# Privacy Awards 2025: Event of the Year 

> The Event of the Year category highlights conferences, gatherings, hackathons, and ecosystem moments that shaped the privacy landscape in 2025.

**Published by:** [Week in Privacy](https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy/)
**Published on:** 2026-02-19
**Categories:** awards, privacy, web3privacy, cypherpunk, ccc, security, kohaku, ethereum
**URL:** https://paragraph.com/@web3privacy/privacy-awards-2025-event-of-the-year

## Content

This list reflects all legitimate nominations submitted by the community in an alphabetical order - it is not a ranking. The final winner will be revealed in the official awards announcement.Event of the Year — Longlist39c3 — Chaos Communication CongressUdbhav Tiwari and Meredith Whittaker: https://media.ccc.de/v/39c3-ai-agent-ai-spyHosted in Hamburg, Germany, 39c3 gathered thousands of hackers, researchers, and digital rights advocates for talks and workshops focused on cryptography, surveillance resistance, and open technology.Cypherpunk RetreatAn intimate gathering of privacy builders and cryptographers designed to foster deep discussions around decentralized systems and digital autonomy.Dark PragueA Prague-based privacy gathering centered on cypherpunk philosophy, decentralized infrastructure, and anonymous financial systems.DC Privacy SummitA Washington, D.C. summit bringing together policy experts, technologists, and advocates to discuss encryption, surveillance legislation, and civil liberties.DEF CON 33 — Crypto & Privacy Village Held in Las Vegas, the Crypto & Privacy Village at DEF CON convened security researchers and developers to explore real-world cryptographic implementations and privacy threats.Devconnect ArgentinaPart of the Ethereum ecosystem event series, Devconnect Argentina featured multiple community-led gatherings, including sessions on zero-knowledge and privacy infrastructure.Ethereum Cypherpunk Congress 2 A dedicated privacy conference within the Ethereum ecosystem focused on zero-knowledge research, protocol design, and decentralized identity.Ethereum Privacy StackAn initiative and event series mapping the evolving privacy tooling landscape across Ethereum’s Layer 1 and Layer 2 ecosystem.ETHDenver — Privacy TrackOne of the largest Ethereum conferences globally, ETHDenver featured a dedicated privacy track covering zk research, rollups, and private infrastructure.ETHKyivAn Ethereum-focused conference in Ukraine bringing together developers, researchers, and builders, including discussions on privacy-preserving applications.ETHPrague A European Ethereum conference known for its strong emphasis on zero-knowledge development, cryptography workshops, and infrastructure innovation.MoneroKonA global gathering of the Monero community featuring talks on privacy-preserving cryptography, financial anonymity, and peer-to-peer systems.Protocol Berg A Berlin-based technical conference focused on protocol-level research, including privacy-enhancing technologies and Ethereum core development.W3PN Hackathon BerlinA Web3Privacy Now hackathon in Berlin enabling hands-on development of privacy-focused tools, wallets, and cryptographic applications.ZK Hack / ZK Events SeriesA global event series and hackathon program dedicated to zero-knowledge education, workshops, and practical cryptography challenges.ZKMonk Real World SummitA summit connecting zero-knowledge research with real-world use cases, featuring protocol builders and applied cryptography experts. The nominations reflect a diverse range of privacy-centered events across: • Hacker congresses • Ethereum ecosystem conferences • Zero-knowledge workshops • Privacy hackathons • Community summitsBut that's not all!Events and gathering weren't the only moments the community felt are worth mentioning. So here is a long list of important Moments for Privacy as well.Privacy Moment of the YearAge restrictions waking people upDigital ID requirements for half of USFight Chat Control EU initiative Fight Chat ControlLearn about the EU Chat Control proposal and contact your representatives to protect digital privacy and encryption.https://fightchatcontrol.euGlobal rollout of Internet ID Mandatesintroduction of EU AI Actleak of 16 billions credentials from Apple, Google and MetaPrivacy Narrative Breaking into Mainstream DiscoursePrivacy Pools LaunchPSE refocused as Privacy Stewards of EthereumRoman Storm CaseSamourai Wallet Developer ArrestsTornado Cash Trial & Legal DevelopmentsUS Treasury Sanctions & Crypto Privacy Enforcement ActionsWidespread realization that privacy is necessary to enable many legitimate users in Web3and Vitalik Buterin wearing sunglasses at Devconnect!These gatherings continue to shape the direction of digital privacy infrastructure worldwide. The winner will be announced soon.

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