# Introduction How might we build a **fully decentralized, non-custodial protocol** that leverages **AsterDEX** to automate superior financial outcomes? The goal of this hackathon is simple but ambitious: **be smarter than the market**. Humans are slow. They sleep. They miss arbitrage opportunities. They hesitate during volatility and allow gas fees, latency, and emotional decision-making to erode returns. Smart contracts, by contrast, are fast, deterministic, and always on. The **BNB Chain Yield Strategy Hackathon: The Self-Driving Yield Engine** invites experienced DeFi builders to design and implement **production-grade yield infrastructure** on BNB Chain — a fully autonomous system where smart contracts, not humans, manage capital. At the core of every submission must be **AsterDEX Earn**, serving as the primary yield primitive and capital anchor. From there, builders are encouraged to construct composable strategies that programmatically deploy, compound, hedge, and rebalance capital across on-chain venues such as PancakeSwap LPs, farms, and other DeFi primitives — all with a focus on **risk-adjusted returns** and long-term sustainability. This is an **outcome-oriented hackathon**. Winning projects are not only rewarded with prizes but may be **acquired for long-term deployment**, including full intellectual property and copyright transfer. As such, submissions are expected to meet a high bar for security, architecture, and economic design. ### The Four Pillars of the Engine Every submission must implement a **contract-governed system** grounded in the following core principles: - **Integrate (The Core)** : AsterDEX Earn must be the primary yield source and the default execution engine for the strategy. - **Stack (The Growth)** : The system should be designed for composability, enabling **yield stacking** by re-deploying earned yield into PancakeSwap LPs, farms, or other on-chain strategies to maximize risk-adjusted returns. - **Automate (The Speed)** : All strategy cycles must be **entirely programmatic and deterministic**. There can be no manual buttons, multisig execution, privileged operators, or off-chain triggers. - **Protect (The Trust)** : The architecture must be **100% non-custodial and decentralized**. Smart contracts must be the sole source of truth, with no admin keys or entities holding unilateral control over user funds. ### Design Prompts: Thinking Outside the Box To encourage original thinking beyond standard vault designs, participants are invited to explore the following architectural challenges: - **Hedging** - Can AsterDEX Earn be used not only as a yield source, but also as a **hedging mechanism** to protect liquidity positions on PancakeSwap? - **Volatility** - How can your engine leverage **flash loans, rapid rebalancing, or atomic execution** to turn market volatility into a strategic advantage? - **Resilience** - How does your system behave during market stress or sharp drawdowns? Does it preserve capital, adapt defensively, or intentionally **profit from downside conditions**? If you believe the future of DeFi belongs to **self-driving protocols** — autonomous, composable, and resilient by design — this hackathon is built for you. --- # Prizes **Total Prize Pool: $75,000** - 🥇 **Grand Prize:** $50,000 - Awarded upon winner selection and initial review - 🏁 **Post-Audit Completion Award:** $25,000 - Released after an independent audit and resolution of all critical and high-severity issues Winning submissions will be considered for **long-term adoption and acquisition**. --- # Eligibility - Open to developers and teams worldwide - Submissions must be built on **BNB Chain** - The solution must integrate **AsterDEX Earn** as the primary yield engine - Projects must be **fully autonomous**, **non-custodial**, and **decentralized** - No manual execution, multisig control, or off-chain automation is allowed --- ## **Code Quality Requirement** - Submissions must include a **well-managed private GitHub repository** - The repository should demonstrate **clear commit history, meaningful commit messages, and structured pull requests (PRs)** - This repository will be used for **code review, security evaluation, and architectural assessment** --- # Submission Requirements To be eligible for the **Grand Prize**, each submission must include the following: ### 1. The Code - A **private GitHub repository** - Repository access must be shared with: - `cryptocoder0x` - `tggeth` - Additional access may be required during the audit and review process Submissions with disorganized structure, unclear logic, or “spaghetti code” may be **disqualified**. ### 2. The Demo - A **demo video** with a maximum length of **3 minutes** - The video must clearly show the **Self-Driving Yield Engine operating autonomously** - Demonstrate actual execution and automation - Do not rely solely on slides or explanations - Show the system running and making decisions on its own ### 3. The Philosophy of Design - A **README.md** included in the repository that explains: - Why the system was designed the way it was - The core strategy and execution logic - Key assumptions that were questioned or challenged - How the design prioritizes sustainability, resilience, and elegance --- # Judging Criteria Submissions will be evaluated across the following dimensions: - Strategy Design & Creativity - 30% - Technical Execution & Automation - 25% - Security & Non-Custodial Integrity - 20% - Economic Design & Sustainability - 15% - Documentation & Clarity - 10% Judges will prioritize systems that demonstrate autonomy, composability, resilience, and thoughtful economic design. --- # Contact Us For questions, technical clarifications, or support: - **Telegram:** [cryptocoder0x](https://t.me/cryptocoder0x) - **Email:** [rohit@riquid.io](mailto:rohit@riquid.io) --- # About Us This hackathon is organized by the **Riquid Team**, a DeFi-focused group building advanced yield and capital efficiency infrastructure across on-chain ecosystems. Riquid is committed to enabling **autonomous, trust-minimized financial systems** that remove human latency, reduce operational risk, and unlock superior risk-adjusted returns through composable DeFi primitives. We believe the next evolution of DeFi will be driven by **self-driving protocols** — transparent, deterministic, and resilient by design.