# Hackathon #3
Following the momentum of Hackathon #2, we’re launching Hackathon #3 to push deeper into agentic applications, public goods, and developer tooling on decentralized inference.
Hackathon Format (unchanged): Open‑ended runs continue — variable inflow = high‑value edge‑case data. We’ll keep inviting outsiders to try agentic apps while hardening software, docs, and process.
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### Objective
Build proof‑of‑concept (PoC) applications, bots, validators, or developer tools that leverage Cortensor’s decentralized inference protocol.
Primary focus areas:
* Agentic Applications — autonomous/semi‑autonomous assistants that act, monitor, transact.
* PoI/PoUW Utilization — leverage redundant inference (PoI) and validator scoring (PoUW) where it adds trust; show how your app uses or exposes these features.
* Validation & Attestations (PoI/PoUW) — use validator features to score results, produce evidence bundles, and optionally write on‑chain records.
* App Stores & Catalogs — discovery surfaces for Cortensor apps with one‑click public demos.
* Developer Tooling & SDKs — packages, CLIs, wrappers, and templates for smooth integration.
* Public Goods / Free Inferencing — open bots and apps for the community.
* Infra Observability — dashboards for inputs/throughput/latency, miner reputation, model usage.
Stretch goals (bonus points):\
\&#xNAN;*Note: COR Prover, ERC‑8004, and x402 are internal R\&D and optional — not required for Hackathon #3.*
* ERC‑8004: emit agent identity/validation artifacts for discoverability.
* x402: pay‑per‑call rails or UI flows for usage‑based access.
* Router Surfaces: integrate Router v1 (REST) with a /validate endpoint; prototype COR Prover surfaces; explore MCP.
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### Prize Pool (in $COR equivalent)
* 1st: $1000
* 2nd: $800
* 3rd: $500
* 4th–5th: $300 each
* 6th–7th: $150 each
* 8th–10th: $100 each
* 11th–20th: $50 each
Ongoing Support: Top projects may qualify for monthly $COR grants for continued maintenance and improvements.
#### Important Notice on Prize Payouts (eligibility condition)
To align incentives with Cortensor’s long‑term growth: if a prize‑winning participant is **not** (a) an existing node operator running >20 nodes, or (b) a holder of $500+ $COR prior to kick‑off, or (c) a participant with active staked tokens, then their prize will be split:
* 50% allocated directly to Staking Pool #1 under their address
* 50% distributed upfront as liquid $COR
This ensures rewards both support winners and strengthen network security and staking participation.
#### Judging & Awarding Policy
* **Quality over rank:** Prizes are **not** awarded strictly by leaderboard order. Cortensor will judge qualified entries on **overall quality, impact, technical rigor, usability, documentation, and alignment with Cortensor’s roadmap**.
* **Discretionary placement:** Judges may award a prize to any qualified entry at a given place (e.g., a lower-ranked but higher-quality project may receive a higher prize tier).
* **No guarantee to fill all places:** Cortensor may **withhold or reallocate** any prize tier if submissions do not meet the quality bar.
* **Ties / partial awards:** Cortensor may declare ties, split awards, or issue **honorable-mention grants** at its discretion.
* **Compliance:** Entries must comply with all rules; violation may result in **disqualification** and forfeiture of prizes.
* **KYC requirement:** Cortensor may require **Know Your Customer (KYC)** verification for any qualified or prize-winning entry. If requested, successful completion of KYC is **mandatory** to receive prizes; failure or refusal to complete KYC may result in disqualification and forfeiture of rewards.
***
### Suggested Project Ideas
#### New and Emphasized for #3
* Agentic Assistants (Expanded):
* *Research Ops Agent* — reads repos/docs, tracks issues, posts weekly summaries.
* *DevOps Agent* — monitors routers/validators; triggers alerts or creates tickets.
* *On‑Chain Agent* — interacts with smart contracts; validates data/receipts; posts attestations.
