Polkadot has announced its first-ever hybrid Metaverse Championship. The event will take place in Budapest from Dec. 5 through 7, and will offer a prize pool of $36,000 plus thousands of dollars worth of tokens offered by Kilt and Unit.
The main pillars of the competition are the preparation process for the championship, networking opportunities, and a platform for participants to showcase their skills. The goal is to create projects that are operational and can be integrated into the system.
The qualification is easy for those who have what it takes to participate. The competition is preceded by a preparation and learning period, during which developers prepare with the help of the content provided. They will then be given tasks to solve, both to introduce themselves and to qualify for the 40-entry limit.
Six, Polkadot’s ambassador and one of the main organizers of the Polkadot Metaverse Championship, said:
“The educational line is present throughout the whole Metaverse Championship. We want the participating developers to be as well-prepared as possible for the hackathon. Our goal is to have working projects with real use cases at the end, which can be integrated into the system. And we will provide all the tools to make it happen. The judges’ points will count for a lot in real usability.”
The jury’s expertise will be provided by renowned blockchain experts such as Michael Healy, Silur and Mike Vitéz, but the jury is not the only judge. The prize pool is divided into the grand prize, the jury’s favorite and the result of the community vote.
Judging will take place on a decentralized smart contract, which means that there will be a record on the blockchain of who voted for what and who won. This system has several advantages: It’s tamper-proof, as votes recorded on the blockchain cannot be changed or manipulated; it’s transparent, as anyone can see how the votes were cast and who won; and it’s permanent. Once a winner is chosen, their name will stay on the blockchain forever.
The Polkadot Metaverse Championship team is organizing a three-day event, giving participants the opportunity and time to create their own teams and collaborate.
According to Six:
“Contrary to common stereotypes, advanced social skills are essential in the world of coding. A developer should be able to network well. At the Polkadot Metaverse Championship, we provide the opportunity to do so with as much interaction as possible.”
On the first day, participants will be able to set up their own developer environment in Gamerland, the venue for the event. The team will provide all the equipment in the toolset, be it a gaming PC, VR device or other equipment. After the preparations, organizers will host an icebreaker party where participants will get to know each other. This is a key part of the event, as it’s the first stage of defining who will work together during the championship.
The Polkadot Metaverse Championship is a great opportunity for participants to get their work out there and gain some exposure. On the third day of the competition, contestants will have the chance to perform on stage and pitch their projects. This will provide them a great deal of visibility, which is often lacking in other competitions. The goal is to present the participants at an e-sport level, which is not possible at every hackathon.
This is a unique opportunity for developers of all levels of experience to showcase their skills. For aspiring developers, it’s a chance to get their work in front of a global audience and potentially kick-start their careers. For established developers, it’s a great way to stay on the field and keep their skills sharp.
The PMC will be held in a hybrid format, so those who cannot attend in person will be able to follow the competition in the Metaverse. The event will also have something to offer the less tech-savvy, as a Polkadot Onboarding Workshop will be organized during the hackathon to help people get familiar with the field.
When answering the question of why there is a need for competitions like this, Six said:
“There is a huge demand for Web3, including crypto developers, but there are relatively few experts to meet the demand. There are, however, enthusiastic people who want to learn and get into Web3, but there are no schools for this, it can only be done through self-development and events like this. In addition, companies will be present and can choose their prospective employees from among the participants, so we connect supply and demand. The winner not only gets money but also contacts and a possible career.”