Tron and Huobi Launch Grand Hackathon Season 4 With 500K USDD Prize Pool

Blockchain platform Tron and crypto exchange Huobi will open submissions for the fourth Grand Hackathon season on February 1, with 500,000 USDD up for grabs for developers that impress judges with promising blockchain solutions and decentralized applications (dapps).

The fourth “HackaTron” event will let developers take part in six different tracks, including a new one dedicated to returning participants, and another encouraging eco-friendly blockchain initiatives.

The new Builder track is designed for projects returning to the hackathon that are continuing development on the Tron network and have made significant updates to their project. Developers in this track cannot have already had an investment commitment from Tron DAO Ventures.

Season 4 also includes the new Eco-Friendly track, which encourages participants to join Tron’s work towards sustainability and environmental stewardship via the Tron Climate Initiative.

Four more tracks continue the work of previous Tron hackathons, seeking out the best ideas in DeFi, Web3, NFTs and GameFi, respectively.

In the DeFi track, developers are encouraged to find innovative solutions to improve financial access to people around the world, while the Web3 track looks for projects that can speed up the broader transition to the decentralized web.

Meanwhile, the GameFi track is hunting for the next big game idea that uses blockchain technology. Lastly, developers working on innovative, novel applications for non-fungible tokens can take part in the NFT track.

Submissions for the Tron Grand Hackathon Season 4 are open from February 1 through April 15, with winners set to be announced on May 15.

Just like in previous seasons, one set of winners is chosen by a team of judges, while another is selected via a community forum. Each classification will have its own prizes.

Those who come out on top can expect a share of $500,000 in USDD, which is a Tron-issued decentralized stablecoin pegged to the U.S. dollar. There will also be a chance to gain investment from both Tron DAO Ventures and Huobi Ventures. Huobi, which is sponsoring the event, will also give winners priority listing on the Huobi.com exchange.

This season, there are also three bonus prizes for the best performances in project engagement, determination, and community contribution.

The latest contest arrives  on the heels of the third Tron Grand Hackathon, which saw more than 1,100 participants across 270 teams. Winning projects ranged from a DIY ATM that lets Tron users exchange fiat coins for TRX to a fully-on-chain sci-fi strategy game.

Many of the partners and judges that took part last season will be returning for Season 4, including industry leaders from VanEck, Valkyrie, Circle, and the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology.

Also onboard for Season 4 of the Grand Hackathon is DoraHacks, a Web3 developer community that will be used as a forum for innovators to chat as they “BUIDL” their projects.

Prospective eligible participants can go to Trondao.org to join the upcoming Tron Grand Hackathon Season 4. Applicants can confirm eligibility to participate on either the TRON or DoraHacks site.