In our ongoing series to introduce the panel of judges for the GalaChain Hackathon at GDC 2024, we are very proud to spotlight Mikhail Yerganjiev, Business Development Manager for Certik – a name that is synonymous with web3 security.
Certik’s unwavering dedication to auditing and securing blockchain projects has made it an essential part of the web3 ecosystem. Yerganjiev’s role brings a critical focus on security, trust and integrity to the hackathon, as he’s been a major force in underscoring the importance of these elements to create a web3 world… one with better, safer projects.
Mikhail Yerganjiev: A Guardian of Blockchain Integrity
At Certik, Mikhail Yerganjiev has been at the forefront of identifying and mitigating vulnerabilities within blockchain projects. He works to ensure that they meet the highest standards of security to provide credibility to the most diligent developers, as well as giving more safety to those engaging with products in the web3 space.
His expertise in navigating the complex landscape of web3 security, combined with a deep understanding of the potential risks and threats facing blockchain technologies today makes him an entirely unique addition to the Galathon judging panel.
Unique Perspective on Security
In a competition that emphasizes innovation on GalaChain, Yerganjiev’s perspective on security is indispensable. His evaluation of hackathon entries is expected to include several critical criteria that reflect the necessity of building secure, reliable and trustworthy blockchain solutions:
Security by Design: Projects that incorporate security considerations from the ground up, demonstrating a proactive approach to identifying and mitigating potential vulnerabilities.
Smart Contract Robustness: Given Certik’s specialization in smart contract audits, Yerganjiev will likely emphasize the importance of well-written, thoroughly tested smart contracts that are resistant to common and advanced exploits.
Compliance with Best Practices: Entries that adhere to established security best practices and standards, showcasing a commitment to maintaining the integrity and trustworthiness of the web3 world.
Innovative Security Solutions: Projects that not only secure their own operations but also contribute to the broader goal of enhancing security across the web3 space – potentially introducing new tools, methodologies or frameworks for safeguarding users on chain.
Elevating Blockchain Security Standards
Mikhail Yerganjiev’s involvement as a judge in the GalaChain Hackathon signals a clear message about the paramount importance of security in blockchain development. As participants vie to showcase their technical ingenuity, they are also challenged to prioritize the safety and reliability of their creations, ensuring that they contribute positively to the web3 ecosystem with responsible development.
The role that Yerganjiev and Certik have served in the web3 world is absolutely necessary to protect users and foster good faith collaboration. How will you build to ensure safe and secure use?
With a web3 event as legendary as GALAthon, there’s something special about coming together in person…
Maybe it’s the massively influential panel of more than a dozen judges from around the world. Look for our “Meet the Judges” announcements coming out every day until the event begins to learn more about this panel and what they might be looking for in winning entries.
Maybe it’s hundreds of thousands of dollars in USDT prizes up for grabs only to in-person contestants for the coveted “Judges’ Favorite” category. Here’s a complete list of GALAthon prizes up for grabs in our 24-hour hackathon event.
Maybe it’s the palpable sense of camaraderie, community and cooperation toward a common goal that can only be found at a GALAthon event. We’ve always said that we’ve got the best community in the web3 world; join us at GALAthon and we’ll prove it.
Maybe it’s the awesome bag of swag including an exclusive event tee, Gala coffee mug, Legends Reborn physical card collection, Gala wrist-rest mouse pad, Tiki phone wallet and more. You know you want some Gala branded merch.
Maybe it’s just a chance to get out of your house for a couple days. You might form lifelong friendships and build strong business relationships. You might even have a chance to pick the brains of some of your favorite Gala or web3 personalities! We’d love to host your team’s dev frenzy in San Francisco, so come on out!
Register Now
Before it’s too late, get your registration in. The event is happening in San Francisco next week, starting at 11am PT on Wednesday March 20th and ending exactly 24 hours later.
If your team already registered to participate remotely, there is still a chance to upgrade your team’s participation to onsite, but hurry! We expect to fill the space, and once enough onsite contestants have confirmed, we’ll have to shut down onsite registrations.
Register or change your existing registration at the link below!
