ for bus routes and more details on getting around the city!
⏰ Schedule and Logistics
Our schedule is constantly being updated with more details over at hack.kublockchain.com/schedule! Once we get locations posted, calendar invites will be linked directly on the schedule page.
- For purposes of booking travel plans, know that the expo will begin at 2pm on Saturday, March 29th and the event will end around 4pm on Sunday, March 30th.
📔 Resources (what if I don’t know anything?!)
This section is constantly being updated
Fear no more! In this section, we’ll introduce excellent handpicked resources for you to begin your journey into blockchain development.
Why learn about blockchain technology, anyway?
- Think of cryptocurrencies, NFT collections, supply chain innovations, digital ownership. Blockchains are the foundation of all these paradigms. In a world where our personal data is taken and sold, blockchains offer a solution to digital identity. We see citizens using blockchain to solve issues of inflation and corruption, as fiat currency is regulated by central authorities. Is we move forward into the digital age, blockchain is becoming more relevant
Foundations of Blockchain Course by KU Blockchain Institute
- Five modules developed to help you understand the vocabulary, practical examples, and get hands-on development experience.
File Storage for Blockchains by Pinata
- Learn about leveraging IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) and Pinata’s Files API for handling your blockchain data.
Example Hack: Build a Voice-Powered Sharing App with Pinata
Let’s expand this project further into the blockchain space by thinking about these questions:
- Could crypto wallet authentication (e.g., MetaMask) be leveraged to attribute content to its creator without exposing personal details?
- Could NFTs allow users to claim ownership of the generated audio content?
- How could users be incentivized (e.g., earning tokens like $POL) for sharing popular audio files or contributing resources to the network?
- Could blockchain be used to timestamp and verify the authenticity of audio files? (Proof of Creation)
Things to try:
- NFT minting for generated audio files, embedding the IPFS link within the token metadata.
- Wallet authentication to replace traditional login methods and tokenized payments.
Introduction to Ethereum Course by Dabl Club
- For more intermediate to advanced hackers, this course drills deep into how Ethereum works under-the-hood.
☁️ WiFi
KU students should be able to log in to the “JAYHAWK” wi-fi network as usual. Non-KU students may use the wi-fi network called “KU GUEST”. This network is available everywhere on campus. Please contact an organizer if you are having issues using the Wi-Fi. Our campus also supports “eduroam” for visitors from other universities.
📦 Packing List
Government-issued ID or a student ID
- This is required to complete registration.
Refillable water bottle
Computer and accessories (mouse, keyboard, etc.)
Chargers (phone, laptop, etc.)
Any smartphones or tablets you want to incorporate in your hack
Hardware from home that you might want to hack on.
Sleep-related things (sleeping bags, pillow, blankets, etc.)
- There will be a resting area within the venue itself, but we can’t provide sleeping materials to hackers.
A change of clothes & clothes you can move in (for fun activities!)
A sweater / jacket in case it gets cold
Toiletries
Toothbrush/toothpaste
Headphones / earbuds
Medication — if needed
Your adult chaperone! — if under 18 years old
📣 Competition Info
Prizes and value $$$ will be publicly announced in the coming months!
General Tracks
Each team will register as one of the following tracks. The track will be determined by the status of the most advanced team member.
- College and University
- Enrolled in a post-secondary educational institution.
- High School
- Enrolled in middle or high school (must be >14 years old to apply).
- Community and Professional
- For hackers not currently in school (all experience levels welcome).
Challenges
As we announce our sponsors, more challenges will be added!
Judges will award bounties at to their own discretion, independent of the above tracks.
- Dabl Club Challenge
- Pinata Challenge
- Hacker’s Choice Award
Team Formation
- Team formation will occur in the Discord before the event and at the event during the Team Formation Social
- Teams may consist of 1-4 participants.
- All team members must be registered participants of the Midwest Block-a-Thon.
- All team members should be present at the event. Leaving the venue for some time to hack elsewhere is fine.
