GALAthon has finally come to its close, but the innovations it spawned will continue to incubate and grow in the minds of their creators. For the past 24 hours, this event was the talk of the cryptosphere, presenting GalaChain to the world as a petri dish of innovation, collaboration, and groundbreaking developments in the blockchain world.

Before we all rest for a long nap, it’s time to ease the anticipation of the entire web3 ecosystem with the eagerly awaited announcement of our “Judges’ Favorites” winners.

A Showcase of Pioneering Talent

GALAthon brought together some of the brightest minds in the industry, giving hackers a chance to demonstrate their web3 prowess, game development and digital artistry. The diversity of projects submitted has been nothing short of remarkable, reflecting the vast potential and dynamic nature of the web.

The Role of Our Esteemed Judges

Our panel of judges has had the challenging task of evaluating these innovative projects. Their expertise and insights have been instrumental in identifying entries that not only showcase technical excellence but also embody the spirit of innovation and community engagement.

The Judges’ Favorites

The “Judges’ Favorites” segment of the GalaChain Hackathon is a much-anticipated moment, where each judge selects a project that resonates with them on a personal or professional level. These picks are not just endorsements of the projects’ current achievements but also a nod to their potential impact on the future of gaming, entertainment, and blockchain utility.

Without further preamble, let’s get into the Judges’ Favorites.

Left to right: Jason Brink, NFTD team, Team NoRest, Team Corgi AI3D Forever

3) Corgi AI3D Forever

With generative AI hot in the news, we were extraordinarily pleased to see an onsite entry with such promise that focused on generative AI using GalaChain.

This team successfully created the world’s first AI3D x LLM “AI Virtual Human” to be minted on a blockchain, and GalaChain is proud to have been that blockchain.

Basically, AI3D is a plan for a system that allows users to create and configure a 3D person that will “live forever on GalaChain.” Primary characteristics and programming for your AI can actually be stored on GalaChain with UUID (Universally Unique Identifiers), ensuring the permanence (immortality) of your AI companion.

AI3D essentially bridges the gap between Large Language Models and the blockchain ledger, allowing users to input commands and iterations for their AI that are digested and remembered by the blockchain.

While we don’t have much to share, hopefully we will see a lot more from this San Francisco based development team, pushing the limits and possibilities of generative AI in blockchain tech. Well done!

2) Team NoRest: RESTful API for GalaChain

Team NoRest clinches second place by introducing a transformative RESTful API for GalaChain. This open-source project simplifies interactions with GalaChain, offering functionalities like token balance checks, token grants and automatic minting on startup. Designed to make blockchain more accessible, Team NoRest’s API lowers barriers for developers eager to explore GalaChain’s capabilities.

Key Features and Future Vision: Beyond its current offerings, Team NoRest outlines future enhancements including user registration for custodial wallets and extended token contract functionalities. Their focus on ease of use, with a “Plug n’ Play” approach, promises a user-friendly ecosystem that invites more developers to innovate on GalaChain.

Team NoRest’s project is a notable step towards bridging traditional web technologies with the blockchain, significantly expanding GalaChain’s potential applications. Congratulations to Team NoRest for their pioneering work and for setting new standards in blockchain accessibility and developer engagement!

1) NFTD

The overall Judges’ Favorite winner is a gaming project built by well-known members of the Gala community, collectors of Gala Games NFTs from way back.

Beautifully demonstrating interoperability with existing GalaChain NFTs, the team created a fully playable alpha playtest build for their aptly named game, Non-Fungible Tower Defence.

In addition to designing and GalaChain integrating a well planned and brilliantly executed playable project, this team presented a comprehensive and transparent slideshow presentation, complete with animated slides and aesthetic appeal. To learn more about Non-Fungible Tower Defence, check out their presentation HERE.

Incredible job to Deadily, Timboslice and Cryptograham for an extraordinary effort at GALAthon. Thanks for participating, and we hope the prize will empower your team to greater heights and innovations in web3 than you imagined!

After closing this important chapter of Gala history, we reflect on the incredible journey of discovery, growth and innovation that this event represents. GALAthon may be over, but the ripple effects of the projects showcased and the connections formed will be felt long into the future. We extend our heartfelt congratulations to all participants and a special word of thanks to our judges, whose contributions have been invaluable.

Announcements about additional winners as outlined in this blog will come within the next couple weeks, as the GalaChain team has time to examine and evaluate the multitude of remote entries.

Thanks for your participation! Let’s do it again soon.