At Code4rena, one of the overarching goals is to give community members a way to level up and scale their involvement in the wider security ecosystem. Wardens contribute by auditing code, Sponsors create prize pools to incentivize Wardens to participate in audits, Scouts focus on scoping and pre-competition intel and Judges decide the severity, validity, and quality of findings.
Now, there’s another role to introduce: Lookouts. Not only does this new role provide a new paid opportunity for Certified Wardens, but it also gives users the ability to develop their skills outside of auditing code. If one of your goals is to become a C4 Judge, then becoming a Lookout is the perfect stepping stone, providing you with the repertoire you’ll need to sharpen to do so.
If you’re here reading this article, it’s because you believe in the shared mission our Code4rena community has. Becoming a Lookout gives you a way to further that mission: by contributing to the Code4rena ecosystem as a Lookout, you’ll be part of the solution that helps Code4rena become the most efficient security solution for web3. Post-competition actions will be streamlined, which in turn will positively impact the perception of competitive audits in web3, which will result in more web3 projects being open to this approach and the ecosystem as a whole being more secure.
What is a Lookout?
Lookouts review and organize submissions to Code4rena’s competitions, focusing on a) lightening and clarifying the project team’s workload, and b) preparing the repo for judging.
Lookouts receive a guaranteed payout from each contest. In the interest of impartiality, they must forgo any awards they would have received for their own submissions as wardens. Therefore, the role is typically assigned prior to the competition’s start.
We strongly encourage you to apply to be a Lookout if you’re interested in helping make Code4rena competitions better (and higher value) for everyone.
How to apply
To become a Lookout, you may be nominated by a Judge or Lookout in good standing, or nominate yourself.
Minimum criteria
- Compete in at least 3 Code4rena contests;
- Be a Certified C4 contributor in good standing;
- Find at least 1 high severity finding OR 3 medium severity findings OR score A on at least 3 QA or Gas reports;
Non-technical criteria
- Sense of fairness — i.e. evidence suggests you don’t show favoritism, but instead aim for a fair competition where quality is rewarded.
- Clear written communication — your English does not need to be perfect, but you should be able to engage in technical discussions with judges and sponsors via written English.
Steps to apply
Complete this application form and share:
- Short bio/intro and summary of relevant experience
- Links that help demonstrate your expertise
- 3 example submissions to Code4rena contests that you’re especially proud of
- Description of how each submission demonstrates your depth of knowledge
Note: Lookout applications are reviewed during a one-week period each month. Notices of application and review windows will be posted in the C4 Discord server.
Lookout selection process
Being a lookout is a critical role and we only have so many spots.
Lookout applications are reviewed monthly by a group of C4 judges and lookouts. The group will review your application and give you a “yes” or “not yet”.
Got questions?
As always, feel free to reach out to the C4 team in Discord.
