@manzanal.near [Posted on DevHub](https://near.social/#/devgovgigs.near/widget/Post?id=1506) ## Idea: NEARCON Hacker Travel Stipend - Manza Hello NEAR DevHub community! My name is Leandro (aka Manza), and I want to share my proposal for a travel stipend to attend NEARCON and participate in the upcoming hackathon following this post from yarotska @yarotska.near that outlines the availability for travel grants/stipends that may be available for experienced NEAR hackers. With over 11 years of experience in the software industry, a computer science degree, and certification as both a Near developer (NCD) and Developer in Residence, I've been deeply involved in the NEAR ecosystem for the past two years. During this time I have been contributing to Meta Pool, Build DAO, participating in educational programs on BOS Academy, mentoring and hacking on BOS Hacks among contributing on initiatives like DiscoveryBOS. ## Goals during NEARCON I am eager to attend NEARCON for the first time to connect with fellow developers working on exciting ecosystem projects and to take part in the NEARCON hackathon. During the hackathon, I will be building with two other hackers on the Refound' project. Refound is an innovative platform that enables journalists and photographers to directly sell content to the public and news media at higher margins and with greater financial control, helping regenerate their economic cycle. Our dapp will provide journalists a platform to share their content, monetize it, and maintain anonymity, privacy and confidentiality. ## Travel Itinerary Origin: Argentina Destination: Lisbon for ETH Lisbon + NEARCON23 + ZK Hack Istanbul. Dates: Nov 3-13th 2023. Flight example:https://www.espanol.skyscanner.com/transport/flights/buea/lis/231103/231113/?adultsv2=1&cabinclass=economy&childrenv2=&inboundaltsenabled=false&outboundaltsenabled=false&preferdirects=false&rtn=1 Estimated Basic Expenses: Flights: $1430 [receipt available upon request - confirmed] Accommodation: $300 [receipt available upon request - confirmed] Total: $1730 I would like to note that the expenses associated with attending NEARCON from my location in Argentina (Latin America) have surpassed initial expectations. I want to emphasize that my intention is to provide full transparency regarding these expenses. ## Hackathon Experience NEAR Hackathons: 🥇 1st place - [Near Social Hackathon](https://near.social/#/devgovgigs.near/widget/gigs-board.pages.Post?id=197) 🥉 3rd place - [BOS Hack Hackathon](https://near.social/#/devgovgigs.near/widget/gigs-board.pages.Post?id=1242) 🥇 1st place - Aurora track during ETH Denver Hackathon Participation in ETH Dubai Hackathon (Proximity Labs track) Thank you for considering my proposal for a travel stipend to attend NEARCON. I'm genuinely excited about the opportunity to participate and contribute to the NEAR ecosystem, and I look forward to connecting with fellow developers and enthusiasts at the event.