Project Requirements
- All code for your project must be written during the competition, between the hours of 6pm on March 29th and 2pm on March 30th.
- Your entire project must be written and created by only the participants on your team.
- Your code must be made public on GitHub for judging purposes. The GitHub will be used to verify that all of the rules and deadlines of the competition were followed.
- All submissions will remain as the intellectual property of the individuals that created them.
⚖️ Rules and Judging
Demos
After hacking finishes, teams participating in any of the challenges will demo their projects to the judges of that challenge.
You are encouraged to present what you have done even if your hack is broken or you weren’t able to finish. It's okay if you didn't finish your hack—that happens all the time! Completion is only one part of the judging criteria, so you might still do well. Also, demoing is not just about the competition. It's a chance to share with others what you learned and what you tried to build—that's what hacking's all about! In the case that you don't have anything to demo, you can give a presentation about what you tried and what you learned. Hearing what other people learned is interesting and inspiring for other attendees.
Judging Criteria
Teams will be evaluated based on the following four criteria, each weighted equally. During judging, participants should highlight their accomplishments in each area as they relate to their project:
1. Blockchain Innovation
- How effectively does the project leverage blockchain technology? Is the implementation unique or innovative within the web3 space?
- Does the project utilize advanced blockchain concepts such as smart contracts, tokenomics, or decentralized storage?
- Does the solution enhance scalability, security, or interoperability in the blockchain ecosystem?
2. Technical Execution
- Was the problem the team tackled complex or challenging?
- Did the implementation use creative solutions, multiple components, or novel techniques?
- Does the technology demonstrate a "wow" factor for technical depth or elegance?
3. User-Centric Design
- How well-designed is the user experience and interface?
- Is the project intuitive and accessible for its intended audience, including non-technical users?
- For blockchain-specific tools, does the design help demystify complex concepts like wallets, dApps, or smart contract interactions?
4. Learning and Growth
- Did the team explore new areas of blockchain or web3 development?
- Did they learn and apply new skills, tools, or frameworks during the hackathon?
- How does the project reflect the team’s effort to grow and experiment outside their comfort zones?
Judges will use these criteria as a guide but are ultimately encouraged to award projects that stand out as the most impressive, impactful, and deserving according to their own expertise in the field.
What Won’t Be Judged
To encourage creativity and experimentation, the following aspects will not impact your score:
- Code Quality: It doesn’t matter if your code is messy or inefficient. Hackathons are for experimenting, learning, and building quickly, not for polished production-ready code.
- Pitching Skills: The focus is on building, not selling. A well-built project speaks for itself.
- Idea Feasibility: Hackathons are about creativity, not necessarily solving real-world problems. Wild, experimental ideas are welcome and encouraged.
- Problem-Solving: Your project doesn’t need to address a practical problem. A fun, "pointless" project that showcases creativity and learning is just as valid.
Don’t stress about perfection—focus on enjoying the process and sharing your journey!
The full rules of the competition
- Teams may consist of 1-4 participants.
- All team members should be present at the event. Leaving the venue for some time to hack elsewhere is fine.
- Teams can of course gain advice and support from organizers, volunteers, sponsors, and others.
- All work on a project should be done at the hackathon.
- Teams can use an idea they had before the event.
- Teams can work on ideas that have already been done. Hacks do not have to be “innovative”. If somebody wants to work on a common idea they should be allowed to do so and should be judged on the quality of their hack. These days it’s hard to find something that’s fully original and teams might not know an idea has been done before anyway.
- Teams can work on an idea that they have worked on before (as long as they do not re-use code).
- Teams can use libraries, frameworks, or open-source code in their projects. Working on a project before the event and open-sourcing it for the sole purpose of using the code during the event is against the spirit of the rules and is not allowed.
- Projects that violate the MLH Code of Conduct are not allowed.
- Teams can be disqualified from the competition at the organizers' discretion. Reasons might include but are not limited to breaking the Competition Rules, breaking the MLH Code of Conduct, or other unsporting behavior.