The #bitcoin Writing Contest by Rootstock and HackerNoon: Round 2 Results 🎉

Howdy, HackerNoon fam!

Welcome to the second winners’ announcement for the #bitcoin writing contest presented by HackerNoon and Roostock.

Since the contest kicked off in May, we’ve published over 130 #bitcoin stories, racking up more than 7 days of reading time. Round 1 wrapped up on July 31st, with 5 talented HackerNoon authors rewarded for their standout contributions. King of the kill was @nikku876 who took home $2000 for his winning entry, How to Build DApp on Rootstock with Next.js, Typescript, and Solidity. His advice for future contributors? ‘Build a useful project with Rootstock and document your process clearly—that’s it.’ Check out the full list of finalists and winners here.

The second round of the contest wrapped up on September 30th. All submissions received before 11:59 PM EST on that date were considered in the voting round. We received 46 entries, which we narrowed down to 20 finalists. Let's meet them!

The #bitcoin Writing Contest: Round 2 Finalists

Daniel Jeffries Tried To Predict Bitcoin’s Future in 2017: How We Can Learn From It by @eduardoprospero

Bitcoin, Recession-Proof? by @sipping

How to Build a Telegram Bot That Queries Rootstock Data Using Rootstock RPC API  by @ileolami

The Great Hijacking of the Bitcoin Revolution Has Begun by @ssaurel

Bitcoin: How The King Kong of Currency Is Shifting Power To The People by @hacker3798415

Bitcoin Is The Hulk by @maken8

The Exclusivist Syndrome: Why Crypto Projects Don't Last by @web3tales

Constant Product Automated Market Maker: On Rootstock by @nikku876

RootStock - First Impression Through The Eyes Of A Front-end Developer And A Web 3 Layman by @tomaszs

How to Create a Decentralized Marketplace for Agricultural Products on the Rootstock (RSK) by @induction

Bitcoin 2050: $52 Million Dream or $0 Nightmare? by @binarybard

The Fed Finally Cut Rates. What's Next? by @ilinskii

When Bitcoin Was Eleven Cents by @nebojsaneshatodorovic

Bitcoin and Fractional Reserve: An Off-Chain Possibility? by @javiermateos

Bitcoin’s Centralization Threat: How Financial Giants and Coinbase Risk Undermining the Revolution by @ssaurel

Bitcoin Sucks! Let's Make It Attractive by @sipping

Anti-Bitcoin: What Does BTC Need to Be to Actually Replace Fiat? by @cryptowizard

The Revenge of Blue-Collars: Death to Bitcoin, Long Live Dollars by @nebojsaneshatodorovic

Bitcoin and Politics: The First Sin of Bitcoin by @okerekeinno6

A Vision in the Code: Has Bitcoin Lost Its Guiding Road? by @emmanuelaj

These stories explore key aspects of the Bitcoin ecosystem, ranging from its technical underpinnings to its economic implications. Whether you're interested in Bitcoin’s evolution or learning how to build on it, these writers have you covered. Be sure to check them out and follow them on HackerNoon.

The Winners Are…

3rd Place 🏆

The world, in its infinite wisdom, divided Bitcoin and so-called Altcoins from the very beginning. The two names, the two categories, are not there by happenstance. The divide describes two radically different worldviews. Bitcoin wants to fix the money, and thus fix the world. The other cryptocurrencies are basically businesses; their objective is to make money.

2nd Place 🏆

Learn how to build a Telegram bot that retrieves data from Rootstock using the Rootstock API. You'll need Node.js installed on your device and a working knowledge of JavaScript.

1st Place 🏆

Rootstock is the first and longest-lasting Bitcoin sidechain. It is the only layer 2 solution that combines the security of Bitcoin's proof of work with Ethereum's smart contract capabilities. The platform is open-source, EVM-compatible, and secured by over 60% of Bitcoin’s hashing power.

Give it up for our winners!

Now for the Bonus Prizes

Don't beat up Bitcoin (Hulk). You will make it stronger... Or maybe, beat it up. Test its limits. Make it stronger. Especially if you are an AI developer or a Quantum Computer scientist.

Almost two decades after Satoshi Nakamoto’s brilliant sketch of what a decentralized system should be and Vitalik’s improvement, decentralization still seems achievable only in theory. Satoshi would probably be beaming with doubts right now. Backdoor deals are carried out in "decentralized climes" like Eigen Layer to enrich employees with $5 million worth of clients’ tokens as “thank you” fees. And every day on Twitter, there's a debate about whether Zk rollups can save the world or if L2s are efficient or if we need L3s, L4s, and many more layers—like lasagna.

Congratulations once again to all our winners. Thank you for your hard work!

How to Claim Your HackerNoon Writing Contest Prize

• Contact [email protected] and [email protected] from the email address linked to your winning HackerNoon account.
• We will validate your claim and share a form requesting your details for reward distribution.
• You’ll receive your winnings in 2-4 weeks after completing the form.

Ready to be a winner?