Was Scaling Ethereum 2023 in-person or online?

It was fully online — an async hackathon format that allowed developers from 92 countries across 24 timezones to participate without traveling.

When did Scaling Ethereum 2023 take place?

It ran across most of March 2023, with the Finale broadcast on ETHGlobal TV at the end of the submission window.

How many participants were in Scaling Ethereum 2023?

Over 1,400 hackers participated, producing 306 project submissions. Participants came from 92 countries across 24 timezones.

What was the prize pool?

Over $175,000 in prizes was available from sponsors including Optimism, zkSync Era, Polygon, Scroll, Connext, and Polybase.

Who were the key hackathon sponsors?

Key partner sponsors included Optimism, zkSync Era, Polygon, Scroll, Connext, and Polybase, each offering bounties for projects built on their scaling infrastructure.

What projects were notable at Scaling Ethereum 2023?

Notable projects included Zklinks (zero-knowledge referral tracking), a cross-chain deployment tool, a P2P cross-chain chat, and an on-chain referral system, among the 11 finalists selected from 306 submissions.

A ZK rollup is a Layer 2 that bundles many transactions, generates a zero-knowledge proof of their validity, and submits just that compact proof to Ethereum mainnet — enabling high throughput at much lower cost.

What is account abstraction?

Account abstraction allows smart contracts to function as user accounts, enabling powerful wallet features like social recovery, gas-fee sponsorship, and multi-signature security by default.

What came after Scaling Ethereum 2023?

ETHGlobal announced its next hackathon would be an in-person event in Porto, Portugal — ETH Porto 2023 — continuing the season's focus on scaling and real-world use cases.

How can I find upcoming ETHGlobal hackathons?

Track upcoming ETHGlobal hackathons on CoinGabbar's crypto hackathons hub and the main crypto events calendar.

Why should Layer 2 protocols sponsor ETHGlobal hackathons?

L2 protocols get 1,400+ developers building on their stack in weeks, producing real prototypes and discovering the most engaged early builders for their ecosystem.

Can CoinGabbar help with press releases?

Yes. CoinGabbar offers free or discounted press release publishing for Web3 projects. Email event@coingabbar.io for details.

Is this page financial advice?

No. This page is general information only and not financial, legal, or investment advice. Verify details with the official source and do your own research.

What was Taikai and why was it involved in ETH Porto?

Taikai is a Porto-based hackathon platform co-founded by Mario Alves, one of ETH Porto's organizers. The hackathon was hosted on Taikai, giving the platform international visibility as the go-to infrastructure for European Ethereum developer competitions.

Scaling Ethereum Hackathon 2023 Guide

Q: What was Scaling Ethereum 2023?

Scaling Ethereum 2023 was a three-week online Ethereum developer hackathon by ETHGlobal focused on Layer 2 scaling, ZK proofs, and cross-chain infrastructure, drawing 1,400+ hackers from 92 countries.

What Was Scaling Ethereum 2023?

Scaling Ethereum 2023 was an online Ethereum developer hackathon run by ETHGlobal across three weeks in March 2023. One of ETHGlobal's signature async hackathons, it focused on building innovative solutions to Ethereum's scalability challenges â€” across Layer 2 rollups, zero-knowledge proofs, account abstraction, and cross-chain infrastructure. Details sat on the official Scaling Ethereum 2023 page. The hackathon's online, async format meant participants from any timezone could contribute, removing geographic barriers to participating in one of the ecosystem's most technically focused events.

To follow similar shows, check CoinGabbar's crypto hackathons hub and the crypto events calendar.

Key Themes and Event Highlights

The agenda focused on Ethereum's most critical technical frontier: scaling the protocol to handle billions of users.

Event Highlights

Scale: 1,400+ hackers from 92 countries across 24 timezones participated, producing 306 project submissions â€” an extraordinary number for a technically demanding async hackathon.
Prize pool: Over $175,000 in prizes across partner bounties from Optimism, zkSync Era, Polygon, Scroll, Connext, Polybase, and others.
11 finalists: The top 11 projects were selected from 306 submissions for the live Finale broadcast on ETHGlobal TV and YouTube.
Standout finalist projects: Zklinks (zero-knowledge proof link tracking and referral platform), an AI NFT Marketplace, a cross-chain deployment tool, a P2P cross-chain chat protocol, and an on-chain referral system were among the winning Connext-track projects.
Key technical themes: ZK rollup applications, cross-chain interoperability (Connext), account abstraction (zkSync Era), identity and reputation systems (Optimism's AttestationStation), and on-chain storage solutions (Polybase, Scroll).
Three embedded summits: A Kick-Off Ceremony, mid-event working group summits (including Polygon ZK Day 2.0 and mevconomics.wtf), and the Finale broadcast structured the three-week format.

