Colorado Government Taps 2,000 Hackers to Address Climate Change & Local Economy in ColoradoJam Software Building Competition

DENVER, Jan. 26, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- ETHDenver, the world's largest annual Web3 software-building competition and blockchain technology educational event, announced its official collaboration with the Colorado Governor's Office, Governor's Office of Information Technology, Department of Corrections, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, Colorado Energy Office, Department of Natural Resources, and Office of Economic Development and International Trade, as part of its upcoming virtual ColoradoJam hackathon and innovation competition. Between both events, over $150k in bounties, prizes and investments is being offered to participants.

The State of Colorado has invited the community to submit possible solutions to over three dozen state "challenges," some of which include:

• Colorado Energy Office: Consider how to use publicly available data from utilities and local governments to develop targeted approaches to energy efficiency, renewables, and electrification for residents with high energy bills and aging heating and cooling systems.
• Downtown Denver Economic Recovery: Explore what building owners can do with empty commercial office space to bring vibrancy and profitability back to downtown.
• Climate Change: Leverage GIS, weather patterns, and other data to better anticipate climate change, and protect watersheds and communities.
• Private & Public Sectors: Incentivize the private sector to partner with the State to address and manage the backlog of orphaned oil wells in Colorado.
• Department of Corrections (DOC): Reimagine pathways to prepare individuals to reintegrate into the workforce while meeting the needs of the Colorado economy.
• Higher Education: Explore how colleges and universities can monetize their under-utilized assets of land, classrooms, rooftops, staff and professors who have summers free, and the brain trust of students who love projects.

Participating state agencies will host a greenfield pitch-style competition at ETHDenver's ColoradoJam Summit, inviting teams to present innovative ideas on challenges that the state seeks to solve in areas like renewable energy, climate change, returning economic vibrancy to downtown Denver amidst the COVID-19 crisis, and more. Government officials including Gov. Polis, Securities Commissioner Tung Chan, Special Advisor to the Governor for Digital Transformation Lu Cordova, and others will also engage in live question and answer sessions, and the Governor will play a live-streamed League of Legends game session with blockchain and gaming industry personalities, casted live by legendary esports duo Christopher "Montecristo" Mykles and Erik "DoA" Lonnquist, as part of the event.

"Addressing complex issues like climate and ensuring we build back stronger than before the pandemic will take a coordinated effort from many minds and individuals," said Governor Jared Polis, "We welcome the opportunity to crowdsource creativity to benefit Coloradans and be a model for the nation."

ETHDenver's John Paller said, "ETHDenver has always been about sourcing the creative power of the community to solve problems using blockchain technology. This year, we're excited to form a collaboration coalition with the State of Colorado and several State agencies to offer our community the task of advancing Colorado into the next frontier of statehood with both Web2 and Web3 technology solutions. We're thrilled to again host the Governor along with Colorado Securities Commissioner, Tung Chan, and so many more state leaders."

The virtual event previously announced that it will offer significant bounties, prizes and investments for addressing crucial problems and initiatives in Colorado. ETHDenver will take place virtually, February 5-12, 2021, and consist of a week-long hackathon, along with content and free educational workshops by industry luminaries, virtual-reality art exhibits, daily gaming including nightly Minecraft melees, and other immersive virtual experiences. The virtual event will take place in Gamerjibe, a virtual reality platform, and press tours are available upon request. Applications for the ETHDenver BUIDLathon & ColoradoJam Innovation Festival are live now on ETHDenver's website. Apply today at https://www.ethdenver.com/.

About ETHDenver & ColoradoJam
ETHDenver is the world's largest annual web3 #BUIDLathon and Innovation Festival. The 2021 virtual event will take place February 5-12 in and expects to host 5000+ blockchain and technology enthusiasts, developers and community members from 75+ countries and all 50 U.S. states. The ColoradoJam Summit at the event offers individuals the ability to creatively solve State of Colorado Public Infrastructure challenges submitted by State Agencies using Web2 and Web3 technology. For more information, visit ethdenver.com.

SOURCE ETHDenver