The state of Illinois is backing an upcoming blockchain hackathon.

The IBI Hack, a month-long virtual hackathon set to begin on 1st July, is being organized by the Illinois Blockchain Initiative along with blockchain technology startup Fulcrum. The event is open to students and recent university graduates from around the world, with all entries due on 31st July.

IBI Hack is part of the Illinois Blockchain Month, a month-long initiative that will see a series of educational events hosted across the state focused on the tech. The events are aimed at trying to teach people what blockchains are and what they can do.

State governor Bruce Rauner said in a statement:

“Illinois is the state of innovation, and I am proud to see our young men and women getting involved in the Illinois Blockchain Initiative Hack. Empowering our youth is empowering the future of Illinois.”

The Illinois Blockchain Initiative was unveiled in November as part of a wide-ranging effort among state officials to tap the tech for public-sector applications. The initiative is backed by a number of state agencies, including the Cook County Registry of Deeds, which had previously looked at the concept of time-stamping documents with the bitcoin blockchain.

The hackathon represents the latest development in the blockchain experiments at the state of Illinois. Two weeks ago, several of Chicago’s largest enterprises have joined forces with the state government to launch a new blockchain center. In March, Illinois joined R3, the distributed ledger consortium that includes dozens of banks worldwide.

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