Today's the day! We are excited to announce the winners of the Midnight Network "Privacy First" Challenge.
From privacy-first citizen science dApps to deployment tools that enhance the Midnight ecosystem, we loved reviewing the diverse submissions shared by participants. We hope everyone enjoyed learning about and working with zero-knowledge proofs and Midnight's data-protection blockchain!
Without further ado, our winners.
Congratulations To…
Protect That Data - $3,500 USD
@neilblaze, @sandipndev, and @subhamx created Dawn, a censorship-resistant media platform that tackles one of the most pressing issues of our time: protecting whistleblowers and preserving truth.
Dawn demonstrates the power of Midnight's privacy-first blockchain by allowing users to publish reports anonymously while cryptographically proving their authenticity.
Enhance the Ecosystem - $1,000 USD
@0xkaleab built the Compact Midnight IDE, a web-based development environment that lowers the barrier to entry for Midnight development.
This browser-based IDE eliminates the complex setup process traditionally required and provides an intuitive interface for experimenting with programmable privacy.
Best Tutorial - $500 USD
@depapp created the Anonymous Whistleblower Inbox, a privacy-first DApp for secure reporting.
The post walks readers through every aspect of the application – from the user experience on each page to the technical implementation details. The README includes further setup, testing, and deployment details making this submission an easy-to-follow, high quality tutorial.
Our three winners will receive cash prizes, a DEV++ Membership, and an exclusive DEV winner badge.
All participants will receive a completion badge for taking on this challenging exploration of privacy-first development!
Our Sponsor
A huge shoutout to our sponsor, Midnight Foundation. The Midnight Foundation is an organization dedicated to growing the Midnight network — a fourth-generation blockchain built for secure, compliant, and private decentralised applications — and supporting the global community around it. They help developers, creators, and privacy advocates build tools that protect personal data, support digital freedom, and power the breakthrough generation of blockchain innovation.
Their goal is to make Midnight's technology open and accessible to everyone. By breaking down barriers and encouraging collaboration, they're helping to build a more fair, decentralised internet — one that's trustless and respects individual privacy.
What's next?
We always have challenges running! Keep an eye on our challenges page to see what you want to tackle next, and follow the tag so you don't miss any announcements:
#devchallenge
We hope you enjoyed exploring the world of zero-knowledge proofs and privacy-preserving applications, felt challenged, and added a new project you're proud of to your portfolio.
See you next time!
Interested in being a volunteer judge for future challenges? Learn more here!
Top comments (2)
Congrats @neilblaze, @sandipndev @subhamx @0xkaleab @depapp 👏👏👏👏
big thanks to Midnight Network and the DEV team for running this challenge
really appreciate the opportunity and happy to be part of it