Solutions Design Competition for the current and recent tertiary students of HK
Preamble
The 7th International Blockchain Olympiad ("IBCOL 2024") invites current and recent students to design comprehensive web3 solutions for real-world challenges. The Hong Kong Blockchain Olympiad ("HKBCOL") is the official organizing committee for the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China ("Hong Kong SAR China" or "HKSAR").
Mission Statement
To support the Government of Hong Kong SAR China in helping Hong Kong develop into a Web3 hub by encouraging and equipping the next generation of innovative and inquisitive minds to direct their creativity and passion for designing Web3 solutions for sustainable development for Hong Kong through the following objectives by:
encouraging and equipping the next generation of innovative and inquisitive minds to direct their creativity and passion for designing Web3 solutions for sustainable development for Hong Kong;
fostering a sustainable innovation and technology culture in the community by offering and subsidizing training, internships, and certification to young people in Hong Kong; and,
upgrading and developing Hong Kong's industries through academic-industry collaborations at both grassroots and institution levels.
Notice
The International Blockchain Olympiad ("IBCOL") would like to address the spread of misinformation regarding IBCOL and IBCOL in Hong Kong SAR China ("HKBCOL"). Please be cautious of individuals or organisations claiming to represent IBCOL without proper authorisation or documentation. This extends to unsubstantiated allegations against persons affiliated with IBCOL in Hong Kong SAR, China.
All participants of IBCOL are reminded that countries and territories with official organising committees will have the necessary documentation to authorise their representation. Participants must adhere to the processes set forth by the official committees to compete and qualify.
If you are unsure whether a website or communication you have received is legitimate, please contact us.
1. Introduction
1.1. Why participate?
The HKSAR Government is actively developing Hong Kong into a Web3 hub, allocating $50 million to expedite the Web3 ecosystem and establishing a Task Force on Promoting Web3 Development.
Meanwhile, many industries and careers face unprecedented upheaval with the advent of AI playing an increasing role in the workforce.
As students projecting their lives and livelihoods years and decades into an uncertain future, one thing is certain: only the earnest development of marketable skills can alleviate anxiety.
The evolution of the World Wide Web (WWW) into web3 and beyond is a ticket to being employable in the future, as web3 technologies and solutions will touch upon all aspects of our personal and professional lives.
Even for those not seeking direct or adjacent employment in the web3 industry, students will benefit from learning sought-after transferrable skills such as project management and product development.
Previous IBCOL alumni have successfully worked as solution architects, product designers, product developers, tech consulting, management consulting, and tech startup founders.
1.2. How to participate?
The competition standards of HKBCOL are completely aligned with the international guidelines stipulated at the IBCOL 2024 website.
TEAM — form a group of 1 to 6 eligible participants
IDEA — identify a problem and describe a solution
DONE — submit a deck, a paper, a video
FINAL — if invited to join Team HK, submit poster
If you are not from Hong Kong or attending school in Hong Kong, please refer to the official website of the 7th International Blockchain Olympiad (IBCOL 2024).
1.3. Who should participate?
Current students and recent students within 3 years of active enrolment at a higher-education institution in HKSAR.
If you are a current students and recent student of a local or international school at the secondary level in HKSAR, please refer to the HKBCOL 2024 Secondary Track process from The Hong Kong Academy for Gifted Education ("HKAGE").
1.4. What are the costs?
The HKBCOL 2024 Organizing Committee shall not charge entry fees for participating in the HKBCOL 2024 Competition and shall cover all registration and administration fees arising from the 7th International Blockchain Olympiad, but shall not be responsible for covering the cost of travel nor accommodations for Team Hong Kong in Amsterdam.
If you require a chaperone service for accompanying your team to travel to Amsterdam, please contact us
If you are interested to partially or fully sponsor Team Hong Kong's travel to Amsterdam, please contact us
2. Project Registration
To be a legitimate contestant in HKBCOL 2024, a project must have a team that satisfies these eligibility requirements and recursively the team must have individuals that satisfies these eligibility requirements.
