Following the momentum of Hackathon #2, we’re launching Hackathon #3 to push deeper into agentic applications, public goods, and developer tooling on decentralized inference. Hackathon Format (unchanged): Open‑ended runs continue — variable inflow = high‑value edge‑case data. We’ll keep inviting outsiders to try agentic apps while hardening software, docs, and process. --- ### [](https://docs.cortensor.network/community-and-ecosystem/hackathon/hackathon-3#objective) Objective Build proof‑of‑concept (PoC) applications, bots, validators, or developer tools that leverage Cortensor’s decentralized inference protocol. Primary focus areas: - Agentic Applications — autonomous/semi‑autonomous assistants that act, monitor, transact. - PoI/PoUW Utilization — leverage redundant inference (PoI) and validator scoring (PoUW) where it adds trust; show how your app uses or exposes these features. - Validation & Attestations (PoI/PoUW) — use validator features to score results, produce evidence bundles, and optionally write on‑chain records. - App Stores & Catalogs — discovery surfaces for Cortensor apps with one‑click public demos. - Developer Tooling & SDKs — packages, CLIs, wrappers, and templates for smooth integration. - Public Goods / Free Inferencing — open bots and apps for the community. - Infra Observability — dashboards for inputs/throughput/latency, miner reputation, model usage. Stretch goals (bonus points): *Note: COR Prover, ERC‑8004, and x402 are internal R&D and optional — not required for Hackathon #3.* - ERC‑8004: emit agent identity/validation artifacts for discoverability. - x402: pay‑per‑call rails or UI flows for usage‑based access. - Router Surfaces: integrate Router v1 (REST) with a /validate endpoint; prototype COR Prover surfaces; explore MCP. --- ### [](https://docs.cortensor.network/community-and-ecosystem/hackathon/hackathon-3#prize-pool-in-usdcor-equivalent) Prize Pool (in $COR equivalent) - 1st: $800 - 2nd: $500 - 3rd: $300 - 4th–5th: $200 each - 6th–7th: $150 each - 8th–10th: $100 each - 11th–20th: $50 each Ongoing Support: Top projects may qualify for monthly $COR grants for continued maintenance and improvements. #### [](https://docs.cortensor.network/community-and-ecosystem/hackathon/hackathon-3#important-notice-on-prize-payouts-eligibility-condition) Important Notice on Prize Payouts (eligibility condition) To align incentives with Cortensor’s long‑term growth: if a prize‑winning participant is **not** (a) an existing node operator running >20 nodes, or (b) a holder of $500+ $COR prior to kick‑off, or (c) a participant with active staked tokens, then their prize will be split: - 50% allocated directly to Staking Pool #1 under their address - 50% distributed upfront as liquid $COR This ensures rewards both support winners and strengthen network security and staking participation. #### [](https://docs.cortensor.network/community-and-ecosystem/hackathon/hackathon-3#judging-and-awarding-policy) Judging & Awarding Policy - **Quality over rank:** Prizes are **not** awarded strictly by leaderboard order. Cortensor will judge qualified entries on **overall quality, impact, technical rigor, usability, documentation, and alignment with Cortensor’s roadmap**. - **Discretionary placement:** Judges may award a prize to any qualified entry at a given place (e.g., a lower-ranked but higher-quality project may receive a higher prize tier). - **No guarantee to fill all places:** Cortensor may **withhold or reallocate** any prize tier if submissions do not meet the quality bar. - **Ties / partial awards:** Cortensor may declare ties, split awards, or issue **honorable-mention grants** at its discretion. - **Compliance:** Entries must comply with all rules; violation may result in **disqualification** and forfeiture of prizes. --- ### [](https://docs.cortensor.network/community-and-ecosystem/hackathon/hackathon-3#suggested-project-ideas) Suggested Project Ideas #### [](https://docs.cortensor.network/community-and-ecosystem/hackathon/hackathon-3#new-and-emphasized-for-3) New and Emphasized for #3 - Agentic Assistants (Expanded): - *Research Ops Agent* — reads repos/docs, tracks issues, posts weekly summaries. - *DevOps Agent* — monitors routers/validators; triggers alerts or creates tickets. - *On‑Chain Agent* — interacts with smart contracts; validates data/receipts; posts