Midnight Hackathon
48-hour online hackathon July 17-19, 2026 building privacy-first apps on Midnight mainnet. Focus on real-world utility for user data control, confidential contracts and zero-knowledge proofs across AI, DeFi and gaming tracks. Open to beginners with no blockchain experience required.
参赛资格 / Eligibility
Open to minors age 13-18 with parental permission, working professionals, university students, secondary/high school students and other students. Participants must be over 18 or have parent permission and agree to MLH Contest Terms, Privacy Policy and Code of Conduct. Participants select region among North America, South America, Central America, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia Pacific. No prior web3 experience required.
交付物 / Deliverables
Build and submit a working app on Midnight that protects user privacy using confidential smart contracts. Initial Devpost submission due July 19 at 10:00 AM ET with final submission due at 11:45 AM ET. Project should align to Overall, AI, DeFi, Gaming or Beginner track. Specific repo, video or demo requirements: Not specified.
评审 / Judging
Prizes awarded across Top 2 Overall Winners, AI Track, DeFi Track, Gaming Track and Best Beginner Hack for teams with over 50 percent first-time hackers. Final winners announced July 23 at 12:00 PM ET. Detailed scoring criteria, jury composition and weighting: Not specified.
限制 / Constraints
Event is hosted online. Builds should use Midnight network, Compact contracts and privacy-preserving design. All hacking and workshops follow ET schedule with PT, UK and IST conversions provided. Must comply with MLH Code of Conduct and contest rules. Team size limits and use of pre-existing code: Not specified.
投入 / Effort
Estimate: Medium-high effort. Our estimate is 48 hours of intensive team building over one weekend plus learning Compact, Midnight docs and Discord support. Beginners can build simple privacy apps while experienced teams can attempt verifiable AI, DeFi or game projects. Weekend availability and Devpost submission required.
奖金 / Prizes
No cash prize stated. Top 2 Overall: invitation to interview for Fall 2026 Midnight Foundation internship plus Elgato Steam Deck MK.2. AI Track: Arduino Tiny Machine Learning Kit. DeFi Track: Tidbyt Gen 2 Smart Display. Gaming Track: Retroid Pocket 4 handheld. Best Beginner: BenQ ScreenBar Monitor Light. Additional surprise for winners teased.
MLH