sub0 Hack Brings Devs and Marketers Together to (Believe it or Not) Actually Launch Things
Buenos Aires, Argentina, October 17, 2025 – Hackathons often end with projects collecting dust on GitHub. sub0 Hack, running November 14–16 during the Polkadot flagship conference, sub0 SYMBIOSIS in Argentina, breaks that cycle. Three days, zero sleep, $41K+ in prizes (and growing), and one major rule: ship it, don’t shelve it.
The Web3 hackathon model is broken, but WebZero is dedicated to fixing it. Instead of ending with teams collecting prize money just to then let their prototypes go nowhere, sub0 Hack acts as a launchpad for real products. Winning teams receive mentorship after the hackathon to ensure prototypes actually turn into functional projects, with prize money split 50/50: half during the hack and half once the product ships. This ensures that the energy, creativity, and work invested over 72 hours turns into something that actually launches, and that real users can benefit from.
The hackathon prize pool currently totals $41K USD, with four main track winners each earning $4K. Additional partner bounties are also on the table for projects that integrate featured technologies. Judges and mentors include OpenZeppelin, UX Bounty. R0gue, PAPI, and more to be announced.
Perhaps most interesting of all, and unlike most hackathons, the focus is not solely on technical skills. Marketing Hackers will join teams to shape product-market-fit as teams build, ensuring that innovative ideas have the foundation to thrive beyond the event. Ice-breaker sessions will help connect developers and marketers from the start, embedding GTM strategy directly into the build plan.
Arkiv (formerly Golem Network) has joined as a key sponsor of the sub0 Hack with a $10,000 contribution to the prize pool. Arkiv’s mission to make data autonomy a core component of Web3 aligns perfectly with the Hackathon’s ultimate mission of giving devs the tools and the incentive they need to see their ideas through to launch.
Piotr Janiuk, co-founder at Golem Network and Arkiv, shared “Web3 wasn’t built with data-centric applications in mind. It sparked a revolution in digital ownership by redefining how value is captured and transferred, and much of its evolution has revolved around these principles. At Golem Network, we believe that for Web3 to truly flourish, it must embrace data as a first-class citizen. That’s why we created Arkiv - to enable Data Autonomy for Everyone and unlock the next wave of innovation. Arkiv bridges the usability and familiarity of Web2 databases with the core values of Web3, secured by the features and guarantees of blockchain technology.”
“With its permissionless and trustless design, anyone can use Arkiv as their data layer - whether through a block explorer, a user-friendly API, or by querying it just like a traditional database. Arkiv is your gateway to the future of data, whether you’re building a DePIN project, a Web2 or Web3 application, or represent an organization seeking transparent data operations. Join us - visit arkiv.network, join our Discord community, start building in under 15 minutes, and take advantage of our incentive programs or grants for builders and creators.” Added Paweł Burgchardt, Chief Product Officer at Golem Network and co-founder of Arkiv.
While WebZero encourages in-person hackers to attend, remote hackers are also welcome, provided they collaborate with a team already on-site. Projects will be tracked on Stadium, WebZero’s platform for following hackathon teams and their deliverables over time. The model has proven successful - readers are encouraged to check in on the nine winning teams from this year’s Web3 Summit, including some projects earning significant grants in the ecosystem to continue building.
Winners of the sub0 Hack will be announced on Sunday, November 16.
Sign up to hack here: https://luma.com/sub0hack
About WebZero
WebZero is a global event and DevRel force presenting sub symbiosis, the leading flagship conference for the Polkadot ecosystem from November 14-16, 2024, in Beunos Aires, Argentina.
About Polkadot
Polkadot is the powerful, secure core of Web3, providing a shared foundation that unites some of the world’s most transformative apps and blockchains. Polkadot offers advanced modular architecture that allows devs to easily design and build their own specialized blockchain projects, pooled security that ensures the same high standard for secure block production across all connected chains and apps connected to it, and robust governance that ensures a transparent system where everyone has say in shaping the blockchain ecosystem for growth and sustainability. With Polkadot, you're not just a participant, you're a co-creator with the power to shape its future.