Please describe your proposed solution

The current state of NFT education, especially within the Cardano ecosystem, is fragmented and often overly technical, creating a barrier for adoption. As NFTs evolve, the need for accessible, structured, and detailed educational resources becomes crucial to enable individuals to understand these digital assets effectively. Funded in Catalyst F9, the Cardano NFT Guides began addressing this by providing clear written explanations in the form of an online course (link above).

Yet, many people learn better through visual demonstration and active engagement. We propose to expand "The Cardano NFT Guides" by introducing three new chapters, enhancing the guides with video lessons, and integrating interactive quizzes.

Video lessons will break down complex processes into digestible, step-by-step visual walkthroughs. This caters to different learning styles and combats the overwhelm that can discourage newcomers.

Interactive quizzes will reinforce understanding, allow for knowledge self-checks, and ensure users confidently progress through core concepts.

The goal is to transform understanding into confident action by guiding users through the practicalities of NFTs on Cardano.

Target Audience:

This project will engage a broad spectrum of the Cardano community, from new entrants curious about NFTs to seasoned creators looking to refine their knowledge. By lowering the entry barrier and enhancing learning methods, we aim to attract a diverse audience.

The impact of the expanded guides will be measured through user engagement metrics. We will track website traffic, video views and quiz completions to gauge engagement with the expansion.

Our solution is unique in its comprehensive approach to blending educational content with practical, hands-on tools and resources tailored specifically for the Cardano ecosystem. By focusing on visual learning and interactive engagement, we cater to various learning styles, enhancing the overall effectiveness of NFT education. This initiative is important for Cardano because it directly supports the platform’s growth by educating and empowering its users, thereby ensuring they are well-equipped to innovate and expand the NFT landscape.

Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Expanding the guides with new lessons and adding videos and quizzes will make NFT knowledge genuinely more accessible to a wider audience. This will contribute to the overall growth of the Cardano community.

Clearer understanding of minting, marketplaces, and best practices will allow artists and developers to bring their NFT visions to life with fewer hurdles. This drives innovation and boosts the quality of NFT projects on Cardano.

We will measure the impact of our project through several key performance indicators, including:

Website Traffic: Number of unique visitors and page views on the guide's website.

Video Engagement: Number of views of the video lessons, which indicate the content’s reach and popularity.

Quiz Participation: Completion rates of the interactive quizzes, providing insight into the engagement and understanding of users.

The guides will remain a free, public resource on our dedicated website, ensuring maximum reach and continuous value to the Cardano community. All expansion materials will be integrated into the existing free Cardano NFT Guides course.

Based on community feedback and technological advancements, we will update the guides to keep them relevant and useful over the lifecycle of this expansion.

What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

The NFT Guild, originally founded by the Cardano Foundation and now led by dedicated community members, showcases a diverse team with expertise spanning development, art, and community management. This includes award-winning filmmakers, animators, and app/game developers – skills directly transferable to creating engaging, high-production-value video lessons. Our record includes publishing the first version of the Cardano NFT Guides course, delivering several open source tools to the Cardano community and successfully organizing over 25 roundtable events. In addition, we also successfully completed and closed-out multiple funded proposals in Catalyst Fund 8 and 9, focused on a range of NFT related topics. Find out more by visiting our website and GitHub.

We maintain high levels of trust and accountability through transparent operations and a proven track record.

Our activities and fund management are openly tracked and communicated via our Discord server, ensuring transparency and community engagement. All fund movements are transparently tracked in dedicated channels in our Discord server: https://discord.gg/7HCxDryPHk

Our past successful projects and regular community events demonstrate our ability to deliver on commitments and manage funds responsibly.

What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Milestone 1: Milestone 1 - (Month 1 & 2)

Milestone Outputs:

1. Write and publish all lessons of the first additional chapter.
2. 3-4 video lessons are edited and published to both YouTube and the NFT Guild Website.
3. 2 Quizzes are created and published on the Cardano NFT Guides website.

Acceptance Criteria:

1. The chapter and all its lessons should be published on the Cardano NFT Guides website.
2. The videos should be publicly available on YouTube and the NFT Guild Website.
3. The quizzes are published on the Cardano NFT Guides website.

Evidence of milestone completion:

1. Link to the chapter.
2. Links to both YouTube and the Cardano NFT Guides pages containing the videos.
3. Links to the Cardano NFT Guides pages containing the quizzes.

Milestone 2: Milestone 2 - (Month 3 & 4)

Milestone Outputs:

1. Write and publish all lessons of the second additional chapter.
2. 3-4 video lessons are edited and published to both YouTube and the NFT Guild Website.
3. 2 Quizzes are created and published on the Cardano NFT Guides website.

Acceptance Criteria:

1. The chapter and all its lessons should be published on the Cardano NFT Guides website.
2. The videos should be publicly available on YouTube and the NFT Guild Website.
3. The quizzes are published on the Cardano NFT Guides website.

