Building a solid ecosystem: Babbage to host BSV Hackathon in Texas

“Building for the BSV Blockchain is more important than ever,” says Babbage Founding President Ty Everett. The blockchain solutions startup wants to bring new talent into the BSV ecosystem and is backing it up with hard cash: at least US$55,000 in prize money for the inaugural BSV Hackathon in Austin, Texas, from April 5-6, 2025.

Now’s the time to focus on actual use cases, Everett said. With BRC-100 providing wallet interoperability and Overlay Services that allow vendor-neutral and scalable solutions to indexing problems, developers can move forward with ideas without worrying about the supporting infrastructure.

Registrations are now open for hackathon participants, and Babbage will consider new ones up to the starting day. The BSV Hackathon is in-person only, and projects should be ready for the judges by noon on Day Two. However, if you have a remarkable project in mind and don’t live near Austin, Babbage is prepared to sponsor travel and accommodation if it sounds compelling enough.

The first prize will be worth $30,000, with second- and third-place getters receiving $15,000 and $10,000, respectively. Prizes are awarded in USD, and winners must complete a W-9 tax form to receive the money.

“Maybe this is new in crypto, but BSV has entered the real world,” Everett said.

The BSV Hackathon’s judges will evaluate entries on the following criteria: how compelling they feel the use case is, how effectively it uses the new tools, how functional the presented proof-of-concept is, and whether it’s a new or existing project. It’s more impressive if you create something entirely new, Everett added, but adapting an existing project is also possible as a hackathon entry.

He described the hackathon’s theme as “the four pillars of the new BSV infrastructure, and how effectively they’re used.” For reference, those pillars are:

(a) Using the new BRC-100 Wallet to build apps,
(b) Making use of Overlay Services via LARS/CARS for building token systems,
(c) Incorporating micropayments with the BSV SDK’s new AuthFetch, and the Payment Express middleware, and
(d) Making use of the wallet’s identity systems in your project.

Another condition for all participants is that the source code for their project will be released under the Open BSV License. Everett said this is to promote competition and help build the BSV ecosystem further, and it means that anyone can adapt and expand on the ideas.

Babbage has been working alongside the BSV Association to develop a new set of tools and standards for building apps. There’s now a cohesive set of technology that allows somebody to go “from zero to hero pretty quickly when it comes to building on the BSV blockchain.”

Everett described BSV’s current state as finally approaching a point where it can present a unified, cohesive and full-service suite of technology for architecting applications in a scalable way from the ground up.

Unlike sCrypt’s longer-form virtual hackathon events, Babbage keeps this BSV Hackathon old-school and will stick as an in-person event.

“I think an in-person hackathon creates a more high-energy environment for learning and focus. People can get advice, form teams, build quickly, and even get help debugging their code right in the moment, rather than needing to post on a forum and wait for responses. Having a room full of experts and mentors accelerates progress, facilitates better networking, and requires more commitment than just showing up for a Zoom call.”

Existing projects can enter as long as developers are still prepared to release the code under the Open BSV License at the end.

The rules also require using the new tools for at least one substantial component of your project—so using other (older or non-BSV) stacks would make an entry ineligible.

“We also think it’s super impressive if you show up on the day of and build something new, so you’re a bit more likely to win that way. Still, if you have some existing code, bring it along, and maybe you’ll impress the judges. We’re looking for at least some degree of demonstrable prototype, so an idea and some mocks won’t cut it. We want to see real, tangible implementations, even if they’re not fully polished,” Everett said.

Babbage also calls other businesses to sponsor the event, offering on-stage speaking spots for top-tier sponsors and different levels of visible branding for others. The final make-up of the judging panel isn’t finalized yet, so they’re open to applications and suggestions.

The company is “definitely planning to have other events going forward,” and Everett says the April Hackathon in Austin is just the beginning of creating a great ecosystem for BSV projects. The company also treats it as a learning experience, using it to decide on the best ways to organize future versions.

Watch: Future of the Internet with Project Babbage