Singapore, January 9, 2018 — NEM Foundation has received more than 140 entries for its first NEM Global Hackathon launched last November 15, 2017. This overwhelming response is an indication of the strong interest in solving real-world problems using the NEM blockchain.

First appeared on medium

This competition aims to showcase the full potential of the NEM Smart Asset blockchain and includes 3 categories — Web, Mobile and Software.

NEM is the world’s first Smart Asset blockchain and delivers a world-class platform for asset management such as currencies, supply chains, notarizations, ownership records, and many more. With the NEM blockchain, the database technology is extensive in capabilities, creating more efficient operations for businesses.

“We are very excited to see the innovative applications that will be developed as a result of this Hackathon. The Foundation will consider nurturing some of the winners into sustainable long term businesses if proven to be good,” said Lon Wong, President of the NEM.io Foundation.

A total of $30,000 USD worth of XEM tokens will be given away to winners, and all participants will receive a certificate of participation that will be blockchain-notarized under NEM’s Apostille.

A two-stage screening process of participants was conducted, cutting the number of entries from 143 to 59, and further down to 33 of the most remarkable ones. The applications are currently being vetted by the panel of judges and all qualifiers to the hackathon proper will be notified via email on or before January 10, 2018.

Here is the timeline for NEM Global Hackathon:

1st Stage — Design & Development (Jan 10–17, 2018)

• Participants whose ideas have been approved will qualify for the hackathon proper. This stage is all about working out solutions, as a team or independently, to the problems stated in the app submission.

2nd Stage — Troubleshooting & App Testing (Jan 18–25, 2018)

• In this stage, participants can allow users to test their apps’ functionalities and user-friendliness, and to discover existing bugs through posts on forums, Telegram groups, etc. Join the NEM Global Hackathon App Testing Group for more info.

3rd Stage — Final Product Submission (Jan 26–31, 2018)

• With the applications already working, participants will need to send the requirements below. Link to the final submission form will be sent via email. Deadline for final product submission is January 31, 2018 at 17H00 (GMT+8).

1. Screenshots of the working application (minimum of 4)
2. Link to the short video showing features of the application (max of 3 minutes)
3. Application installation files
4. Detailed description of usefulness, technical approach, and tools used while developing the application (max of 450 words)
5. Link to the GitHub repository of the application

4th Stage — Judging & Community Voting (Feb 1–15, 2018)

• The scoring criteria will be assessed by the panel of judges and any decision made by them is final. The judges also reserve the right to disqualify any entry if any elements of plagiarism or copyright infringement is determined.

1. NEM Integration — must contain any of the NEM features
2. UI Design and User Experience (UX) — design of the user interface and graphic elements, functionality, efficiency, and logical structure
3. Usefulness — ability to solve real-world problems
4. Innovation and Uniqueness — difference from blockchain-based apps currently available, app niche
5. Compatibility and Open Source support

Announcement and Awarding of Winners

Winners will be announced on February 15, 2018.

Top Prizes

• 1st Place — $10,000*
• 2nd Place — $7,000*
• 3rd Place — $5,000*

Special Awards

• Most Innovative — $2,500*
• Ease of Implementation — $2,500*
• Best Solution to Real-World Problem — $2,500*
• Community’s Choice — $2,500*

*All prizes to be awarded are in XEM tokens.