Prize pools escrowed before a hackathon goes live: 100%
Hackathon infrastructure that pays winners on time. Escrow the full prize pool before launch, pay winners half the moment results land, and turn every submission into a verified Proof-of-Work portfolio.
One platform for the whole hackathon. Every tool an organizer needs, from the first deposit to the final payout, designed to work on its own or together.
The trust layer
for African hackathons
What Is HackVillage?
How It WorksHackVillage (also written Hack Village) is an open-source hackathon platform for Kenya and Africa. Organizers deposit the full prize pool into escrow before a hackathon goes live, so every prize listed here is funded, and winners are paid half of their prize as soon as results are announced. Every result also builds the winner's Proof-of-Work developer profile.
Host a hackathon people trust from day one
HackVillage For OrganizersDeposit the prize pool once through Paystack and HackVillage handles the rest: the Prize Verified badge, judge invitations, results, payouts and a paper trail anyone can check.
Every prize pool is funded before registration opens.
Read how escrow works
- 100%
- deposited before launch
- 5%
- platform fee, paid on top of the pool
- 30 days
- for each winner's milestone
Judges score every team against the same rubric.
Invite judges by email, set weighted criteria, and send every team written feedback alongside its scores, so results are something people can check rather than argue about.
Photos and recaps are due within 48 hours of the close.
Media lands on the hackathon page while people still care, and the deadline counts toward the organizer's public Trust Score.
Three months later, winners check in on what they shipped.
Legacy check-ins keep a record of what happened after demo day, and disputes go to the HackVillage team with the money still locked in escrow.
Build a portfolio that proves what you shipped
Explore HackathonsJoin a team, ship your project and get half your prize the moment you win. Every result, endorsement and payout lands on your public developer profile.
Build with a team. Form a team or join one with an invite code, then ship before the deadline.
Find a hackathon
Demo to real judges. Every team is scored on the same published rubric and gets written feedback.
How judging works
Win a funded prize. The prize was deposited in escrow before you wrote a single line of code.
How escrow works
Get paid in minutes. Half your prize goes to M-Pesa or your bank the moment results are announced.
How winners get paid
Get hired on proof. Hiring teams request intros from your verified Proof-of-Work profile.
Build your portfolio
“If the prize isn't in the vault, the hackathon doesn't go live. Every payout after that is on the record.”
What's happeningThe latest from the HackVillage blog.
Payouts · 25 September 2026. From adding your M-Pesa number to the final payout, here is exactly how and when HackVillage winners receive their prize.
Read The Blog