Evidence of milestone completion:

1. Link to the chapter.
2. Links to both YouTube and the Cardano NFT Guides pages containing the videos.
3. Links to the Cardano NFT Guides pages containing the quizzes.

Milestone 3: Milestone 3 - (Month 5 & 6)

Milestone Outputs:

1. Write and publish all lessons of the third additional chapter.
2. 4-5 video lessons are edited and published to both YouTube and the NFT Guild Website.
3. 2 Quizzes are created and published on the Cardano NFT Guides website.

Acceptance Criteria:

1. The chapter and all its lessons should be published on the Cardano NFT Guides website.
2. The videos should be publicly available on YouTube and the NFT Guild Website.
3. The quizzes are published on the Cardano NFT Guides website.

Evidence of milestone completion:

1. Link to the chapter.
2. Links to both YouTube and the Cardano NFT Guides pages containing the videos.
3. Links to the Cardano NFT Guides pages containing the quizzes.

Final Milestone: Final Milestone - (Month 7 & 8)

Milestone Outputs:

1. Close-out report and video submitted to the Catalyst team and the Cardano community.
2. 3-4 video lessons are edited and published to both YouTube and the NFT Guild Website.
3. 2 Quizzes are created and published on the Cardano NFT Guides website.

Acceptance Criteria:

1. The close-out report and video have been submitted to the Catalyst team and the milestone module.
2. The videos should be publicly available on YouTube and the NFT Guild Website.
3. The quizzes are published on the Cardano NFT Guides website.

Evidence of milestone completion:

1. Links to the close-out report and video.
2. Links to both YouTube and the Cardano NFT Guides pages containing the videos.
3. Links to the Cardano NFT Guides pages containing the quizzes.

Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

The NFT Guild core team is a global team comprised of individuals with a diverse set of skills and backgrounds. Our members are spread across various time zones and can offer a broad range of expertise in Cardano and NFTs, covering areas like development, stake pool operations, art, NFT project creation, community management, organization and project Catalyst.

The NFT Guild Core members working on this project are:

Anamaria Kövesdi (New Mindflow)

Rares Kövesdi (New Mindflow)

New Mindflow are:

Creators of “The Cardano NFT Guides”. Artists and entrepreneurs, in the Cardano NFT space since Day 1. Creators of the Trybbles & Icons Cardano NFT projects. Cardano Project Catalyst funded proposers. Members in various Cardano & Catalyst projects, initiatives & communities over the past 3 years.

Award-winning filmmakers, film and animation directors, app and game developers.

In January 2021 they moved into the web3 economy granting new life to one of their projects in the form of an NFT collection on Cardano.

Since then they have released multiple art NFT collections on Cardano, and have been involved in multiple NFT and Cardano related groups and organisations, most notably being core members of the NFT Guild.

Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

The majority of the budget is allocated towards labor, reflecting the intensive effort required to produce well-researched, high-quality educational materials and multimedia content.

Budget Breakdown by Milestones

Milestone 1 - (Month 1 & 2)

Outputs: First additional chapter, 3-4 video lessons, 2 quizzes.

Cost Breakdown:

Chapters: 13000 ADA

Videos: 10200 ADA

Quizzes: 2400 ADA

Total Milestone Cost: 25600 ADA

Milestone 2 - (Month 3 & 4)

Outputs: Second additional chapter, 3-4 video lessons, 2 quizzes.

Cost Breakdown:

Chapters: 13000 ADA

Videos: 13600 ADA

Quizzes: 2400 ADA

Total Milestone Cost: 29000 ADA

Milestone 3 - (Month 5 & 6)

Outputs: Third additional chapter, 4-5 video lessons, 2 quizzes.

Cost Breakdown:

Chapters: 13000 ADA

Videos: 13600 ADA

Quizzes: 2400 ADA

Total Milestone Cost: 29000 ADA

Final Milestone - (Month 7 & 8)

Outputs: Close-out report, 3-4 video lessons, 2 quizzes.

Cost Breakdown:

Videos: 13600 ADA

Quizzes: 2400 ADA

Total Milestone Cost: 16000 ADA

Total Project Costs: 99600 ADA

No dependencies.

How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

The allocation of hours and ADA is based on realistic estimates of the time and resources needed to produce high-quality educational content. The costs are aligned with the complexity and technical requirements of each task. The budgeting reflects competitive rates for professional blockchain educational content creation and multimedia production, comparable to industry standards within the blockchain education sector.

The investment in these educational resources is justified by the potential to significantly increase engagement and understanding within the Cardano community.

Our track record, including successful past Catalyst proposals, the original Cardano NFT Guides, and community-focused initiatives, demonstrates our commitment to delivering value and utilizing funds effectively. Our transparent budget breakdown and planned impact measurement ensure this project is both high-impact and accountable.

By investing in this educational expansion, the Cardano community is equipped with the tools and knowledge to further explore, innovate, and expand the NFT marketplace on Cardano.