Writing a Blockchain Whitepaper

The whitepaper entries for the 2019 International Blockchain Olympiad shall be evaluated based on the following criteria:

Problem

• Significance: how important is it to solve this problem
• Merit: what compelling reasons are there to solve this problem
• Market: how big is the problem and is it worth solving

Solution

• Realistic: how feasible is the solution and why blockchain is used
• Value Proposition: how the solution generates value to stakeholders
• Competitors: how other solutions address the problem

Business

• Partners: who must you work with for your system to go live
• Differentiators: how the system is different and better than competitors
• Revenue model: how the system will be financially sustainable

Legal

• Privacy: how the system handles privacy, especially personal data
• Compliance: how the system handles legal and regulatory compliance
• Identity: how does the system handles identity and access control

Tech

• Blockchain: justification of using selected networks or infrastructure
• Cryptography: justification of using selected cryptographic features
• Legitimacy: how does the system derive and maintain legitimacy

Execution

• Distribution: how to go-to-market and get users using the system
• Governance: how are problems and unknown unknowns addressed
• Risks: what the weaknesses and threats are and how to address them

Bonus

• Financials: projections of profits and cash flow over three years
• Next Steps: what is needed to proceed if implemented in real life

It is strongly advised that chapters be structured to best tell the story of the project, hence the open-ended nature of the whitepaper challenge, rather than forcing conformity to any “template” structure.

Additionally, these aspects will not factor into evaluation:

• Page length: no minimum, no maximum.
  Recommendation: shorter is better.
• Language: nothing fancy. This is not a novel or play or poem!
  Recommendation: simple language and concise sentences
• Graphics: diagrams, tables, graphs are not necessary unless…
  Recommendation: use only if it enhances the explanation of your project
• Formatting: as long as it is readable, it does not have to be pretty!
  Recommendation: use default formatting from MS Word or Google Docs
• Citations: this is not an academic paper. Any standard is good!
  Recommendation: use footnotes or whatever you’re comfortable with, but facts need to be backed by some sources, otherwise it’s just #fakenews
• Team: no one expects students to be experts!
  Recommendation: be candid and transparent about your experiences
• Grades: no one cares if you’re a star student or a failure in school!
  Recommendation: transcripts are for verification of student credentials only, you may choose to redact the grades if you wish.

Please submit through ibcol.org/registration or if there are submission issues, please send your paper to wp@ibcol.org along with the names of your team, your affiliated academic institution(s), and advisors if applicable (credential verification can be done retroactively with the Student Relations Team). Please reference a submission number if applicable.

Other enquiries may be addressed to the Project Management Office of the International Blockchain Olympiad Organizing Committee: pmo@ibcol.org

Best of luck!