The hard audio rule (locked 2026-05-28): No random background music or ambient audio under dialog in any BCZ POIDH bounty submission. If you want non-silence, use a binaural beat (single sustained tone with 8-30Hz beat frequency between left/right channels). Original source-episode audio is fine. One clear instrumental fine if it does not compete with spoken dialog. Layered music + dialog = automatic floor fail. Pre-cleared 60s WAV ships at /assets/zabal-games-brand/binaural-60s.wav.
Kenny's framework (the lens)
- "Use cases I can show family that aren't gambling." Every bounty should pass this test. If the task can't be explained to a non-crypto person in one sentence as a real thing being done, rewrite.
- "Pull money to get specific things done in the real world." Specific > generic. "Photo at ZAO Stock with the Franklin St sign visible" beats "ZAO Stock photo."
- "Permissionless from wallet to wallet." Anyone with a wallet can claim. No profile, no application. The bounty cast is the entire onboarding.
- "Proof required - pic OR it didn't happen." The artifact is the proof. The collectible NFT is the receipt. Both flow from the same submission.
- "Voting is the wisdom-of-crowds layer." Open bounties hand the contributors a real role: verify the work. Solo bounties skip the layer for speed.
What WORKS reliably
| Pattern | Example | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Open bounty + community pool | The Haberdashery $30K Guinness kickflip (bounty 1167) | Many contributors stack into one pot. Each becomes a promoter. Result: world record + 100K+ views. |
| Whale catalyst deposit | Jesse Pollak adds 0.25 ETH to a $5 bounty (906) | Public deposit by recognizable wallet triggers a submission wave + amplifies signal in /poidh. |
| Specific physical task | Skateboard kickflip count, NYC rat-zone documentation | Easy to prove, attempt, brag about. Vague creative briefs underperform. |
| Episode-tied / event-tied | BCZ R1 (Ep 17), R2 (Ep 19) | Source content has an audience. Bounty extends the engagement window. |
| Brand-aligned NFT collectible | "ZAO Stock Witness #001" naming | Artifact becomes a permanent record. Submitters keep claim NFTs as portfolio. |
| Cross-post discipline | Dee's R2 entry hit /poidh + /zao + general FC + X | Each surface has its own audience; the cast hitting all 3 wins engagement. |
What FAILS reliably
| Anti-pattern | Why it kills the bounty |
|---|---|
| Vague creative brief | Nobody knows the bar; submissions vary wildly; winner pick feels arbitrary |
| No source material | Editors scrape what they can; quality drops; brand drift |
| Hard rules buried at bottom | Editors miss the floor and submit nine seconds over |
| No upper time limit on video | Submissions balloon past attention thresholds (R2 Ebuka at 91.88s) |
| Layered ambient music under dialog | Spoken thesis becomes unintelligible at scroll-volume |
| Solo bounty with broad open call | Loses the contributor-amplification effect of open bounties |
| Long deadline + no mid-window reminder | Editors forget; you get all submissions in the last 24h scramble |
| Issuer judges alone with no rubric | Decisions look opaque; future participation drops |
The checklist (use every bounty)
Title
- Specific noun + verb + duration cap. Pattern:
[Best/First/Most] [duration-bounded artifact] from [source/event] - Examples: "Best 60s POIDH ad from Ep 19 w/ Kenny" (R2 - worked), "First photo from ZAO Stock 2026"
- AVOID: "Make something about X" / "Help promote Y" / "Share your story"
Description body sections (in this order)
- One-paragraph WHY this bounty exists, with link to source episode / event / page
- THE BAR - 3-5 numbered floor rules, the "do these or you're not in the running" gate
- THE RUBRIC - grouped by Distribution / Craft / Substance / Bonus with checkboxes
- WHERE TO FIND THE STRONGEST BEATS - if clip-based, timecode hints into the source
- THE REWARD - prize + winner-cast distribution + Empire Builder ZABAL trail for all submitters
- DEADLINE - exact PT date/time + judging window + winner cast date
- ASSET KIT - link to GitHub branding folder (mandatory R3+)
- AUDIO RULE - binaural beats only if non-silence wanted (see callout above)
The cast itself
- Drop bounty link first (POIDH frame renders inline)
- Embed bounty page screenshot OR poidh.xyz auto-embed
- Tag
@kenny+@poidhxyzso they amplify - Cross-post to
/poidh+/zaoFarcaster channels + X via Firefly - Pin the cast in
/zaofor the duration of the window
Mid-window reminder (Day 5 of 10-14)
- Reply-cast in the original thread: "X submissions so far, deadline in N days, live gallery link"
- Link to bettercallzaal.com/poidh.html so submitters see the leaderboard growing
Judging discipline
- Run
ffprobeon every video for actual duration BEFORE rubric scoring - Floor-fail per spec; do NOT inflate verdict to clear the bounty
- Publish per-submission scorecard page on bettercallzaal.com within 48h of deadline (template: /poidh-round2-judging.html)
- Winner cast leads with congrats; mechanics + leaderboard go in second paragraph
- DM honorable mentions privately
Post-bounty
- Trigger
submitClaimForVoteon POIDH (open bounty) -> ~48h contributor vote ->resolveVote-> winner withdraws - Add winner clip to /poidh.html past-bounties gallery
- Update
poidh-leaderboard.jsonso EB distributes the new round's ZABAL on next refresh - Push final state to GitHub before the next round opens
Why binaural beats specifically
A binaural beat is two slightly-offset tones (e.g. 240Hz left + 244Hz right = 4Hz perceived beat). The brain hears the difference frequency as a low pulse.
- Sub-bass / pulse is non-melodic - doesn't compete with melody-perception centers in the brain
- 8-30Hz range = alpha/beta band, doesn't pull attention
- Royalty-free + easy to generate (Audacity, online generators, Apple Logic free preset)
- Sounds like "ambient hum" rather than "music" so the clip doesn't feel scored
Approved sources
| Type | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Pre-built clip | /assets/zabal-games-brand/binaural-60s.wav | 240Hz L / 250Hz R = 10Hz alpha. 60s. Use freely for any BCZ POIDH bounty. |
| Generator | binauralbeatsfreak.com | Free download. Pick alpha (8-12Hz) for chill, beta (12-30Hz) for energy. |
| DIY | Audacity Generate -> Tone | 240Hz L + 250Hz R = 10Hz beat. Stereo, 60s, amplitude 0.3, export MP3. |
| DIY | Apple Logic Pro Test Oscillator | Set L + R frequencies separately on two tracks. |
What does NOT count as binaural beats
- Lo-fi beats / chillhop
- Cinematic pads / movie trailer build-ups
- Any track with melody, chord progression, or vocal
- Library music from Epidemic Sound / Artlist / Soundstripe (those have melody)
Specific numbers from past rounds
| Metric | R1 (1151) | R2 (1166) |
|---|---|---|
| Submissions | 11 claims / 10 editors | 8 claims / 7 editors |
| Floor-pass rate (strict) | n/a (no duration cap) | 3/8 = 37.5% |
| Winner | @cryptfi-mariano (claim 6368) | @joeyofdeus / Monksage (claim 6645) |
| Winner duration | n/a | 59.70s |
| Longest submission | n/a | 91.88s (fail) |
| Highest engagement | n/a | 11 likes (Dee, vertical mobile) |
| Prize | 0.0105 ETH OPEN on Base | 0.0105 ETH OPEN on Base |
| Deadline window | ~30 days | 7 days |