HyperHack Judging and Winner Announcement

[Sheyda]

HyperHack Submissions Closed - Judging Begins Now

Winner Announcement: September 15th

Submissions for HyperHack have officially closed. Our judging panel will now evaluate all projects over the next 3 weeks, with winners announced on September 15th.

Judging Panel

Thiru - DevRel
Nidhi - DevRel
Daniel Kwak - CCO
Natalia A - DC of Planning
Elena - Co-founder

Judging Criteria

Track 1 & 2: AI-Native & Real-Time Systems ($150,000)

Technical Excellence (30%)

• Code quality and architecture

• Performance and scalability

• Integration with Hyperion capabilities

Innovation & Uniqueness (25%)

• Novel approaches and creative solutions

• Problem-solving effectiveness

• Technical innovation using Hyperion features

User Experience & Design (20%)

• Interface design and usability

• Documentation and tutorial quality

• User journey and adoption potential

Business Viability & Impact (15%)

• Clear value proposition

• Monetization strategy

• Ecosystem contribution potential

Presentation & Communication (10%)

• Demo quality and presentation materials

• Project articulation and vision clarity

Track 3: Infrastructure & Ecosystem Tools ($20,000)

Technical Excellence (45%)

• Infrastructure quality and developer utility

• Security and best practices

• Code quality and documentation

Innovation & Uniqueness (25%)

• Creative solutions and competitive advantages

• Novel approaches to infrastructure challenges

Business Viability & Impact (15%)

• Developer adoption potential

• Ecosystem contribution and network effects

User Experience & Design (10%)

• Developer experience and usability

• Documentation quality

Presentation & Communication (5%)

• Clear vision communication

Alith/LazAI Integration Bonus ($30,000)

Functionality (35%)

• Does the integration work as intended?

• Depth of AI implementation

Code Quality (25%)

• Clean, well-documented implementation

• Best practices adherence

User Experience (25%)

• How well does AI enhance the project?

• User interaction with AI features

Innovation (15%)

• Creative use of LazAI’s capabilities

• Advanced implementation beyond basic requirements

Minimum Requirements

To qualify for any prize, projects must:

• Have a working, functional demo (no mockups)

• Meet the overall score threshold of ≥75/100

• Complete all submission requirements

• Demonstrate genuine innovation or significant technical implementation

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Prize Distribution

15% Immediate Payment Winners receive 15% of their prize upfront in METIS tokens on Metis Andromeda

85% Milestone-Based Remaining 85% unlocked through achievement of project-specific milestones over 4-6 months

Timeline

• August 22: Judging begins

• August 30: Initial evaluation and scoring complete

• September 14: Final review and deliberation finished

• September 15: Winners announcement through Livestream

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Good luck to all participants. Winners will be contacted directly following the public announcement on September 15th and will be provided with a milestone form link.

[amardeep]

Thanks @Sheyda any details for the spotlight campaign ?

[amardeep]

Has the prize pool distribution terms also changed?

Earlier, before the hackathon started, it was mentioned that 50% would be unlocked 1–2 weeks post-mainnet launch, with the remaining 50% vested over 5 monthly installments.

I am quoting the previous guidelines here HyperHack: Applications and Ideathon Phase

But now I see it says only 15% upfront and the remaining 85% after 5–6 months.

Is there any reason why this change has been made ?

[SmartOnStuff]

I had the same observation @amardeep

@Sheyda @Vladimir can you discuss this internally and give a transparent revision/response? This is a significant change especially considering the timing - after months of Hyperhack and it’s submission - and the way of communication (no announcement just hidden in a post)

[Greydestiny]

This is genuinely concerning if the prize pool distribution terms have been changed. I’m not a builder myself, but I truly admire the hard work and dedication that builders put into HyperHack.

A hackathon is built on trust, and changing the terms mid-way can seriously affect the morale of those participating. The team should strongly consider sticking to the original 50% distribution as many builders are contributing with the understanding of the old terms.

If this was an error or miscommunication, it definitely needs to be clarified here. Transparency is key to keeping the community engaged and motivated.

@Sheyda @0xthiru

[rahul_rathore]

I would like to kindly request a revision of the prize distribution terms. Earlier, the first instalment was set at 50%, but it has now been reduced to 15%, which feels quite low. I believe increasing it to at least 30% would be a fair adjustment.

I sincerely hope you will consider this request.

[Sheyda]

Hi @amardeep, sure, the Spotlights winners of both “Remaining Marketing credits” and “bonus prize pool” will be announced on Sep 4th.

[Sheyda]

Yes, it’s changed to make a better structer not relaying on next launch but on project completion progress over 6 months.

[Sheyda]

Hi @SmartOnStuff Yes, it’s changed to make a better structer not relaying on next launch but on project completion progress over 6 months.
Posts scheduked gradually on X, announcing details of this forum post and "Reward structure change like https://x.com/MetisL2/status/1960720474221973726

[Sheyda]

Hi @rahul_rathore I will def convey it to the decision makers and will announce on X if there will be updates.

[Sheyda]

I appreciate sharing your thoughts and concerns, however we made this timeline and structure changes to make the payment timeline predictable for hackers.

[SmartOnStuff]

Yes @Sheyda I’ve seen it on X.

Thank you for getting back here as well and for the transparency about each point
Looking forward to September

[Sheyda]

Of course! We’ll announce the winner livestream next week, stay tuned on X