It's almost time to hack the system

​ETHBerlin³ the hackathon extravaganza that we all know and love will be back in two weeks! We received incredible feedback and /cosmic/ turnout from volunteers, sponsors, hackers, mentors, judges, and the general community, and we already know ETHBerlin³ is going to raise the bar of hackathon experiences.

The best things come in threes, like friends, dreams, and ETHBerlin - Not Vitalik

A reminder that ETHBerlin³ is an entirely community organized hackathon, by members of the ecosystem that want to give back, with an unforgettable experience for the community. We are a non-profit event, therefore all the money raised goes straight to our hackers and ensuring they have the best environment to build their dream projects.

ETHBerlin³ is not just a hackathon, we are an experiential event. For all those that are new to our hackathons, but even for the OGs, here is some more info about what to expect at the event. And a kind reminder, we have a code of conduct that we ask all hackers to adhere to.

The event kicks off Friday 16th September, and will run through continuously until Sunday 6pm. You can see the tentative full programme here for info on when to register etc. All meals and snacks during the weekend shall be provided, and of course beverages to keep you fed and watered. There will also be spots to take naps, but we recommend joining our couch-surfing channel for opportunities in case you want a sofa for the weekend :)

For all those that haven't been to Factory before, we should mention that we have the best venue which comes with it's very own ballpit! Factory Goerli is like home to ETHBerlin, it has everything that a hacker would need to let those creative juices flow, even a playground, table football, and it is right opposite Berlin's infamous Goerli park and within reach of Kreuzberg's bustling scene.

Now for some details about the hacking. ETHBerlin is and always has been an inclusive event, and as with past editions, we welcome non-developers to hack! We appreciate that projects don't just need code, they also need UX, Memes, Product, Design, Marketing. Our hackers will have different skillsets to make up great projects. If you don't have a team yet we have a find-a-team channel for you to meet some fellow hackers :)

Coders and non-coders uniting at ETHBerlinZwei

A kind reminder that the theme for this year's event is to provide an opportunity for hackers to (re-)connect to the original cypherpunk vision and build on it. We are inviting you to bring crypto back to its roots and hack the system. We expect everyone hacking has read our manifesto and aligns with our values, and wants to join our mission to bring decentralised technology back to where it should be.

And of course there will be prizes and sponsor bounties! We will publish more on this soon, as well as what to expect from the judging process, but if you read our manifesto you know what values we are looking for. ICYMI, we ask hackers to focus on the following aspects:

  • Private: there is no need for your name, data, or ID.
  • Usable: it has to be accessible and user-friendly.
  • Direct: it does not ask for permission.
  • Subversive: it transforms established orders and structures of power.
  • Social: it empowers people and makes a difference in somebody's life.
  • Clandestine: it will not comply.
  • Independent: it will not rely on governments or corporates.
  • Impactful: it intends to make a difference.
  • Secure: it does not put anyone at risk.
  • Libre: it will be free both as in free speech and free beer.

Hackers will have until Sunday (aka Judgement day) to submit their projects. There will be time in the morning to polish off their projects before they face the judges (don't worry they are all super friendly we promise). Then after a few hours of deliberations, we will announce all the winners during our closing ceremony in the afternoon, where you can find out if your project has wooed the judges enough to make it to the winners stage.

It goes without saying we have some wonderful sponsors who are the foundation of the hackathon, and thanks to them we are able to pull off the event! They will be present to help hackers out with anything along the way, it will be a good opportunity to meet some of the teams building the tech you will use for your projects :)

Additionally we can also boast an incredible team of mentors, experts in cutting edge technologies of our ecosystem which will support and help you build and ship meaningful projects in the hackathon. And this will not be the only support for our attendees, there will be some top notch technical workshops to help anyone who wants to learn more about certain tech to use in their projects! Expect some demos from the likes of Dune, Manta Network, Fuel, Pinata and more! Details on this will be available on the schedule soon so keep an eye out.

You may also have noticed we will not have a conference this year but we will have a few visionary talks. As opposed to other hackathons (which we love) ETHBerlin is focused on helping hackers push the limits of what can be done using the plethora of tech stacks that web3 has to offer, and additionally what can be improved upon. There will also be other conferences that week too so check out Berlin Blockchain Week for more info on what else is happening before.

In both our past editions we've had immersive experiences and this one will be no different! We will have a culture room with an art exhibition curated by the DoD art crew, expect extraness. We will also be providing some entertainment throughout the weekend to keep the vibes going. Also, we are super excited to host the return of the escape room, a treasure hunt, a mind spa and a little bit of wellness to relieve some of your tension while hacking.

After the closing ceremony, and to end the weekend, we will naturally go out with a bang! We will be hosting a sick afterparty in a very Berlin venue to celebrate. We won't ruin too many surprises just yet so we will announce more details closer to the event ;)

Ok thanks for coming to our TED talk. Now you should be just as excited as us and we cannot wait to welcome you all to Berlin in September.

We are ready to hack the system and we hope you are too.