EasyA x Polkadot Harvard Hackathon: win $100,000 in prize money and funding

Some of the world's best startups have come out of Harvard and MIT. That's no secret. Even some of the most famous blockchains and protocols were born here. Now it's time for the next generation to build the future. This is your chance to do exactly that.

If you're a startup founder or student thinking about building a startup, are excited about blockchain, or just want to tinker and learn new tech, you're in the right place!

The Polkadot x EasyA Hackathon is a 36-hour event from EasyA for people to build on Polkadot with around-the-clock, in-person guidance from mentors within Polkadot ecosystem itself.

This event will be co-hosted with the Harvard Blockchain Research Labs and Harvard Undergraduate Blockchain Club in partnership with the Harvard Blockchain Conference. Other companies and universities in attendance include: Meta, Google, Coinbase, Harvard, MIT, BU, Northeastern, Stanford, BC and Bentley. We encourage any other universities and non-students to attend too!

Not a programmer? This hackathon is open to everyone regardless of technical experience (whether it’s ideation, marketing or presenting). We even have a special prize dedicated for non-coders!

Free to enter. Free food. Free code-level support available in-person 24/7.

Coding and no-code welcome!

Coders are welcome, yes! But if you don't know how to code, you're welcome too! After all, Steve Jobs couldn't code, but he had brilliant ideas and knew exactly how to market a product. So whether you're the idea guy or the coder, there's a space for you! We'll be doing team building on the weekend, so if you don't want to go solo or don't already have a team, you'll be able to find the perfect people to help you!

Experts from the VC, Web3, and AI world and more will be present in-person team will be present in person to help out! Whatever your knowledge-level, or whether you're a student or professional, we encourage you to attend! Past hackathon projects have turned into million-dollar startups - who knows, that could be you next!

What’s the best that could happen? Sign up ASAP!

WHAT ARE THE PRIZES?

$20,000 in no-strings-attached prize money, and an extra $85,000 in follow-on grant funding for top teams! More being announced on our Twitter here! 🚀

WHAT TO EXPECT

🎤 Live panels - led by the experts actually from the Polkadot ecosystem and at the forefront of Web3. Ask away and learn information before anyone else!

🛠 Workshops - if you’ve never used blockchain before, the best instructors in the world are here to help.

💻 Competition - 36 hours to build a project that solves a problem, then present on Demo Day.

💰 Prize Money - $20,000 in no-strings-attached prize money, and an extra $85,000 in follow-on grant funding for top teams!

💲 Grants - hundreds of thousands in equity-free follow-on funding for the winning projects!

💼 Job/Internship opportunities - Web3 recruiters and VCs will be at the event, so don’t miss out on your next big opportunity!

🏫 Venue - great wifi, comfortable desks, all day food as well as lounges to relax.

Get a taste of what to expect by seeing our past recap video here! https://x.com/easya_app/status/1670798749331779587

WHEN

📆 April 26-27, 2025

WHERE

📍 Harvard University - Northwest Building!

The 36-hour EasyA x Polkadot hackathon will kick off on 26 April. You won't want to miss this opportunity!

Builders of all levels are encouraged to build, meet and mingle!

Follow us on Twitter for the latest updates! https://twitter.com/easya_app

Check out more EasyA challenges and events on our website here: https://easya.io

LOOKING TO GET AHEAD?

Go to EasyA and make sure you've completed all the Polkadot challenges in the EasyA app before hackathon weekend. Plus follow Polkadot on X to get in the zone before the hackathon!