Hackathons & Bug Bounties

Dive into real-world challenges, test your smart contract skills, find vulnerabilities, and accelerate your learning journey.

Why Participate?

Hackathons and bug bounty programs are invaluable for aspiring and experienced smart contract developers and auditors.

Hands-On Experience: Apply theoretical knowledge to practical problems under pressure.
Skill Validation: Prove your abilities by building projects or finding real vulnerabilities.
Learning Opportunities: Discover new tools, techniques, and common pitfalls. Learn from mentors and peers.
Networking: Connect with fellow developers, potential employers, and industry experts.
Portfolio Building: Showcase your work and successful bug findings.
Financial Rewards: Earn significant prizes and bounties for your skills.

Major Blockchain Hackathons

These are recurring events known for attracting top talent and focusing on specific ecosystems or broader Web3 innovation. Keep an eye on their websites for upcoming dates.

ETHGlobal

Premier Ethereum-focused hackathons (online & in-person).

Visit ETHGlobal

Solana Hackathons

Major events like Breakpoint, Grizzlython, often with large prize pools.

Visit Solana Events

Chainlink Hackathons

Focused on building dApps using Chainlink oracles.

Visit Chainlink Hackathons

Polygon Hackathons

Hackathons focused on the Polygon ecosystem and scaling solutions.

Explore Polygon Devs

NEAR MetaBUIDL

Major hackathon series for the NEAR Protocol ecosystem.

Explore NEAR Events

Avalanche Creates / Summits

Events often including hackathons for the Avalanche network.

Explore Avalanche Devs

Devfolio

Popular platform hosting numerous Web3 hackathons globally.

Explore Devfolio Hackathons

Polkadot Hackathons

Events centered around the Polkadot and Substrate ecosystem.

Explore Polkadot Events

Cosmos HackAtom

Hackathons focused on the Cosmos SDK and Interchain technologies.

Explore Cosmos Events

University Hackathons

Check major university blockchain clubs and CS departments.

(e.g., MIT, Stanford, Berkeley)

Smart Contract Bug Bounty Platforms

Get paid to find security vulnerabilities in smart contracts. Rewards can range from hundreds to millions of dollars depending on the severity and the project's budget.

Immunefi

Leading platform dedicated to Web3/smart contract security. Highest bounties.

Rewards: $1k - $10M+

Visit Immunefi

Code4rena (C4)

Competitive audit contests where multiple auditors review code.

Rewards: Shared Prize Pools (e.g., $50k - $200k+)

Visit Code4rena

HackerOne

Major bug bounty platform, includes many Web3/blockchain projects.

Rewards: Variable by project

Visit HackerOne (Blockchain)