The NextGen Developers Hackathon Competition 2025 closed its registration on 30 May 2025, and the hackathon finale was held on 13–14 June 2025 at the University of Lagos. If you’re searching for this competition now, no new edition has been announced yet.
This post covers what the programme offered, who ran it, and where to watch for updates if Better Africa Foundation opens a second edition. The hackathon was Better Africa Foundation’s flagship Cardano blockchain competition for West African developers, offering a ₦10,000,000 prize pool plus mentorship and training. Information verified July 2026 from official sources.
NextGen Developers Hackathon Competition Summary
| Competition Name ⇒ | NextGen Developers Hackathon Competition (Hackathon 1.0) |
| Host Country ⇒ | Nigeria (hackathon finale held at the University of Lagos) |
| Hackathon Category ⇒ | Blockchain / Web3 hackathon and competition |
| Benefits ⇒ | Up to ₦10,000,000 in cash prizes, six weeks of Cardano training, mentorship, incubation support, conference access, and a Blockchain Fundamentals & Cardano Developer Certificate for participants who complete training |
| Organized by ⇒ | Better Africa Foundation, through its Next-Gen Africa initiative, in partnership with Project Catalyst and RemoStart |
| Eligible Countries ⇒ | Open to undergraduates and early-career developers across West Africa; the 2025 edition drew participants primarily from Nigeria and Ghana |
| Registration Deadline ⇒ | 2025 edition closed 30 May 2025 (event held 13–14 June 2025). No second edition has been announced — follow Next-Gen Africa’s official channels for updates. |
About the NextGen Developers Hackathon
The NextGen Developers Hackathon is organized by the Better Africa Foundation through its Next-Gen Africa initiative, which focuses on equipping young Africans with blockchain and Web3 skills. The 2025 edition — the programme’s first, officially called Hackathon 1.0 — paired a six-week training period on the Cardano blockchain with a two-day hackathon finale. Post-event reporting confirmed the 2025 edition drew 775 participants from Nigeria and Ghana, with 256 developers attending the Lagos finale in person and others joining virtually. The programme ran in partnership with Project Catalyst and RemoStart, and organizers positioned it as a pipeline for early-stage African tech talent rather than a one-off event.
What the Competition Covers
- Cash prizes up to ₦10,000,000 for top-performing teams.
- A six-week training program covering blockchain fundamentals, smart contracts on Cardano, decentralized application development, tokenization, NFTs, and DeFi use cases, delivered in hybrid format.
- A Blockchain Fundamentals & Cardano Developer Certificate for anyone who completes the training, independent of how their team places in the final judging.
- Mentorship and incubation support for standout projects after the event ends.
- Early access to future Cardano blockchain summits and networking events.
- Media exposure and investor pitch opportunities for top teams.
How the Programme Is Structured
Participants build across four tracks: DeFi and Payments, AI and Blockchain Fusion, Identity and Governance, and Social Impact and Sustainability. The six-week training block comes first, using Cardano development tools including Plutus, Marlowe, and Aiken, and runs as a hybrid mix of virtual and in-person sessions. The hackathon finale is a two-day, in-person build-and-pitch event. If you register without a team, organizers match you with other participants during the team-matching phase — entering solo is not a disadvantage going in.
The Judging Process
Projects are scored on five criteria:
- Innovation and Creativity — how original the idea is.
- Technical Execution — how well the project uses Cardano’s development tools.
- Impact and Relevance — whether it solves a real-world problem.
- Scalability and Feasibility — whether the project can grow beyond the hackathon.
- Presentation and Documentation — how clearly the team explains and documents the work.
Eligibility Requirements
- Open to undergraduate students and early-career developers with under 3 years of professional experience.
- You can register solo or as a team of up to 4 people.
- All skill levels are accepted — the six-week training period is built to bring beginners up to speed on Cardano before the hackathon itself.
- Your project idea needs a genuine blockchain or Web3 angle. Judging weighs technical execution on the Cardano platform heavily, so ideas without a real decentralized-tech component do not fit the format.
- Eligibility is framed as West Africa-wide, though the confirmed 2025 participant base was concentrated in Nigeria and Ghana specifically.
How to Get Ready for the Next Edition
No 2026 edition has been confirmed as of this writing. If you want to be ready when one is announced:
- Follow Next-Gen Africa’s official channels directly rather than relying on third-party listings, since registration windows for the 2025 edition moved during the cycle.
- Start learning Cardano basics now — familiarity with Plutus, Marlowe, or Aiken going in means you spend the six-week training period building instead of catching up.
- Think through a project idea in one of the four tracks ahead of time, so you’re not starting from zero once a new registration window opens.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the NextGen Developers Hackathon Competition still accepting registrations?
No. The 2025 edition’s registration closed on 30 May 2025, and the hackathon finale was held on 13–14 June 2025. No new registration window is currently open.
Will there be a NextGen Developers Hackathon 2026 or a 2.0 edition?
No official announcement has been made as of July 2026. The 2025 edition was reported as a success, drawing 775 participants, which suggests future editions are plausible — but nothing is confirmed yet. Follow Next-Gen Africa’s official channels for updates.
Do I need prior blockchain experience to enter?
No. All skill levels are accepted, and the six-week training period before the hackathon is designed to bring beginners up to speed on Cardano.
Is this open to developers outside Nigeria and Ghana?
Eligibility is framed as open to undergraduates and early-career developers across West Africa. In practice, the confirmed 2025 edition drew participants mainly from Nigeria and Ghana, so applicants from other West African countries should confirm eligibility directly with organizers before a future edition opens.
Can I enter without a team?
Yes. You can register as an individual, and organizers match solo entrants with other participants during the team-matching phase before training begins.
Disclaimer: All scholarship details, deadlines, award values, and eligibility criteria in this post were verified from official sources as of July 2026. Information is subject to change without notice. Always confirm the latest details directly on the official NextGen Developers Hackathon Competition website before submitting your application. ScholarWaka is not affiliated with NextGen Developers Hackathon Competition or the Better Africa Foundation.
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