2.1. Representation
HKBCOL 2024 is responsible for assembling the competition delegation from Hong Kong SAR China to IBCOL 2024 in Amsterdam, Netherlands.
Option 1 — Represent HKSAR as a Permanent Resident: the participating individual is granted the status of permanent residency in HKSAR by the Immigration Department.
Option 2 — Represent HKSAR as a Current or Former Student: the participating individual was or is a student at an accredited higher education institution in HKSAR:
Chu Hai College of Higher Education (CHC)
City University of Hong Kong (CityU)
City University of Hong Kong School of Continuing and Professional Education (CityU SCOPE)
Gratia Christian College (GCC)
Hang Seng University of Hong Kong (HSUHK)
Hong Kong Baptist University (HKBU)
Hong Kong College of Technology (HKCT)
Hong Kong Institute of Vocational Education (IVE)
Hong Kong Metropolitan University (HKMU)
Hong Kong Nang Yan College of Higher Education (HKNYC)
Hong Kong Shue Yan University (HKSYU)
Lingnan University (LU / LN / LU)
Saint Francis University (SFU)
Technological and Higher Education Institute of Hong Kong (THEi)
The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK)
The Education University of Hong Kong (EdUHK)
The Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts (HKAPA)
The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU)
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST)
The University of Hong Kong (HKU)
The University of Hong Kong School of Professional and Continuing Education (HKU SPACE)
Tung Wah College (TWC)
University of Wollongong College Hong Kong (UOWCHK)
Vocational Training Council (VTC)
Exclusive Representation: representatives of HKSAR that have been submitted to the IBCOL 2024 Organizing Committee by the HKBCOL 2024 Organizing Committee may not represent any other country or territory for IBCOL 2024.
Register Name: provide your name as follows:
First Name / Given Name / Forename
Middle Name (optional)
Last Name / Family Name / Surname
Preferred Name Order: provide your name as follows:
First Name, Middle Name, LAST NAME ("Western order")
LAST NAME, First Name, Middle Name ("Eastern order")
2.2. Individual Eligibility
Individuals must meet the following eligibility criteria for their team to be eligible to compete in HKBCOL 2024.
Current secondary-level schooler (”schooler”): an individual of any age enrolled in a secondary-level academic institution (ISCED 2011 level 2-4) — if you are such an individual, please visit the HKBCOL 2024 Secondary Track.
Current tertiary-level student (”student”): an individual of any age enrolled in a tertiary-level academic institution (ISCED 2011 level 5-8) — if you are such an individual, please stay on this page and keep reading.
Recent academic graduate (”recent schooler” or "recent student"): an individual of any age that was either a schooler or student until the 30th of November 2021. Recent schoolers compete in the Secondary Track and recent students compete in the Tertiary Track — if you are a recent secondary schooler, please visit the HKBCOL 2024 Secondary Track, otherwise please stay on this page and keep reading.
Returning Participation: an individual who has previously participated in prior IBCOL competitions (in Hong Kong SAR or elsewhere) are eligible to participate.
Register Name: provide your name as follows:
First Name / Given Name / Forename
Middle Name (optional)
LAST NAME / FAMILY NAME / SURNAME
Preferred Name Order: provide your name as follows:
First Name, Middle Name, LAST NAME
LAST NAME, First Name, Middle Name
2.3. Team Eligibility
Teams must meet the following eligibility criteria for their projects to be eligible to compete in HKBCOL 2024.
Team Size: minimum 1 individual; maximum 6 individuals.
Team Lead: each team must have one team leader who shall also be the key point of contact.
Team Type: a team with at least one current or recent student shall be treated as a Tertiary Track submission.
Team Representation: the team leader must be an eligible participant as per the individual eligibility rules, i.e. able to represent HKSAR. For representatives based on their academic institution, the team leader must provide a letter of nomination from a representative of their academic institution.