As the GalaChain ecosystem rapidly grows, the upcoming GALAthon Hackathon event will stand as a monumental showcase of ingenuity and creativity. In line with our guiding principle of bringing widespread attention to the possibilities of GalaChain, we’re thrilled to announce an extensive array of prizes. With a grand total of up to $950,000 USDT in prizes, GALAthon is not just a competition; it’s a launchpad for tomorrow’s web3 pioneers.
The GalaChain Hackathon’s prize pool is structured to ensure broad recognition and reward across multiple categories. Each category is explained below in greater detail. The prize categories are:
Please note that the “Judges’ Favorites” Prize Pool is only available to in-person contestants.
Judges’ Favorites: The Pinnacle of Achievement
The crème de la crème of in-person entries will be honored as the Judges’ Favorites, with prizes as follows:
1st Place: $200,000 USDT
2nd Place: $150,000 USDT
3rd Place: $100,000 USDT
Category Prizes: Excellence in Innovation
Category Prizes will be awarded to teams whose projects that excel in specific areas:
Each Category Winner: $50,000 USDT, assuming six categories, totaling $300,000 USDT.
Innovation Prizes: Celebrating Creativity
Recognizing the spirit of innovation and compelling presentations, these rewards aim to highlight outstanding contributions:
Most Innovative Solution: $30,000 USDT
Best Presentation: $20,000 USDT
Community Favorites: The Voice of the People
Gala has always looked to the community for guidance and inspiration. Reflecting the community’s voice, these rewards honor the projects that resonate most with our audience:
1st Place: $50,000 USDT
2nd Place: $30,000 USDT
3rd Place: $20,000 USDT
Mini-Challenges: Spotlighting Skills
For those who excel in specific, skill-based challenges, we will offer ten different Mini-Challenges to all participating teams:
Each Mini-Challenge Winner: $5,000 USDT, with ten mini-challenges totaling $50,000 USDT.
Reserve Fund: Flexibility for Excellence
A $50,000 USDT reserve ensures we’re prepared for any scenario, from ties to rewarding exceptional innovation that defies categorization.
This reward pool is a testament to our commitment to fostering innovation, recognizing talent, and celebrating the vibrant community that makes the GalaChain ecosystem so unique. Whether you’re a developer, designer, strategist, or storyteller, this event offers an unprecedented opportunity to transform the web3 landscape. Let the spirit of innovation lead the way as we gear up for one of the most exciting hackathons the web3 realm has ever seen.
Join us, and let’s build the future on GalaChain together.
It’s almost time for an important update to the Gala Node ecosystem that will enhance rewards for the most active operators.
As the Gala ecosystem was building its infrastructure and first proving viability, Founder’s Node operators were rewarded for operation based on their ability to meet the minimum 6-hour uptime requirement during each 24 hour distribution period. This system should be familiar to all Founder’s Node operators today, as it is the system we have used for several years.
In this current system, 1 point is awarded to each Founder’s Node that has met its minimum uptime requirement for the day. Then the $GALA generated for the day is distributed proportionally to the allocation of the points. This straightforward system provides no incentive for Node operators to support the network by operating their Nodes for longer than 6 hours each day.
We’re looking for node operators who support our vision of building the largest decentralized network in the world, so we devised a solution that would a) remove the minimum uptime requirement,and b) reward those who run their Nodes around the clock.
The Long Term Plan
In 2021, it was first announced HERE (and decided through a decentralized governance vote) that the network would eventually shift to such a system. Amid the excitement of opening GalaChain to external development via tools like the GalaChain SDK and the Gala Creator Portal, as well as the web3 buzz surrounding the March 20-21 GalaChain Hackathon GDC competition, we’re thrilled to announce that the time has come.
These updates will go live soon, switching to the new distribution system and rewarding node operators based on a new point system, described in more detail below.
The Point System
The original point system was “pass or fail” with the operator receiving either 0 points for not meeting the requirements or 1 point for meeting the requirements.
The new point system allows operators to earn partial points, creating a more accurate reward structure based on actual operation time.
Every 6 hour period equals 1 point. Therefore the max points for a 24 hour day is 4.
