$25,000 Prize Pool in Landmark Initiative to Embed Bitcoin’s Lightning Network into Leading Open-Source Applications, Unleashing a New Era of Frictionless Value Transfer.
Breez, a pioneer in Lightning Network infrastructure, today launched the ‘Time2Build’ Developer Challenge, a worldwide initiative to integrate Bitcoin into the world’s most essential open-source software.
With a $25,000 prize pool and backed by an alliance of industry leaders including Tether, Fulgur Ventures, Spark, Lightspark, Plan B Network and Draper University, the challenge aims to catalyze the creation of a native financial layer for the internet.
The initiative addresses a critical gap in the digital age: while information flows freely, the movement of value remains hindered by legacy systems, intermediaries, and fees. The Time2Build Challenge empowers developers to change this by leveraging the Breez SDK to add seamless, peer-to-peer Bitcoin transactions to the open-source tools that power our daily digital lives.
Building the Financial Layer of the Open Web
The challenge is built on the premise that value transfer should not be confined to financial apps. Developers are encouraged to think bigger: imagine messaging apps that send value like a DM, content platforms enabling real-time micro-tipping for creators, or project repositories that facilitate instant bounties.
By integrating bitcoin into existing, trusted open-source projects, developers can unlock trillions in locked-up value and break down the walled gardens of traditional finance.
Challenge Mechanics and Prestigious Prizes
The Time2Build Challenge is open to developers worldwide with no team size limit. Participants must successfully integrate the nodeless Breez SDK into an existing, active open-source project and have their contribution merged by the project maintainers.
The $25,000 prize pool will be distributed in Bitcoin to top-ranked projects, with additional exclusive residencies offered by partners:
- $7,000 for Top-Ranked Projects
- $3,500 for Mid-Ranked Projects
- $1,000 for Selected Projects
- DraperU Silicon Valley Residency: An exclusive opportunity to connect with founder and investor communities.
- PlebLab Startup School Residency: An invite-only online tuition residency for 2026.
A Global Movement
The challenge has already garnered support from 54 builder communities across five continents, including groups from Abuja and Nairobi to Tokyo, Guadalajara, and Arnhem, demonstrating the universal demand for a better financial system.
Key Dates:
- Challenge Begins: October 7, 2025
- Submission Deadline: November 15, 2025
- Merge Period: November 16 – December 16, 2025
- Winners Announced: January 8, 2026
Submissions will be judged by a panel of renowned experts from across the Bitcoin and tech landscape, including Abubakar Nur Khalil (BTrust), Jeff Booth (ego death capital), Lisa Neigut (Base58), and Keyan Kousha (Stacker News), among others.
Developers can find full details, terms & conditions, and submission guidelines on the official challenge page.
About Breez
Breez is building the best-in-class Lightning SDK, enabling developers to easily add fast, global, peer-to-peer bitcoin transactions to any application or service. Their mission is to make Bitcoin the default protocol for value transfer on the internet.
