# **MARMA J CON 2024: Gaming & Governance Hackathon**
### Hack for Social Good
#### January 11-13, 2024 | Antigua and Barbuda

[The Marma J Foundation](https://marmaj.org/), in partnership with [Browns Avenue Consulting Inc. (BAC Inc.)](https://bac-inc.near.social), is thrilled to announce the MARMA J CON 2024: Gaming & Governance Hackathon set to occur from January 11th to 13th, 2024. This event aims to converge the realms of blockchain, governance, and gaming, fostering innovation as participants learn how NEAR Protocol can empower open web applications.

This is the second annual MARMA J CON in Antigua and Barbuda. This year we hope to engage more participants as we partner with the University of the West Indies to host this three day, NEAR-based, hackathon.

[MARMA J CON 2023 Highlight Video](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KNyc_9Ar5mE&ab_channel=MarmaJFoundation)

## Event Budget
> See budget breakdown [here](https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1I-cwa8y0iIGnp8RLc5rNbf60spUkFp0wme50B0guQ2Q/edit?usp=sharing).

### Production
Venue Location: [The UWI Five Islands Campus](https://maps.app.goo.gl/yx1KcBXn61LBRKp3A)

The university is offering the space for free, and they also have a lot of the necessary technical equipment already available for use that may be needed for the event. We would like to ensure that the event is not a burden on the university and that we have budget available to rent additional production essentials if needed.
> We have meetings with various UWI staff members planned to figure out specifics of what production equipment will be available on site, and what we will need to bring in.

### Activations & Entertainment
Number of attendees expected: 50-150
Demographic: Mostly local university students, first exposure to Web3.

We plan to use our activation budget to engage as many attendees as possible:

**Bounties**: Both technical and non-technical hackathon participants will be eligible to submit their projects for judging.

**Swag**: The first 50 hackathon participants to register for the hackathon (claim [shard dog NFT](https://shard.dog/bac-inc)) and select a hackathon track (join a governance or gaming DAO group), will receive a free swag bag.

**Food and Drinks**: We will provide a daily catered lunch and refreshments (@ $13 USD/person).

### Branding & Decor
The branding and decor budget will cover costs related to digital and print branded materials, including but not limited to:
- Printed signage (directions, instructions, etc.)
- Digital design work (branded presentations, QR codes, screen displays, etc.)
- Marketing materials (branded event posters, announcements, etc.)

### Staffing

Core Staffing Needs:
- **Photographer + Videographer:** to ensure that each attendee has a way to remember the event and the experiences they had while attending.
- **Marketing + Content team:** to work alongside the photographer and videographer, as well as ensure the content created has a wide reach.
- **Production Team:** this team will consist of an event coordinator (1) and hackathon support team (3).
- **MC:** to guide attendees through the run of show.

>Other volunteers and staff will be on-site to assist with event logistics as required.

## Total Estimated Budget
- **Grand Total**: $17,800
- Bounties: $3000
- Event: $14,800

We are requesting $14,800 in order for us to host MARMA J CON 2024, and for DevHub to support the hackathon with $3000 in bounties for hackers that submit winning projects.

## Event Outline
- **Thursday, January 11:**
- Opening ceremony unveiling the hackathon’s objectives and themes
- Introduction to [NEAR](https://near.org/), [BOS (Blockchain Operating System)](https://learnnear.club/near-bos/#:~:text=In%20March%202023%2C%20Near%20Protocol,and%20understand%20how%20it%20works), and [Web3](https://www.mckinsey.com/featured-insights/mckinsey-explainers/what-is-web3)
- Hands-on NEAR workshops, team formation, followed by meal.

- **Friday, January 12:**
- Continued team formation, workshops on diverse projects and tools in the NEAR ecosystem, as well as networking and community building.
- Full day hacking session, mentorship available.
- Food and refreshments provided throughout the day.

- **Saturday, January 13:**
- Project submission by 11 am.
- Social lunch event to celebrate the hackathon and participant submissions.
- Project presentations to judging panel.

> Dates subject to change based on the needs of the University. The event will be held in Q1 2024, although the exact dates need to be clarified with the University as they have another event around he same time.

## **Hackathon Themes**
- **[Marma J Gaming - MJG](https://marmaj.org/gaming/) on [BOS](https://marmajgaming.near.social):**
- Participants will delve into MJG open-source repositories to create React-based components on BOS.

- **[NEAR Research Collective Governance](https://near.social/astraplusplus.ndctools.near/widget/home?tab=members&daoId=research-collective.sputnik-dao.near&page=dao):**
- Engage in defining the next version of the collective’s [charter](https://www.mintbase.xyz/meta/mjr.mintbase1.near%3A9c1027696a547e828acfe3e36e6e3c4b), [join as a researcher](https://marmaj.org/inside-the-near-research-collective-blockchain-elevated/), and participate in electing new leadership.

## Participation
- **Registration:** On-chain through [claiming a NFT](https://shard.dog/bac-inc).
- further registration will add members to a group on the DAO; either "gov-hackers-2024" or "game-hackers-2024" ([last event was "hackers"](https://app.astrodao.com/dao/marmaj-research.sputnik-dao.near/groups/hackers))
- **Teams:** Aiming for a minimum of 10 teams submitting projects with a goal of 50+ participants (max team size of 5).

## Event Impact
MARMA J CON 2024 will empower many within the Caribbean region to better understand how the open web ecosystem can be utilized to build a better future; for themselves and for their communities. Specifically, we hope to focus on supporting young technical founders. This event will showcase how NEAR Protocol can be an efficient place to start a Web3 business.

## Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
- 100 registrants (a participant is a "registrant" when they claim an event shard dog NFT)
- 50 attendees (a participant is an "attendee" when they join a DAO hackathon track)
- 5-10 project submissions (project submissions will be posted directly to DevHub)

## Post-Event Opportunities
Select participants will be offered positions at BAC Inc., providing a platform to further hone and apply the skills acquired during the hackathon.
- Last event's winners were offered a summer internship and built this [Marma J Gaming BOS MVP](https://marmajgaming.near.social).

## Support & Sponsorship
- Generous bounty sponsorship and platform support provided by [DevHub](https://near.social/devhub.near/widget/app), including developer mentorship and use of the [Hackbox](https://near.social/hackbox.near/widget/home) platform.
- All other funding and support has been provided by the Marma J Foundation.
- If interested in supporting the event, please direct sponsorship requests to [e-mail]