Jess Lee

for The DEV Team

Posted on Aug 20 • Edited on Aug 25

Join the Midnight Network "Privacy First" Challenge: $5,000 in Prizes!

#devchallenge #midnightchallenge #web3 #blockchain

We're excited to announce our newest challenge with Midnight Network!

Running through September 7, the Midnight Network "Privacy First" Challenge invites you to build privacy-enhancing applications and developer tools using zero-knowledge proofs and Midnight's data-protection blockchain. There are two prompts for this challenge and one additional prize category, which means three chances to win!

✨ New to blockchain? Join us today (August 20) at 1pm ET for a livestream right on the DEV homepage with the Midnight Team to learn more about their technology and what you can build for the challenge! Don’t worry, we’ll also share the video down below if you miss the event. ✨

Whether you're a blockchain developer, privacy advocate, or curious about ZK technology, this challenge is the perfect opportunity to explore privacy-first development. As always, all participants with a valid submission will receive a completion badge! And did we mention there's a $5,000 prize pool for our three winners?

We hope you give this challenge a try!

Our Prompts

Protect That Data

Build a decentralized application (DApp) that leverages ZK circuits to generate proofs for any entity or virtual transaction. Your DApp must integrate both smart contracts and a user interface, meaningfully incorporating Midnight's privacy capabilities as a core feature.

Requirements:

Use Midnight's Compact language and MidnightJS for zero-knowledge proofs
Include a UI that showcases the privacy-preserving mechanism
Focus on one specific functionality (ZK-powered game mechanics, confidential job boards, identity attestation tools, privacy-preserving chat/voting apps, etc.)
Use only mocked transactions/tokens (no real-world value)
Open-source under Apache 2.0 license

Submit to Protect That Data

The "Protect That Data" winner will receive $3,500 USD, a DEV++ membership, and an exclusive winner badge!

Enhance the Ecosystem

Develop a project that improves the experience of building on Midnight for other developers. This could include DX libraries, CLI tools, dashboards, block explorers, ZK playgrounds, wallet connectors, or development framework integrations.

Requirements:

Must improve developer productivity or experience
Open-source under Apache 2.0 license
Include comprehensive documentation

Submit to Enhance the Ecosystem

The "Enhance the Ecosystem" winner will receive $1,000 USD, a DEV++ membership, and an exclusive winner badge!

Additional Prize Category: Best Tutorial

We'll be awarding one additional winner for writing the most effective and engaging tutorial as part of their submission to either prompt. The "Best Tutorial" winner will receive $500 USD, a DEV++ membership, and an exclusive winner badge!

Judging Criteria

All valid submissions will be evaluated based on:

Use of underlying technology
Usability and User Experience
Accessibility
Creativity

How To Participate

Submit your project using the appropriate template link above. All submissions must include:

Public GitHub repository with Apache 2.0 license
Overview/explainer/tutorial of your project
Documentation for running and easily testing your project

Please review our judging criteria, rules, guidelines, and FAQ page before submitting so you understand our participation guidelines and official contest rules such as eligibility requirements.

Getting Started with Midnight

Midnight Network is currently in Testnet, so no credit card is required to get started. You can access test tokens (tDUST) through their faucet.

Key Resources:

Midnight Network Developer Hub
Midnight Network Documentation
Discord Community
- Join the DEV Challenge Channel
Technical Forum
GitHub
Follow @devsofmidnight right here on DEV:
Fireside Dev Hang [Livestream Recording]:

Devs of Midnight

A dev hub for the Midnight ecosystem — sharing technical content, updates, and education from real builders using Midnight’s privacy-first infrastructure, Compact language, and ZK tools.

Important Dates

August 20: Midnight Network "Privacy First" Challenge begins!
September 7: Submissions due at 11:59 PM PDT
September 18: Winners Announced

We can't wait to see the privacy-first solutions you build! Questions about the challenge? Ask them below.

Good luck and happy coding!

Top comments (14)

Peter Kim Frank The DEV Team • Aug 20

I'm looking forward to seeing what everyone builds! 🔒️

Lauren Lee • Aug 20

So so excited to see this challenge go live! 🚀
Whether you’re brand new to ZK or already deep into blockchain, this is an amazing chance to experiment with privacy-first apps and share your work with the community.
Can’t wait to see what you all build!🛠️

Mohamed ibrahim • Aug 22

Really excited to join this challenge . We’re experimenting with sovereign-grade privacy by combining ZK proofs with a deterministic framework (Codex817 + Mo817). Curious to see how the community will push privacy-first apps beyond traditional boundaries 🔐.

Trang Le • Aug 31 • Edited

My question is: How full-fledged do you expect the project entry to be? The dApp shown on Midnight docs is extremely simple.
And how realistic do you expect of the proving part? For example, a job board app that requires users to hold certain licenses to get considered. I think the implementation for the document verification will be complex.

Claude Barde • Sep 4

Hi!
For the "Privacy First" Challenge, aim for a proof of concept (PoC) that demonstrates the core privacy-preserving mechanism using Midnight's tools. The project should highlight how Midnight's Compact language and MidnightJS can create meaningful privacy solutions, even if it's not a fully-fledged product.
For the proving part, you can use mocked data to simplify complexities like document verification. This approach will allow you to showcase the potential of zero-knowledge proofs effectively within the challenge's scope.