10 Weeks. 170+ Devs. 1 Wild Ride on Neon EVM School Bus
Imagine a 3 month-long school trip.
At first, no one knows each other. Everyone’s clutching their laptops like life rafts, squinting at their first mission brief and points system, wondering if they packed enough snacks (or devnet NEONs).
Then things start to click - someone drops faucet links, someone else explains a tricky bug. Before long, it’s code reviews in DMs, memes in the Discord chat, late-night calls to understand why the tests just won’t run, and cheering each other on as contracts get deployed.
Welcome to the first edition of the Neon Dev Bootcamp
Over the past 10 weeks, 170+ devs from around the world came together to do something rare in crypto education: not just passively watch videos in their spare time, but lock in for the long haul, fully engaged, fully present.
They showed up week after week, not just to learn but to train, build, explain, and repeat until every concept stuck and every tool became second nature. This wasn’t casual - it was commitment.
And the results speak for themselves.
From 0 to EVM → Solana Contracts in 10 Weeks
Each week brought a new hands-on mission with devnet contract deployments, running test scripts, and learning Solana concepts to better understand Neon’s tech under the hood. From token mints to cross-chain DEX integrations, devs levelled up fast.
By the numbers:
- 97 smart contracts deployed
- 160+ POAPs minted
- 150+ builders posting great insights in Neon X community
- The core 16 devs spending so much time chatting with each other on Discord, it’s “danger zone”
And at the end?
A capstone Graduation Project, where devs teamed up or went solo to ship production-ready dApps that tap into both Neon and Solana.
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Graduation Projects That Blew Us Away
TipCard by @codewithmide
A shareable link for instant SOL payments using Neon’s composability tools. It’s smooth, native, and ETH-dev friendly.
Streamline by @victorokpukpan_
A multi-token tip jar built on ERC20ForSPL. A true cross-chain MVP using Neon’s hybrid token ERC20ForSPL that allows to use it both on EVM and Solana.
LiquidStaking by @beebozy
Stake WSOL, earn USDC. This project fuses smart contracts on Neon with Solana’s token logic in one seamless UX.
NeonFlash by @goodnessmbakara
A flash loan protocol across EVM and Solana, enabling instant cross-chain arbitrage opportunities.
MemeLaunchpad Telegram Bot by @godspowerufot_97839
Create and launch memecoins using a Telegram bot with full smart contract support and Solana composability.
Leaderboard Legends
TOP 5 Final Scores:
- beebozy
- goodnessmbakara
- victorokpukpan_
- codewithmide
- sinbadwiner
These builders didn’t just complete the missions - they went above and beyond! They built, taught others, wrote deep-dive articles, showed up week after week, and earned their shiny certificates and well-deserved prizes.
Some incredible builders narrowly missed the Top 5 by just a few points - just check out the leaderboard. They were just as talented, just as committed but the final scores came down to specific evaluation criteria. And let’s be honest: meeting those criteria is its own kind of skill. It’s like taking an exam - you might know the material inside out, but scoring high still requires knowing how to play the test-game.
That’s why we want to make one thing very clear: we see you, we admire your work, and we’re proud of you!
You’ve received your VID (Very Important Developer) certificates because that’s exactly what you are in the Neon ecosystem.
And yes, being a VID comes with some real perks (see the What’s Next section).
From Bootcamp to Builder Fam
This started as a curriculum but ended as a crew - bootcamp chat turned into an intercontinental and interoperable school bus with builders from all over the world sharing devnet faucets, debugging code, and cracking jokes along the way.
Despite the incentives and the fact that only five could win, the vibe was never cutthroat but rather collaborative and supportive. Devs helped each other out, swapped alpha, stayed up late together answering each other’s tech questions - not as competitors, but as friends.
This wasn’t just education - it was connection.
And it showed in the quality of submissions, the vibe of the community, and the energy that’s still buzzing post-bootcamp.
What’s Next?
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As for the post-bootcamp summer holidays, we couldn’t leave our bootcampers with nothing. Apart from the prizes and certificates, we prepared some juicy perks for all the winners and VIDs.
Every VID will get access to an exclusive, invite-only Discord channel where we’ll be dropping goodies like:
- 1:1 mentorship sessions
- A free pass to contribute blog posts and resources to the Neon Dev Playbook to grow your GitHub presence and showcase your proof of work
- Resume and portfolio reviews, with real feedback from hiring managers
- And going forward - special status and mentor roles in Season 2 of the Bootcamp
This is just the beginning of your journey with Neon. You’ve earned your place, and we’re here to help you level up even further.
Final Words
To every dev who showed up, shipped code, helped a stranger, or stayed up late to squash a bug - thank you!
You’re part of Neon’s story now and we hope you stick around for what’s coming next. The labs are still glowing, the faucet’s still dripping.
And we’ve only just begun.
—
Your Neon EVM Team
