IXH24 - Italian XRPL Hackathon 2024

Rome, Nov. 22nd, 23rd

IXH24 is a national hackathon with a focus on cryptography and blockchain. This two-day event will feature a mix of insightful seminars, engaging discussions, and significant hands-on experience. It is jointly organized by XRPL Commons, a leading blockchain community, De Componendis Cifris, the Italian association of cryptography, and Roma Tre University.
The hackathon will bring together teams of students from Italian universities, with students from across Europe also welcome to join and participate.

Set in the eternal city of Rome, the event will take place from November 22nd to 23rd, 2024, with a total prize pool of €10,000. Register now!

Decifris logoXRPL Commons logoRoma Tre logoRipple Impact logo

Schedule

November 22nd
Location: Rectorate, Roma Tre University - via Ostiense 133 (Roma)
8:00
9:00
Arrival and registration
Rectorate, tower C
9:00
9:30
Welcome reception and coffee
Rectorate, tower C
9:30
10:00
Welcome speeches
  • Roma Tre University
  • De Componendis Cifris
  • XRPL Commons

Rectorate, tower C
10:00
12:00
XRPL workshop
Rectorate, tower C
12:00
13:00
Lunch break, hackathon instructions and final team registration
Rectorate, tower C
13:00 Hackathon starts
Rectorate, tower C
November 23rd
Location: Rectorate, Roma Tre University - via Ostiense 133 (Roma)
9:00
9:30
Breakfast and coffee
Rectorate, tower C
11:00 FInal project submission (code & pitch)
Rectorate, tower C
11:00
13:00
Project pitches
Rectorate, tower A
13:00
14:30
Lunch break and jury deliberation
Rectorate, tower A
14:30 Award ceremony, joint with the separate Secondary School hackathon
Rectorate, tower A
TBA XRPL Commons meet-up
Location TBA

Hackathon details

  1. Coding and projects
    • Coding starts at 13:00 on November 22rd and submissions close at 11:30 on November 23rd (UTC+2).
    • New work only: coding, development, and design should be done during the hackathon. Any work that was completed prior to the hackathon must be mentioned in your submission. Non-team-created software or intellectual property can be utilised if you have a licence (e.g. software libraries or design assets), but they must be mentioned in your submission.
    • Project pitches will be of three minutes, followed by two minutes for questions. You can include a PowerPoint/PDF presentation. A live demo is also accepted (and encouraged).
    • Code versioning: all submitted code must be in a version-controlled repository (e.g., GitHub) and made accessible to judges at the time of submission.
  2. Team composition
    • Teams can consist of 3 to 7 participants. Participants may only be part of one team.
    • Italian universities will have an affiliated team.
      Their team leaders must register to the hackathon no later than November 11th.
      Their team members must register to the hackathon no later than November 15th.
    • Other teams (e.g. international teams) can register with a team leader, following the deadlines above.
    • Participants without a team will be assigned one during registration on November 22nd.
  3. Tracks and projects

    The hackathon consists of two tracks, which correspond to two different challenges. Each team will select its own track during the event and submit only one project.
    Details on the challenges will be given during the event.

    • Track 1: Cryptography for blockchain
      Projects under this track must demonstrate a clear application of cryptographic techniques to solve the challenge. The challenge can include, but is not limited to, encryption algorithms, zero-knowledge proofs, digital signatures, or other privacy-enhancing technologies.
    • Track 2: XRPL applications
      Projects under this track must involve the XRP Ledger in some way, whether through integrations, apps, decentralised finance, or smart contracts. Creativity and innovation in utilising the XRP ledger to solve the challenge are highly encouraged.
  4. Judging criteria
    • Innovation: How original is the idea? Does it bring new insights or solutions?
    • Execution: How well was it developed? Does it demonstrate technical complexity or impressive engineering?
    • Impact: How impactful is the project? Does it add value to a particular community, scenario or industry?
    • Pitch: Is the project clearly communicated? Is the demo (if present) well-prepared and convincing?
  5. Prizes and awards

    Prizes will be awarded to the top 3 projects in each track:

    • 1st winner: € 2500 (two thousands and five hundreds)
    • 2nd winner: € 1500 (one thousand and five hundreds)
    • 3rd winner: € 500 (five hundreds)
  6. Disqualification and misconduct

    Participants will be disqualified if they:

    • Fail to comply with intellectual property or copyright rules.
    • Submit projects containing offensive, discriminatory, or harmful content.
    • Exhibit any form of cheating, including tampering with other teams' projects.
  7. Miscellanea
    • Funding for eligible participants: if you are an Italian student and a member, you may be eligible for a refund of your travel & accommodation expenses. Young membership only costs 5 euros. If you might be eligible, please contact us at hack@decifris.it as soon as possible for confirmation (no later than November 15th). Refunds can include: overnight stay, travel expenses.
    • Student status: you are considered as a student if you were one on January 1st, 2022.
    • Code of conduct: All participants are expected to ensure a respectful environment.
    • Support and Mentorship: Mentors will be available to assist with technical or project-related queries.
    • FAQs: we will provide a list of FAQs, along with channels to ask any additional questions during the event.

Tracks

Details on the challenges of the two tracks will be given at the start of the event.
More information in the hackathon details

Teams

Registration

Tickets for IXH24 are limited, register now via Eventbrite.
If you are an Italian university wishing to participate with your own team, or if you are an aspiring team leader for an Italian university, write us at hack@decifris.it. International teams are not required to contact us via email.

Confirmed Teams

In order of addition.
  • Università di PerugiaTeam leader: Giacomo Brandi
  • Università di BariTeam leader: Luca Nestore
  • Università di MilanoTeam leader: Simone Pelizzola
  • Università di TrentoTeam leader: Marco MarchesinTeam status: full
  • Università di Napoli Federico IITeam leader: Francesco Lucibello
  • Università di TrentoTeam leader: Michele Panariello