* *Workflow Coordinator* — orchestrates tools/APIs with Cortensor as the inference layer.
* PoI/PoUW Validation Utilities (no COR Prover requirement):
* Implement rubric‑driven scoring, embedding distance checks, deterministic policy tests.
* Optionally output validation artifacts/evidence bundles (e.g., JSON + IPFS).
* If helpful, expose a simple validation endpoint; demonstrate redundancy or cross‑model checks.
* App Stores & Catalogs 2.0:
* Search/tags/filters; popularity leaderboards; “Try it now” demos.
* Tooling/SDKs & CLIs:
* Python/JS/TS/Rust SDKs for session management & task routing.
* CLI for deploy/test/monitor; templates for bots/agents/oracles.
* Memory & Knowledge Layers:
* Memory‑as‑a‑service for agents; decentralized knowledge bases with inference‑backed QA.
* Observability/Analytics:
* Miner reputation, latency heatmaps, model usage analytics, validator dashboards.
#### Still Great from #1/#2
* AI Oracle (Truth‑as‑a‑Service) via multi‑node consensus
* Cortensor Community Bot with decentralized inference backend
* Basic AI Agent (Function‑Calling) — bookmarking, summarization, etc.
* Price & Sentiment Bots — multi‑site scraping + LLM sentiment + proofs
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### Ongoing Support
* Outstanding projects may receive monthly $COR grants for ongoing improvements.
* Exceptional teams may be offered dedicated roles in the Cortensor developer community.
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### How to Participate
* Join Discord: discord.gg/cortensor
* Build openly in the community repo:
* Submit your final app with a clear README showing functionality and Cortensor integration.
* Create PR as submission at
* Demo App/URL
* Documentation / Video
* Cortensor Session IDs & Router End Point (if you used web2 integration)
* All above into Discord #build-ground - [https://discord.gg/cortensor](https://docs.cortensor.network/community-and-ecosystem/hackathon/hackathon-3#how-to-participate)
Deliverables Checklist:
* Public repo with permissive license (e.g., MIT/Apache‑2.0)
* README with quickstart + runbook + architecture diagram
* Demo link (live URL or recorded video) + instructions to reproduce
* For validators: rubric prompt(s), embedding spec, deterministic checks
* For agents: action list, tool integrations, safety guardrails
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### Timeline
* Kick‑off: Mon, Nov 21, 2025
* Submission deadline: Sun, Dec 28, 2025
> Duration: ≈6 weeks. If dates shift, we’ll announce updates in Discord.
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### Evaluation Criteria
Mandatory: Working public demonstration during the hackathon (Discord/Telegram or designated channel). Projects not demonstrated will not qualify.
Scoring rubric:
* Functionality & Stability — 25%
* Integration with Cortensor (sessions, routing, validators, staking/payment flows; PoI/PoUW where applicable) — 25%
* Originality & Technical Depth — 20%
* Usability & Demo Quality — 20%
* Public Good Impact (free access, docs, community value) — 10%
Bonus Considerations: ERC‑8004 artifacts, x402 flows, COR Prover /validate usage, on‑chain records, tests/benchmarks, observability dashboards.
Cortensor’s Discretion: Cortensor reserves the right to evaluate, rank, and award prizes based on the above and other relevant factors.
No Auto‑Generated Submissions: Purely AI‑generated entries without working implementation do not qualify.
***
### Terms & Notes
* Internal Works (FYI): COR Prover, ERC‑8004, and x402 are internal/WIP and not required for Hackathon #3. Focus on currently available PoI/PoUW features.
* Safety/Compliance: Projects must follow applicable laws and reasonable safety guidelines.
* Transparency: Clearly mark any centralized components or paid services used.
* Data: Use public or properly licensed datasets/APIs.
* Contact: Questions and office hours will be posted in Discord.
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Hackathon #3 continues our push into the agentic frontier — building applications that don’t just infer, but act, coordinate, validate, and serve the community.
Let’s build the next wave of decentralized AI together.