Returning Participation: a team who has previously participated in prior IBCOL competitions (in Hong Kong SAR or elsewhere) are eligible to participate.
Unique Composition: teams may not be be more than 50% identical to another team.
2.4. Project Eligibility
Projects must meet the following eligibility criteria for their projects to be eligible to compete in HKBCOL 2024.
Unique Submission: A team may submit only one project.
Returning Participation: Previous projects that have not won any awards from prior IBCOL competitions (in Hong Kong SAR or elsewhere) are eligible to compete in IBCOL.
3. Project Deliverables
A project must be presentable and presented with the following deliverables, known as the Four P's, with the appropriate categorisation and content that addresses the guiding questions.
3.1. Competition Categories
HKBCOL 2024 teams separate their projects into three categories:
Social Impact: primarily SDG 2,3,4,5,10,16; secondarily SDG 1,8,13,14,15.
Sub 4 (“Poster”): one PDF file; A2 portrait (“vertical”) format; final size & orientation subject to change by EPC.
3.4. Submissions Deadline
Submission portal shall open on Thursday 1 August 2024 and projects shall be evaluated on a rolling basis. The Competitions Committee may contact teams for clarification or secondary inspection during the evaluation period. Note the submission deadline of Saturday 31 August 2024 at 23:59 HKT. Late submissions without reasonable explanation such as force majeure shall not be entertained.
4. Project Evaluation
The Competitions Committee for the HKBCOL 2024 Organizing Committee shall verify eligibility and evaluate project quality between August 1st and September 14th, with invitations to represent Hong Kong SAR China being sent to qualified teams on a rolling basis.
4.1. Evaluation Criteria
HKBCOL 2024 teams shall be evaluated by a common foundational framework for comparing vastly different projects.
(40%) Commercial Depth: justified use of trust infrastructure and appropriate blockchain network design; feasible, viable, and sustainable operating and governance model.
(30%) Technical Depth: detailed and well thought out in the solution design, beyond only business or only technology.
(20%) Presentability: concise information transmission and ability to express complex concepts.
(10%) Originality: the ability to combine different concepts into something atypical or special.
4.2. Accolades
HKBCOL 2024 teams have a chance to win a wide range of accolades and be presented at an award ceremony around the end of November to early December. Performance at HKBCOL will significantly contribute to the final decision of HKBCOL 2024 Organizing Committee to invite the team to attend the IBCOL 2024 Finals in Amsterdam, but not a guarantee due to other existing factors.
By Categories, i.e. by social, economic, and environmental impact:
HKBCOL 2024 Finals, Gold Medal Award: project ranked 1st out of all teams in their category
HKBCOL 2024 Finals, Silver Medal Award: project ranked 2nd out of all teams in their category
HKBCOL 2024 Finals, Bronze Medal Award: project ranked 3rd out of all teams in their category
HKBCOL 2024 Finals, Awards of Distinction: for all teams that were in the consideration for Top 4
HKBCOL 2024 Finals, Awards of Merit: for all teams that demonstrated superior achievement at the Expo
HKBCOL 2024 Finals, Award of Recognition: for all teams that were invited to the Expo but did not receive an AoM
HKBCOL 2024 Preliminary, Award of Recognition: for all teams that were considered for the Expo but not chosen
By Criteria (and 2 runner-ups), i.e. across all categories, by evaluation criteria:
HKBCOL 2024 Finals, Best Commercial Depth Award: for teams that demonstrated the most solid solution design overall, completely justifying the use of decentralized trusted infrastructure and excellent governance and identity considerations.
HKBCOL 2024 Finals, Best Technical Depth Award: for teams that demonstrated the most robust and resilient solution architecture design, incorporating all aspects of business, technology, and otherwise.
HKBCOL 2024 Finals, Best Presentability Award: for teams that had completely seized all the chances to show their quality: proposal deck, paper, pictures (video), poster, and pitches.
HKBCOL 2024 Finals, Best Originality Award: for teams that had the most creative or novel solution or definition of problem or challenge statement.