Options for Hosting a Hackathon
When it comes to hosting your own hackathon on DoraHacks.io, there are two approaches to choose from. Regardless of your preference, the items listed in the Prep Materials Checklist below are essential.
- DIY (Do-It-Yourself): With this approach, you have the flexibility to create and manage your hackathon independently. This includes tasks such as creating your hackathon, updating hackathon details, and more.
- Delegate to DoraHacks: Alternatively, you can opt for a more hands-off approach. By preparing the necessary materials and then handing them over to the DoraHacks team, we take care of setting up the hackathon page, adjusting the layout, and updating details as required.
Whichever path you choose, we are here to support you in ensuring your hackathon runs smoothly and successfully.
Prep Materials Checklist
This doc includes the checklist of to-do items for the hackathon organizer to prepare all the materials needed. When the listed materials are ready, the landing page can be set up easily. Landing page examples from previous DoraHacks Hackathon: https://dorahacks.io/hackathon
Hackathon Introduction
An introduction about the hackathon from your organization’s POV (for branding purpose). Or a PR article from Your Organization.
About Your Organization
A short blurb about your organization.
Landing Page on Your Organization’s Official Website (Optional)
If the page is not planned, that’s OK, since there’ll be a landing page on DoraHacks.
Sponsors / Ecosystems / VCs / Launchpad Partners
Example: Omnichain Hackathon - Partners
Key Dates
Including such as opening ceremony, submission period, workshop schedules, judging period, winner announcement/closing ceremony, etc.
Example: BNB Chain Hackvolution - Key Dates
Prize Pool Allocation and Prize Distribution
How do you plan to allocate the prize pool, and when you distribute the prize, in what token/currency? on which blockchain or off-chain?
Tracks
Including tracks e.g. DeFi, NFT, Infra, etc. Please also give a brief description for each track and potential ideas if possible.
Example: FraxBuild Hackathon - Tracks & Ideas
Submission Requirements
If your blockchain is EVM-compatible, to attract as many as submissions, we suggest the entry be open for all the EVM-compatible projects and set “build on your blockchain” as required only when anyone wins a prize. Deployment on a chain is easier than building on a good project :D
Example: Comdex Hackathon - Requirements
Developer Resources
Optional. Developer resources can be links for some documentation or tutorial recordings.
Example: 0x, AWS, Family, Polygon | Decreasing Frictions in DeFi - Resources
Workshops & Office Hours (Optional）
Workshops provide some of the most valuable contents that are very much appreciated by all the developers in our network.
Judge Criteria
Example: Comdex Hackathon - Judge Criteria
Judge Panel
Usually about 5-10 judges. Example of some judges from Polygon Hackathon as below; please offer info of their Name, Company/Organization, Title, Headshot.
Key Visual Design
Design specifications for DoraHacks website: Overall size:1500px*400px
Please also provide with the editable files of the design so that DoraHacks can help adjust if there is any edit needed.
Hackathon Banner Specification: Cannot exceed 2 MB. 2400 x 1200 px is recommended.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. Is there a fee to host hackathons on DoraHacks?
No, it is free of charge to use dorahacks.io as infrastructure to host your hackathons.
2. Any other support that we can get from DoraHacks apart from the website?
Firstly, we have user support on Telegram @dorahacksofficial. Our team will help support the hackers that participate in your hackathons. Hackers’ enquiries will be answered in a timely manner.
Moreover, we can let our developers community know about your hackathon to help you onboard more hackers. We send out hackathon collection newsletters to our 100k+ subscribers on a weekly basis. In addition, we also tweet about hackathons happening on our platform.
3. How do I host a hackathon with the DIY approach on DoraHacks?
First you create an organization account, then you can create your own hackathon. The process takes around 5 mins once the above-mentioned materials are ready. You can find the Step-by-Step Guide on our blog page.
4. Can I customize my hackathon on DoraHacks?
Absolutely. As an organizer, you can customize your hackathon through our dedicated Organizer Dashboard: https://dashboard.dorahacks.io/login
5. How do I manage submissions?
You can manage submissions through the Dashboard at https://dashboard.dorahacks.io/login. Here, you can review all the submissions and approve the ones relevant to your hackathon. Approved submissions will show up in the BUIDL gallery on the hackathon page. Furthermore, you will have access to the project info including vision, description, team info, GitHub, demo, and contact details.
Hackathon Agenda
Timeline can be flexible according to the hackathon organizer’s plan. Here’s an example of a 60-day long hackathon and every step can be customized.
Step 1 Registration Period (10 days prior)
Hackers can click “Register as a hacker” on the hackathon page. When registered, the hacker’s emails(required), Github(Optional), Twitter(Optional), LinkedIn(Optional) will be recorded, and the hackathon organizer can email them with notifications and updates. (Please note that some details including location, socials, referring channels are not required in the registration form. If they are necessary to be provided, we suggest using other information collection tools such as Google form or typeform.)
Step 2 Submission Period (D1-50)
Participants submit BUIDL via the hackathon page on DoraHacks (without on-chain registration) . Project info including vision, description, team info, github, demo and contacts are submitted. The hackathon organizer can review all the submissions and approve the ones relevant, so that those submissions will show up in the BUIDL gallery on the hackathon page.
Step 3 Judging Period (D50-55/57)
The whole judging process is controlled by the hackathon organizer, but support from DoraHacks is always available when needed. We recommend using our platform's judging feature for a streamlined evaluation process.
For detailed guidance on managing your hackathon and instructions for judges, please refer to our Hackathon Management Guide and Judging's Guide. Results will be posted under the hackathon via the "Results" tab.
Step 4 Winner Communication (D55-59) & Announcement (D60)
Winner Communication: Hackathon organizers can export winner information (including contact details) directly through the Organizer Dashboard. This enables organizers to notify winners about their prizes and communicate any necessary steps, such as integrating the organizer's blockchain into their project, which may be required before prize distribution.
The winner announcement typically occurs during a virtual closing ceremony for the hackathon, where organizers usually provide a summary of the event, highlighting the overall quality of submissions and notable projects, while also sharing plans for future ecosystem development and community building. During this ceremony, winners present brief demos of their projects, with judges offering brief further feedback. The ceremony can be streamed on DoraHacks' Binance Live and YouTube channels (110k+ subscribers) or the organizer's preferred platform.