bounty-hunter

# Bounty Hunter

Systematically find and submit bounties, hackathons, and paid opportunities to generate revenue. Optimized for solo operators and AI-assisted teams.

## Workflow

### Step 1: Discovery

Scan these platforms for active bounties:

**Primary sources:**
- **Superteam Earn** (earn.superteam.fun) — Solana ecosystem bounties, content, projects
- **Colosseum** (colosseum.com) — Solana hackathons, often $50K-$500K prize pools
- **GitHub Issues** — Bounty-tagged issues on trending repos
- **Gitcoin** (gitcoin.co) — Web3 grants and bounties

**Secondary sources:**
- **ProductHunt** Launch competitions
- **DevPost** (devpost.com) — Hackathon aggregator
- **HackerOne** / **Bugcrowd** — Security bounties (if applicable)
- **Replit Bounties** — Quick coding tasks

**How to scan Superteam Earn:**
1. Visit earn.superteam.fun
2. Filter by: Content, Development, Design (match your strengths)
3. Sort by deadline (closest first) or prize (highest first)
4. Note: Some bounties are region-locked — check eligibility carefully

### Step 2: Evaluate (Kill Bad Ones Fast)

For each bounty, score on these 5 criteria:

| Criteria | Weight | Question |
|----------|--------|----------|
| Prize-to-effort ratio | 30% | $/hour if you win? Target >$100/hr |
| Win probability | 25% | How many submissions? How niche? |
| Skill match | 20% | Can you deliver quality with current capabilities? |
| Eligibility | 15% | Region restrictions? KYC? Team size? |
| Strategic value | 10% | Portfolio piece? Networking? Learning? |

**Auto-reject if:**
- Region-locked to a country you're not in
- Requires video/camera of a specific person (can't fake identity)
- Prize < $50 (not worth the time)
- Deadline < 24 hours AND requires significant build
- Submission count > 100 AND prize < $500

**Auto-prioritize if:**
- Prize > $1,000 AND < 20 submissions
- Content/writing bounty (fast turnaround)
- Matches something you've already built
- No region lock, global eligibility

### Step 3: Research the Bounty

Before writing a single word:

1. **Read the full brief** — not just the title. Every detail matters.
2. **Study the sponsor** — visit their site, understand their product, read their docs
3. **Check winning submissions** from past bounties by same sponsor — learn their taste
4. **Identify the REAL ask** — often different from the surface-level description
5. **Note evaluation criteria** — if stated, optimize for these specifically

### Step 4: Draft Submission

**For content bounties (threads, articles, videos):**

1. Research the topic deeply — 30+ minutes minimum
2. Find unique angles nobody else will cover
3. Include real data, real examples, real insights
4. Format for the platform (X threads ≠ blog posts ≠ video scripts)
5. Cite sources — judges notice this

**For development bounties:**

1. Build a working prototype (not just mockups)
2. Deploy publicly — judges click links
3. README with clear setup instructions
4. Demo video or screenshots showing it works
5. Highlight what makes your submission unique

**For design bounties:**

1. Show process, not just final output
2. Include mobile AND desktop
3. Use the sponsor's actual brand assets
4. Explain design decisions

### Step 5: Quality Check Before Submission

- [ ] Does this EXACTLY match the brief requirements?
- [ ] Would you be proud to show this to a potential employer?
- [ ] Is it better than what 80% of submissions will look like?
- [ ] Are all links working? All images loading?
- [ ] Proofread for typos, grammar, formatting?
- [ ] Does it show genuine understanding of the sponsor's product?

### Step 6: Submit and Track

1. Submit before deadline (aim for 24+ hours early — judges see early submissions)
2. Log in tracking file:
   ```
   | Bounty | Platform | Prize | Submitted | Deadline | Status | Outcome |
   ```
3. Set reminder to check results
4. If you win, document what worked for future pattern matching
5. If you lose, study winning submission — what did they do differently?

## Bounty Types and Strategies

### Content Bounties (Fastest ROI)

**X/Twitter Threads:**
- 8-12 tweets, strong hook, real data
- Include relevant images/charts
- Tag the sponsor and relevant people
- Post at optimal times (9-11am EST for crypto)

**Articles/Blog Posts:**
- 1,500-3,000 words
- Clear structure: hook, problem, solution, examples, conclusion
- Original research or unique angle
- SEO-friendly if published on your own blog

**Video:**
- 2-5 minutes for explainers
- Clean audio is more important than visuals
- Show, don't just tell — screen recordings, demos
- Add captions

### Development Bounties (Highest Prizes)

- Always deploy to a public URL
- Include a 60-second demo video/GIF
- Write clear README
- Handle edge cases — judges will try to break it
- Open source your code (unless brief says otherwise)

### Design Bounties

- Figma files, not just screenshots
- Show responsive breakpoints
- Include interaction states (hover, active, disabled)
- Use the project's actual branding

## Pipeline Management

Maintain a bounty pipeline at all times:

```
SCOUTING:  [bounties being evaluated]
ACTIVE:    [bounties being worked on — max 3 at a time]
SUBMITTED: [awaiting results]
WON:       [track earnings]
LOST:      [track for learning]
```

**Rule: Never have an empty SCOUTING queue.** Always have 5+ bounties being evaluated.

**Rule: Max 3 active bounties.** Quality > quantity. A half-assed submission is worse than no submission.

## Earnings Tracking

Track cumulative earnings to measure ROI:

```
Total Submitted: X
Total Won: Y
Win Rate: Y/X %
Total Earned: $Z
Average $/submission: $Z/X
Average $/win: $Z/Y
Hours invested: H
Effective hourly rate: $Z/H
```

Target: >$50/hour effective rate. If below this, you're picking wrong bounties.