1. Coding and projects
- Coding starts at 13:00 on November 22rd and submissions close at 11:00 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 five 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. Participants
- To be a participant, you need
- to have legal rights to be in Rome from the 21-st to the 23-rd of November 2024 (e.g., if you are an EU citizen),
- to be at least 18-year old on the 31-st of December 2024, and
- to register following the registration procedure.
- We will not provide any documentation about your participation before the event. An attendance certificate will be provided after the event.
3. Students
- To be considered a student either be enrolled as a BSC ("laurea triennale"), MSC ("laurea magistrale"), PHD ("dottorato") student or have graduated as such in 2022, 2023 or 2024.
- This is a prerequisite to be part of an Italian University Team. Read more below at point 5.
4. Teams
- Teams can consist of 3 to 7 participants. Participants may only be part of one team.
- If a participant wants to register and be affiliated with a team, he/she must write to hack@decifris.it and communicate the chosen team leader, no later than November 15th.
- If a participant does not declare a team leader in time, he/she will become part of teams formed by the organizers at the beginning of the event (in the morning of the 22-nd of Novembre 2024).
5. Italian University Teams (IUTs)
- Italian universities may have one or more affiliated teams (IUTs).
- IUTs team leaders must register to the hackathon, both in Eventbrite and sending an email to hack@decifris.it, no later than November 11th.
- IUTs team members must register to the hackathon, both in Eventbrite and sending an email to hack@decifris.it, no later than November 15th.
- To be part of an IUT, you must satisfy:
- the requirements to be a participant
- the requirements to be a student (of said University)
- to be either a nonEU citizen or a EU citizen who is also a member of De Cifris (or that he/she has applied for membership)
6. 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: Advanced 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.
7. 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?
8. 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)
9. 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.
10. Miscellanea
- Funding for eligible participants: if you are a student (as defined above at point 3) and a DeCifris member (or you are applying for membership), you are eligible for both a refund of your travel expenses and free accomodation for two/three nights (that we provide). Young membership only costs 5 euros. If you think that you are eligible, please contact us at hack@decifris.it as soon as possible for confirmation (no later than November 15th) and the relevant paperwork.
- Code of conduct: All participants are expected to ensure a respectful environment.
- Venue: The main venue is the rectorate of Roma Tre University (via Ostiense 133, Roma). The complex closes between 21:00 (22nd) and 08:00 (23rd): you will be welcome to stay there overnight, but for security reasons you will only be able to exit, not enter, before 08:00.
- Support and Mentorship: Mentors will be available to assist with technical or project-related queries.
- FAQs: additional questions may be asked before or during the event in our new De Cifris Discord server, still under construction.