Developers
Author
Bri Wylde
Publishing date
The weather in London during October can be described as “unsettled” with frequent bouts of biting cold, drizzling rain, and blustery wind. The sun was out, however, as the Stellar Development Foundation (SDF) announced the winners of the inaugural i³ Awards during Meridian, the annual Stellar conference.
What are these illustrious i³ Awards (pronounced “eye cubed”), you may ask? Well, they are just one of the many ways the ecosystem aims to celebrate projects building on the Stellar network. Each winner is chosen based on their excellence in one of three main categories: impact, innovation, or interoperability. All winners and candidates in each category showcase ingenuity, dedication, and the pursuit of excellence within the Stellar ecosystem.
In its first year, i³ Awards were presented to three much-deserving winners: LOBSTR (for impact), Blend (for innovation), and Allbridge (for interoperability).
Read on to learn more about these distinguished i³ Awards and catch a quick glimpse of each winner.
The selection process began with a nomination phase, where any ecosystem or SDF member could propose a project to be eligible for an i³ Award. Supporters vouched for a project’s achievements and alignment with one of the award categories (if you’ve already forgotten, the three categories are impact, innovation, and interoperability).
From there, Stellar Community Fund (SCF) verified members reviewed and voted on the nominees, creating a shortlist of contenders for each category. Then, an esteemed panel of judges evaluated the shortlisted projects and selected the top choice in each category.
The winners were announced during the closing ceremony at Meridian 2024, where their contributions to the Stellar ecosystem were recognized with a pretty impressive physical trophy (peep the image to the right) and a sweet NFT trophy.
Let’s take some time to dive deeper into each judging category and to recognize our amazing winners.
The Impact Award recognizes projects that leverage the Stellar network to deliver significant social or economic benefits by driving financial inclusion and improving the lives of individuals and communities. These projects are making a meaningful difference and demonstrating the transformative potential of blockchain and decentralized finance (DeFi).
The judging panel for this category included Dante Disparte, Chief Strategy Officer and Head of Global Policy at Circle, Joshua Gordon-Blake, Chief Digital Officer at MoneyGram International, and Denelle Dixon, CEO and Executive Director at SDF.
Winner: LOBSTR
The LOBSTR non-custodial wallet is an essential part of the Stellar network. It provides users with a simple platform for buying, selling, trading, storing, and monitoring their digital assets on the Stellar network. LOBSTR is trusted by over a million users, making it one of the most popular solutions on Stellar.
The Innovation Award celebrates projects that address real-world challenges with creative and technologically innovative solutions on the Stellar network. These projects push the boundaries of what’s possible with blockchain and demonstrate how decentralized technology can be used to solve complex problems.
The judging panel included Jed McCaleb, Co-Founder and Chief Architect at SDF, Tracy Li, Co-Founder & Managing Partner of Istari Ventures, and Shane O’Connor, Innovation Manager at UNICEF.
Winner: Blend
Blend is a protocol primitive that is changing the game when it comes to DeFi on Stellar. Blend provides the foundation for users to create lending pools and integrate them into their applications. Blend has the potential to provide underserved communities with access to financial opportunities often unavailable through traditional banking.
The Interoperability Award recognizes projects that facilitate interactions within the Stellar ecosystem while also connecting Stellar to other blockchains and systems. These projects enhance Stellar’s versatility and utility and help bridge the gap between different networks to create a more connected landscape.
The judging panel included Nicolas Barry, Chief Technology Officer at SDF, Justin Rice, VP of Ecosystem at SDF, and Deian Stefan, Co-Founder at Cubist.
Winner: Allbridge
Allbridge is expanding Stellar’s connectivity with other blockchain ecosystems by enabling asset transfers between ten different EVM and non-EVM networks. Since its Mainnet launch in May, Allbridge has processed $836k in volume across 903 unique transfers (as of October 2024), demonstrating strong demand for its cross-chain capabilities. This kind of support is crucial for making Stellar a key player in the Web3 space.
There are so many incredible projects being built on the Stellar network, and with the launch of smart contracts on Mainnet earlier this year, there’s more opportunity than ever to create solutions that embody the three i³ Award pillars of impact, innovation, and interoperability.
Congratulations to our inaugural winners, LOBSTR, Blend, and Allbridge and we can’t wait to see who will be highlighted for the i³ Awards at Meridian 2025 (hopefully somewhere warm this time).
Keep your eyes open for more upcoming content highlighting our winners!