Unleashing Innovation: Testnet 3 Phase III Deploy Incentives Retrospective
The moment we’ve all been eagerly awaiting has arrived! The conclusion of Testnet 3 Phase III brings with it the exciting outcomes of our Deploy Incentives program. After a meticulous review, our committee has selected the top 10 winners, each deserving a share of our 5M Aleo Credits prize pool. Additionally, we’re thrilled to announce the allocation of another 1M Aleo Credits to 40 outstanding projects from the top 50 submissions.
The Purpose of Deploy Incentives Aleo initiated the Deploy Incentives program during Testnet 3 Phase III with the primary goal of inspiring developers to create and deploy applications on the Aleo network. This initiative aimed to foster organic use of the Aleo protocol and build a foundational set of valuable programs for our on-chain program registry.
Deploy Incentives played a crucial role in encouraging developers to showcase their prowess in leveraging zero-knowledge (ZK) technology. We specifically wanted developers to start building applications using our ZK-enabled domain-specific language (DSL) and compiler, Leo. This served as an opportunity to introduce Leo to a diverse range of developers and push the boundaries of what is currently achievable.
Program Success: By the Numbers The journey began with the announcement of incentives on May 2, 2023, accompanied by a hands-on support program where Aleo core team members provided feedback and technical guidance to early entrants. This initiative garnered significant interest, with around 190 feedback requests received. Subsequently, the official Deploy Incentives program ran from June 21, 2023, to August 21, 2023, resulting in over 1000 valid submissions.
After careful evaluation, 130 submissions with fully unique GitHub repos were identified. Further refinement led to the selection of the top 50 submissions, from which the committee identified the highest-quality 40 projects for an additional award.
Announcing the Winners: The Top 10 The moment of truth arrived as we revealed the top 10 winners, each receiving a share of the 5M Aleo Credits prize pool. The decision-making process was no easy feat, given the abundance of high-quality submissions. To acknowledge the exceptional quality of the top 50, an additional 1M Aleo Credits will be evenly distributed among the remaining 40 projects.
Key Takeaways: What We Learned The Deploy Incentives program provided invaluable feedback, shaping improvements to both Leo and the Aleo core protocol. Direct user feedback, technical challenges, feature requests, and real-world stress testing all contributed to enhancing the Aleo ecosystem. Some notable impacts include:
- Addition of the self.signer opcode to the Leo programming language based on feedback from Deploy Incentives participants.
- Discovery and resolution of bugs related to the Aleo core protocol through the Bug Bounty Program on HackerOne.
- Interconnectedness of deployed programs, particularly the use of art_factory by Demox Labs for NFT-related projects, highlighting the core feature of composability in Aleo.
- Improvements to developer documentation for enhanced clarity.
- Enhancement of the Aleo SDK with the addition of create-aleo-app functionality for easier front-end application development.
As a private-by-default Layer-1 blockchain, Aleo remains committed to pushing the boundaries of innovation. The Deploy Incentives program has proven to be instrumental in not only recognizing exceptional talent but also in driving advancements within our ecosystem. These incentive programs are vital steps toward realizing our vision of creating the core infrastructure for the next generation of the Internet. We extend our heartfelt thanks to all participants for contributing to the success of this program. The journey continues, and we look forward to even greater milestones ahead!