Solana Radar Hackathon Winners: Top Projects of 2024

The Solana Radar Hackathon winners were just announced on November 12, 2024, showcasing the best of Solana’s builder talent. Organized by Colosseum, this global event drew over 10,000 participants and 1,359 projects. Here’s a look at the top winners.

Details at: Solana Radar Winners

Grand Champions

1. SolanaPay Checkout (Grand Prize)

SolanaPay Checkout took the top spot with a seamless payment solution for e-commerce. It integrates Solana Pay into online stores, enabling instant, low-latency transactions with QR-code scanning.

• Why It’s Cool: Merchants can accept payments directly on-chain, with built-in fraud detection via Solana’s transaction history.
• Builder Impact: Simplifies integrating Solana Pay into dApps—expect more adoption in retail-focused projects.

Track Winners

2. DePIN: MapMetrics

MapMetrics won the DePIN track with a decentralized navigation app that rewards users for contributing traffic data. Built on Solana, it uses Hivemapper’s mapping tech for real-time updates.

• Tech Deep Dive: Leverages Solana’s high throughput to process thousands of data points per second from user devices.
• For Builders: Offers an API for integrating traffic data into logistics or urban planning dApps.

3. AI: ChainML

ChainML snagged the AI track with a platform for on-chain machine learning models. It lets developers deploy AI models on Solana, using zero-knowledge proofs for privacy.

• Standout Feature: Models run on-chain with sub-second inference times, thanks to Solana’s speed.
• Builder Takeaway: Perfect for dApps needing AI—like fraud detection or personalized UX—without off-chain dependencies.

4. Mobile: SolPlay

SolPlay won the Mobile track with a gaming SDK for Solana Mobile. It enables developers to build play-to-earn games with seamless wallet integration via the Saga device.

• Key Innovation: Uses Solana Mobile’s SDK for secure, in-game transactions with low latency.
• For Builders: A plug-and-play solution for mobile gaming dApps—think AR or location-based games.

5. DeFi: Drift Protocol v2

Drift Protocol took the DeFi track with v2 of its perpetual futures platform. It introduces cross-margin trading and improved liquidity pools on Solana.

• Tech Highlight: Uses Solana’s account abstraction for efficient order matching, reducing latency to under 50ms.
• Builder Impact: Provides a blueprint for high-performance DeFi apps needing real-time trading.

Community Buzz

Colosseum celebrated: “These winners are pushing Solana’s boundaries—proud to see 1,359 projects!” (Colosseum on X).
Solana Foundation added: “The Radar Hackathon shows what’s possible on Solana. Congrats to all!” (Solana on X).

Why Builders Should Care

These projects highlight Solana’s strengths: speed, scalability, and real-world utility. From DePIN to AI, they offer:

• Inspiration: New use cases for your dApps.
• Tools: APIs and SDKs to integrate into your projects.
• Community: A growing ecosystem to collaborate with.

Get Involved

Explore the winning projects on GitHub. Check out all submissions at Colosseum Radar. Follow @ColosseumHQ on X for future events.

The Takeaway

As of November 15, 2024, the Solana Radar Hackathon has set a high bar. Builders, dive into these projects—they’re your roadmap for what’s next on Solana.