Another way of phrasing this is through the following formula:
Points = (Seconds Online ÷ 3600) x (4 ÷ 24)
While this point structure is changing, the total amount of $GALA available in the daily distribution will not change, except when a dynamic supply event occurs as described in the Gala Ecosystem Blueprint.
The founders distribution still follows the same formula:
Point Value = Distribution $GALA Amount / Total Points
Reward = Points * Point Reward Value
Founder’s Nodes and Common Ground World Nodes
This change will initially only affect the distribution of $GALA from Founder’s Nodes and $DIRT from Common Ground World Nodes.
For Common Ground World Nodes, the 1 $DIRT received per day for an active node will now be the maximum that a Common Ground World Node will generate when active for 24 hours in a day. A Common Ground World Node that is active for 6 hours will receive .25 $DIRT, and so on.
Next Steps
This update is an important step in the process toward making tokenized licenses called Node Workload NFTs, which will allow Node operators to transfer their Node licenses to other users. Shortly after the start of this new distribution structure, we will convert Common Ground World Node licenses to the ecosystem’s first Node Workload NFTs. The tokenization of Founder’s Node licenses will follow shortly after.
Running the Newest Client
With a future update to this system, modifiers will be implemented that reward additional points to operators who run the newest version of the Node client or reduce points for running a deprecated version of the Node client. These details are still being fine tuned and we will share updates as they become available.
Thank you for supporting the decentralized Gala ecosystem, and we look forward to many more years of building and innovating through the power of GalaChain!
We’re thrilled to announce a significant milestone in our ongoing mission to revolutionize the world of entertainment: The opening of our brand-new game development studio in Santiago, Chile. This move is more than just an expansion; it’s a bold step into the future.
By laying roots in the thriving gaming hub of Santiago, we’re reinforcing our commitment to creating empowering and immersive digital experiences, pushing the boundaries of both gaming and entertainment.
Why Santiago?
Source: Wikipedia
Santiago’s vibrant culture of innovation and its talented pool of game developers make it the ideal location for our latest studio. We’re setting the stage for an exciting expansion of our game portfolio, with a special emphasis on live service games. This studio isn’t just about accelerating our development timelines; it’s about injecting a fresh dose of creativity and innovation into the entire gaming world.
Ultimately, the Santiago studio has the potential to create hundreds of jobs in the latest gaming tech, boosting the local economy and drawing skilled game developers from around the world.
Our Vision and Leadership
Under the leadership of Pablo Mera, Studio Lead for the new location, we’re poised to make a profound impact on the gaming landscape. Pablo’s wealth of experience and vision perfectly align with our goals, setting a course for the Santiago studio to become a world center for gaming innovation. Together, we’ll draw upon the unique strengths of the Santiago gaming community to produce web3 enabled games that are not only engaging and high-quality but also resonate with players around the globe.
Empowering Local Talent
At Gala, our commitment goes beyond creating games. We look for ways to nurture local talent while making meaningful contributions to the global gaming ecosystem. By offering opportunities for local developers to work on global projects with the latest tech, we’re not just creating jobs—we’re empowering creators.
Looking Ahead
Moving at the speed of web3, we’re looking to open the doors to the Santiago studio in March of 2024. This expansion aligns with our recent shift towards a more in-person operational structure, which includes the recent opening of our global headquarters in San Francisco.
We still work with hundreds of remote professionals from all around the world, but now that we have had a taste of the collaborative and camaraderie breakthroughs that can come from onsite work, we’re thrilled to create new ways for our teams to come together in person.
If you’re interested in joining our team, we’re hiring for a variety of onsite positions. Learn more at our Careers page, and stay on the lookout for new opportunities as we hit the ground running with the Santiago studio!
Join the Excitement
As we embark on this exciting journey, we invite the gaming community, developers, and web3 enthusiasts to stay tuned for updates. The Santiago studio isn’t just a new chapter in our global expansion–it’s a gateway to the next generation of gaming experiences, powered by the innovative spirit of GalaChain.
This expansion isn’t just about growing our footprint; it’s a reflection of our belief in the power of gaming and blockchain technology to create a more immersive, empowering, and decentralized world. Join us as we lead the charge towards this bright future, one game at a time.