attestations. - *Workflow Coordinator* — orchestrates tools/APIs with Cortensor as the inference layer. - PoI/PoUW Validation Utilities (no COR Prover requirement): - Implement rubric‑driven scoring, embedding distance checks, deterministic policy tests. - Optionally output validation artifacts/evidence bundles (e.g., JSON + IPFS). - If helpful, expose a simple validation endpoint; demonstrate redundancy or cross‑model checks. - App Stores & Catalogs 2.0: - Search/tags/filters; popularity leaderboards; “Try it now” demos. - Tooling/SDKs & CLIs: - Python/JS/TS/Rust SDKs for session management & task routing. - CLI for deploy/test/monitor; templates for bots/agents/oracles. - Memory & Knowledge Layers: - Memory‑as‑a‑service for agents; decentralized knowledge bases with inference‑backed QA. - Observability/Analytics: - Miner reputation, latency heatmaps, model usage analytics, validator dashboards. #### [](https://docs.cortensor.network/community-and-ecosystem/hackathon/hackathon-3#still-great-from-1-2) Still Great from #1/#2 - AI Oracle (Truth‑as‑a‑Service) via multi‑node consensus - Cortensor Community Bot with decentralized inference backend - Basic AI Agent (Function‑Calling) — bookmarking, summarization, etc. - Price & Sentiment Bots — multi‑site scraping + LLM sentiment + proofs --- ### [](https://docs.cortensor.network/community-and-ecosystem/hackathon/hackathon-3#ongoing-support) Ongoing Support - Outstanding projects may receive monthly $COR grants for ongoing improvements. - Exceptional teams may be offered dedicated roles in the Cortensor developer community. --- ### [](https://docs.cortensor.network/community-and-ecosystem/hackathon/hackathon-3#how-to-participate) How to Participate - Join Discord: discord.gg/cortensor - Build openly in the community repo: github.com/cortensor/community-projects - Submit your final app with a clear README showing functionality and Cortensor integration. Deliverables Checklist: - Public repo with permissive license (e.g., MIT/Apache‑2.0) - README with quickstart + runbook + architecture diagram - Demo link (live URL or recorded video) + instructions to reproduce - For validators: rubric prompt(s), embedding spec, deterministic checks - For agents: action list, tool integrations, safety guardrails --- ### [](https://docs.cortensor.network/community-and-ecosystem/hackathon/hackathon-3#timeline) Timeline - Kick‑off: Mon, Nov 21, 2025 - Submission deadline: Sun, Jan 4, 2026 > Duration: ≈6 weeks. If dates shift, we’ll announce updates in Discord. --- ### [](https://docs.cortensor.network/community-and-ecosystem/hackathon/hackathon-3#evaluation-criteria) Evaluation Criteria Mandatory: Working public demonstration during the hackathon (Discord/Telegram or designated channel). Projects not demonstrated will not qualify. Scoring rubric: - Functionality & Stability — 25% - Integration with Cortensor (sessions, routing, validators, staking/payment flows; PoI/PoUW where applicable) — 25% - Originality & Technical Depth — 20% - Usability & Demo Quality — 20% - Public Good Impact (free access, docs, community value) — 10% Bonus Considerations: ERC‑8004 artifacts, x402 flows, COR Prover /validate usage, on‑chain records, tests/benchmarks, observability dashboards. Cortensor’s Discretion: Cortensor reserves the right to evaluate, rank, and award prizes based on the above and other relevant factors. No Auto‑Generated Submissions: Purely AI‑generated entries without working implementation do not qualify. --- ### [](https://docs.cortensor.network/community-and-ecosystem/hackathon/hackathon-3#terms-and-notes) Terms & Notes - Internal Works (FYI): COR Prover, ERC‑8004, and x402 are internal/WIP and not required for Hackathon #3. Focus on currently available PoI/PoUW features. - Safety/Compliance: Projects must follow applicable laws and reasonable safety guidelines. - Transparency: Clearly mark any centralized components or paid services used. - Data: Use public or properly licensed datasets/APIs. - Contact: Questions and office hours will be posted in Discord. --- Hackathon #3 continues our push into the agentic frontier — building applications that don’t just infer, but act, coordinate, validate, and serve the community. Let’s build the next wave of decentralized AI together. https://docs.cortensor.network/community-and-ecosystem/hackathon/hackathon-3