With a major upgrade approaching, 50+ funded projects building on Mina, and cross-chain compatibility in progress by community contributors, it’s clear that now is the time to build.
We’re thrilled to introduce the largest zkApp grant program to date, Mina Navigators — with 6 million MINA token grants* earmarked from October 2023 to April 2024, the Navigator Program aims to fuel a surge of innovation and enable developers to explore their creativity on the Mina Protocol while accelerating their understanding of zero knowledge (ZK) and Mina via monthly learn-to-earn technical challenges.
* Mina token grants are subject to certain terms and conditions as imposed by Mina Foundation.
Program Overview
Mina Navigators will set a new standard for ZK developer engagement, challenging builders to create, iterate, and contribute to the Mina ecosystem.
Timeline
There will be three phases of the Navigator program:
- Hackathon: October 9 through November 10
- Learn-to-earn challenges: November 2023 through April 2024
- Final contribution grant: April 30, 2024
Phase One: The Navigators Hackathon
Kicking off on October 9th, there will be a 5-week hackathon where top submissions can receive MINA token grants and a coveted ‘Navigator’ badge — serving as an acceptance into the Navigators program. Those with the badge become eligible to move on to Phase Two, where they can participate in monthly challenges to earn grants.
Developers will build working and performant proof-of-concept applications and tooling for Mina, showcasing their creativity and technical skill set across various use cases on Mina.
Judging consists of 7 people from the Mina ecosystem. In the Navigators hub, you can find more details about the grants, submission criteria, and judging processes.
Phase Two: Build and Learn-to-Earn (Or should we say, Navigate-to-Earn?)
This is when the fun begins. Following the hackathon, Navigators will get to collaborate on their own or other’s hackathon projects while being eligible for monthly grants by participating in a 6-month series of challenges to accelerate their learning about ZK, Mina, and o1js.
Stay tuned for more details coming soon about Phase 2.
Phase Three: Navigator Final Contribution Grant Award
After six months of dedication and hard work, Navigators will have the chance to showcase their contributions to a panel of community electors for grand prizes of MINA grants. Prizes will not be project-specific and will focus on individual contributions across multiple projects and GitHub repos.
The Time is Now
The Mina ecosystem is in a dynamic state of growth. The Navigator Program emerges at a crucial juncture, synergizing with other impactful initiatives:
- Mainnet Upgrade & Incentivized Testnet: Mina is in its final testing stages before enabling easier programmable zkApps and other advancements in the protocol go live on mainnet.
- zkIgnite Cohorts: Forging a path for ZK businesses on Mina.
- Cross-chain integration: LambdaClass, =nil; Foundation, Protokit, and Zeko are all working towards building infrastructure to make Mina and its powerful ZK properties interoperable with other chains
- And much more!
Rally your friends, whether you’re a seasoned ZK developer or just starting out. The Navigator Program is the largest program of its kind and invites you to participate in this exciting journey.
Together, let’s explore the uncharted waters of ZK and shape the future of Mina.
Stay tuned for more updates. If you have questions, check out this page with further Navigator program details and requirements, or ask on Discord.
* Mina token grants are subject to certain terms and conditions as imposed by Mina Foundation.
About Mina Protocol
Mina is the world’s lightest blockchain, powered by participants. Rather than apply brute computing force, Mina uses advanced cryptography and recursive zk-SNARKs to design an entire blockchain that is about 22kb, the size of a couple of tweets. It is the first layer-1 to enable efficient implementation and easy programmability of zero knowledge smart contracts (zkApps). With its unique privacy features and ability to connect to any website, Mina is building a private gateway between the real world and crypto—and the secure, democratic future we all deserve.
