Join the Diagrid Catalyst AWS Hackathon!
Tags: aws, programming, hackathon
Published: 2024-04-29 08:13:50

We are excited to invite you to the Diagrid Catalyst AWS Hackathon—a four-week, virtual event where you can unleash your creativity and showcase your coding skills by building or modernizing a cutting-edge application using the powerful Diagrid Catalyst platform. Get ready to collaborate, compete, and win cash prizes! [Register now](http://pages.diagrid.io/catalyst-hackathon).

## What is Diagrid Catalyst?

[Diagrid Catalyst](https://www.diagrid.io/catalyst) is a Developer API platform providing a brand-new approach to distributed application development. Using the Catalyst APIs, powered by the [Dapr](https://dapr.io/) open source project, developers can overcome the complexity of rewriting common software patterns and achieve higher productivity by offloading infrastructure concerns from their code to Catalyst.

Say hello to making API calls from any platform, in any language to build modern, cloud-applications with ease. This hackathon is your chance to explore the potential of Diagrid Catalyst while bringing your solution ideas to life! For more on Catalyst, watch our most recent [webinar](https://youtu.be/mLpIfX3hcwg?list=PLdl4NkEiMsJscq00RLRrN4ip_VpzvuwUC) for a platform overview and API deep dive.

## Why Participate?

Join the Diagrid Catalyst Hackathon to:

1. **Innovate with an Emerging Product:** Explore the ways Diagrid Catalyst can expedite your development process by building an application to solve real-world challenges.
2. **Collaborate with Peers:** Connect with fellow developers, designers, and entrepreneurs. Collaborate, share ideas, and learn from each other's experiences.
3. **Enhance Your Skills:** Sharpen your application development and architecture skills using the coding languages of your choice and deploying your solution on Amazon Web Services.
4. **Win Prizes:** Compete for impressive cash prizes! We have rewards lined up for the most exceptional projects and for providing product feedback.
‍
All participation is evaluated based on the criteria in the Hackathon [Rules, Terms & Conditions](https://22146261.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/22146261/Catalyst%20Hackathon/Diagrid%20Catalyst%20AWS%20Hackathon%20Rules.docx.pdf).

{% embed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zUbCl5_OHOU %}

## What to Build?

Build or update an open-source microservice-based software solution utilizing at least two Diagrid Catalyst APIs. The solution should be composed of multiple application services and either be newly written or significantly enhanced to utilize Diagrid Catalyst. The solution should be architected using AWS infrastructure and hosting services. The solution must align with one of the areas below:

- **Polyglot compute/ Cross-platform service discovery:** Application services are deployed to different AWS hosting platforms, which interact via the Catalyst APIs.
- **Stateful business process orchestration:** Application services are instrumented as part of a Dapr Workflow using the Dapr Workflow authoring SDK paired with the Catalyst Workflow API.
- **Serverless architecture:** Application services are optimized to run on AWS PaaS/SaaS services, which abstracts infrastructure concerns and enables high-scalability.

## Hackathon Timeline

- **Registration Open:** April 19th 2024
- **Project Submissions Open:** May 10th 2024
- **Feedback Submissions Open:** May 24th 2024
- **Registration Closes:** May 17th 2024
- **Project Submissions Deadline:** June 7th 2024
- **Feedback Submissions Deadline:** June 14th 2024
- **Location:** Virtual Only

## Catalyst Reference Apps

Looking for inspiration? See below for a couple of sample projects we’ve built using Diagrid Catalyst. More samples, including an AWS-specific reference, will be available to participants on the Hackathon site.

### Tetris Game

The classic “blocks falling from the sky” game! The [solution](https://github.com/diagrid-labs/catalyst-tetris) consists of two services:

1. A Python Flask _user_ service which serves the JavaScript/HTML front-end for the user sign up and leaderboard and handles user state management and leaderboard updates.
2. A _game_ service written in Go, which serves the JavaScript/HTML frontend for the game itself and manages the game session lifecycle.

These two services need to manage state and communicate to ensure games are started with the appropriate users, and user profiles are updated with the game results. The service interaction and data storage is all implemented using the APIs provided by Catalyst. Read the [blog post](https://www.diagrid.io/blog/build-multiplayer-tetris-in-the-browser-using-python-and-go).

{% embed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VS036hE6cvg %}

### Pizza Store Management System

A distributed pizza store with Catalyst APIs. The solution comprises two .NET microservices, two serverless JavaScript functions and a Vue front-end. The applications depend on Diagrid Catalyst as the serverless API layer to connect to the underlying data and messaging infrastructure. Read the blog.

{% embed https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SVEXCUUlqsk %}

## How to Participate?

Participation is straightforward:

1. **Register:** Submit a registration request form for the hackathon. Eligible participants will receive a direct invite to the Hackathon site, hosted on Devpost. Accept your invitation to Devpost and click the blue “Register” button on the Hackathon landing page to register.
2. **Create a project:** Create a project to frame out your hackathon solution ideas for others to see and potentially join in to help execute. You have a few options when it comes to projects:
  1. Create a closed project to participate as an individual.
  2. Create an open project to enable other Hackathon participants to join you in your mission. You can even choose to invite people to participate in your project.
  3. Join an existing, open project if one is available and intrigues you.
3. **Learn:** Join our ongoing [Catalyst webinar series](https://pages.diagrid.io/diagrid-webinar-registration-catalyst) or [watch on-demand](https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLdl4NkEiMsJscq00RLRrN4ip_VpzvuwUC).
4. **Build:** Develop your application using Diagrid Catalyst. Let your creativity shine, and don't forget to integrate innovative features.
5. **Submit:** Submit your project with the required deliverables by the deadline, June 7

For more information on resource access, project requirements and judging criteria, view the Hackathon [Rules, Terms & Conditions](https://22146261.fs1.hubspotusercontent-na1.net/hubfs/22146261/Catalyst%20Hackathon/Diagrid%20Catalyst%20AWS%20Hackathon%20Rules.docx.pdf).

## Prizes

We have exciting cash prizes up for grabs! Prizes range from a Grand Prize of $2000 to Runner-up Prizes of $1000 each and Bonus Prizes from $250-$500! Get swag for participating & provide valuable product feedback for the chance to win another $100.

If you participate in the hackathon, you are also eligible for a $100 referral bonus for spreading the word! Share the Hackathon details with your friends and encourage them to sign up. The participant with the most referrals wins!

## Get Ready to Hack

Don’t miss this unique opportunity to explore Diagrid Catalyst, build innovative apps, and compete for cash prizes. Whether you're a seasoned developer or a curious beginner, the Diagrid Catalyst Hackathon is your time to shine.

[Sign up](http://pages.diagrid.io/catalyst-hackathon) to participate today.