How Ethereum Scaling Is Reshaping the Ecosystem

Scaling Ethereum is the single most important technical challenge in the blockchain space. In 2023, the L2 ecosystem was accelerating rapidly: Optimism had launched its governance framework, zkSync Era had gone live, Scroll was in alpha testing, and Polygon was rolling out its zkEVM. Each partner in the hackathon represented a distinct approach to solving Ethereum's scalability problem. Ethereum's roadmap â€” including The Merge (September 2022) and planned future upgrades â€” had focused the global developer community on making Ethereum fast, cheap, and ready for mass adoption. Online hackathons like this one helped onboard the next wave of Ethereum engineers. For more shows, see CoinGabbar's crypto hackathons hub.

Impact of the Event on the Ethereum Developer Community

The Scaling Ethereum hackathon onboarded hundreds of developers to L2 ecosystems who might never have experimented with Polygon, zkSync, or Optimism without a structured hackathon format. It produced 306 real, working projects in just three weeks â€” a testament to the size and skill of Ethereum's global builder community. The async format proved that world-class hackathons do not need geographic proximity.

Why Sponsors, Exhibitors and Projects Should Join ETHGlobal Events

Layer 2 protocols: get 1,400+ developers building on your stack in three weeks with real, working prototypes at the end.
DeFi and infrastructure firms: find your next power users, early contributors, or even future team members from the finalist pool.
Developer tools and platforms: demo your tools to the most technically motivated audience in Ethereum.
Funds and VCs: the finalist pipeline is a curated, pre-built startup deal flow â€” several ETHGlobal alumni have raised significant rounds.

To get involved, list a crypto event or email event@coingabbar.io.

Why KOLs, Media and Influencers Attend

Online ETHGlobal events generate real demos and technical coverage that resonates with the Ethereum developer community. The Finale broadcast on ETHGlobal TV gives media access to finalists and their innovations. Coverage can spread through the crypto press release network.

Why Developers and Participants Join

Builders join the Scaling Ethereum hackathon to push the frontier of what's possible on Ethereum L2s. You get three weeks to build something with real partner support, workshop access, and the chance to win from a $175,000+ prize pool. Many finalists turn their hackathon projects into funded startups or open-source tools the community adopts.

Tickets and PR Offers With CoinGabbar

CoinGabbar tracks all ETHGlobal events globally. Free or discounted press release publishing is available for Web3 projects. Email event@coingabbar.io for more.

How the Event Concluded and What Came Next

The Scaling Ethereum 2023 Finale brought together hundreds of viewers on ETHGlobal TV to watch 11 finalists present their projects live. The hackathon produced a remarkable body of ZK and L2 tooling that contributed to the broader Ethereum ecosystem. ETHGlobal announced the next stop would be an in-person event in Porto, Portugal â€” ETH Porto â€” continuing the momentum of Ethereum's most focused hackathon season. Track upcoming shows on the crypto events calendar and our crypto hackathons page.

Glossary of Key Terms

ZK rollup: a Layer 2 scaling solution that bundles many transactions and generates a cryptographic zero-knowledge proof of their validity, then submits it to Ethereum mainnet.
Account abstraction: a technique that allows smart contracts to serve as user accounts, enabling features like social recovery, gas sponsorship, and multi-sig by default.
Async hackathon: a hackathon that runs over multiple weeks and does not require participants to be in the same place â€” everyone hacks on their own schedule within the submission window.
AttestationStation: Optimism's on-chain identity and reputation system that lets any address attest to any fact about any address.
Cross-chain: describes protocols and applications that can move assets or data between different blockchains.

Disclaimer

This page is for general information only. It is not financial, legal, or investment advice. The event described ran in March 2023; future hackathons differ in structure and prizes. Verify with the official source and do your own research. Crypto assets are volatile.

SCALING ETHEREUM HACKATHON