UPDATE

The judges are currently reviewing all submissions.

Winner Announcement: Between January 15 and January 31, 2026

Closing Ceremony: TBC

Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025

The Hedera Africa Hackathon 2025 is a continent-wide innovation program co-organized by Exponential Science and The Hashgraph Association. Designed to mobilize Africa’s growing tech talent, the hackathon invites developers, students, startups, and innovators from around the globe to build impactful decentralized applications (dApps) on the Hedera network.

With $1 million in prizes, the hackathon aims to engage 10,000+ participants across 20+ African cities and online, driving real-world adoption of Web3 technologies.

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🎯 Tracks & Challenges

Participants can choose from four tracks, each focused on applying Web3 tools to critical sectors using Hedera’s technology.

1. Onchain Finance & Real-World Assets (RWA): This track is about creating better financial tools using Hedera DLT. Participants can build apps for lending, borrowing, or sending fiat & crypto, especially for people who don’t have access to banks.They can also tokenize real world assets like houses, farms or rare material, so people can invest in them more easily. The goal is to make finance more open and fair for everyone in Africa.

2. DLT for Operations: This track focuses on using Hedera DLT to improve how things work in areas like healthcare, farming, and supply chains. For example, it can help keep patient records safe, track where food comes from, or make sure farmers get paid on time. It also supports eco-friendly ideas. The aim is to make these systems more transparent, secure, and efficient.

3. Immersive Experience: This track is for people who want to build fun and creative digital experiences. Developers can make games where players earn rewards, create virtual worlds, or design digital collectibles using NFTs. It’s also a space for community-driven tokens and online economies. The goal is to give users more control and ownership of their digital content.

4. AI & DePIN: This track combines artificial intelligence with decentralized systems. Participants can build smart apps that learn and improve over time, or create systems for things like energy, transport, or internet services that don’t rely on a central authority. The focus is on building smart, community-powered solutions that solve real-world problems.

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🏆 Prize Pool – $1,000,000

The prize pool is distributed across four dedicated tracks and two major cross-track categories. This structure allows you to compete for prizes within your specific area of focus while also being eligible for the grand prizes.

Track-Specific Prize Pools

Each of the four tracks has a dedicated prize pool of $160,000.

• Track 1: Onchain Finance & RWA
  • 🥇 1st Place: $50,000
  • 🥈 2nd Place: $35,000
  • 🥉 3rd Place: $30,000
  • 🏅 4th Place: $25,000
  • 🏅 5th Place: $20,000
• Track 2: DLT for Operations
  • 🥇 1st Place: $50,000
  • 🥈 2nd Place: $35,000
  • 🥉 3rd Place: $30,000
  • 🏅 4th Place: $25,000
  • 🏅 5th Place: $20,000
• Track 3: Gaming and NFTs
  • 🥇 1st Place: $50,000
  • 🥈 2nd Place: $35,000
  • 🥉 3rd Place: $30,000
  • 🏅 4th Place: $25,000
  • 🏅 5th Place: $20,000
• Track 4: AI & DePIN
  • 🥇 1st Place: $50,000
  • 🥈 2nd Place: $35,000
  • 🥉 3rd Place: $30,000
  • 🏅 4th Place: $25,000
  • 🏅 5th Place: $20,000

Major Prize Categories

These awards are open to all participating projects, regardless of their track.

• 👑 Cross-Track Champions: $300,000 Prize Pool These prizes are for the absolute best-of-the-best projects, selected based on innovation, execution, and potential impact.
  • 🥇 1st Place: $100,000
  • 🥈 2nd Place: $70,000
  • 🥉 3rd Place: $60,000
  • 🏅 4th Place: $40,000
  • 🏅 5th Place: $30,000
• 🌟 Pot for Exceptional Performers: $60,000 Prize A special $60,000 prize is reserved for a team that demonstrates truly exceptional and groundbreaking work that pushes the boundaries of what's possible.

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📅 Program Timeline

Preparation Phase (June 1 – July 31, 2025)

• Onboarding
• Training & educational sessions
• Community engagement activities

Hacking & Mentorship Phase (August 1 – October 31st, 2025)

• Project development
• Mentor support
• 20+ On site hacking stations in 20+ african cities
• Final submissions by end of September

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🌍 Who Can Join?

Open to:

• Developers
• Students
• Startups
• Innovators across Africa and the world!

Find more details on our socials and stay tuned for the latest updates!