A creator-first mini app built on Snap has emerged as one of the winners of the recent Yellow hackathon, offering a new model for AR creators to monetize their work through blockchain technology. Lenz.dev allows creators to tokenize AR filters, spatial experiences and mini-games as on-chain assets, turning creative work into ownable digital property that generates earnings with each use, share or remix.
The platform directly challenges traditional Web2 platforms like Meta, Snap and YouTube, where creators face gatekeeping, limited compensation and lack of ownership rights. Every interaction with a filter or experience on lenz.dev—including uses, likes, shares, remixes and playtime—is transparently tracked on-chain and automatically tied to earnings.
The problem lenz.dev addresses is stark.
Viral AR filters on Instagram, Snapchat and TikTok generate billions of uses, but creators earn almost nothing. Platforms reward creators with reach or selective funds while keeping 100% of advertising and brand revenue.
Filters can be remixed or used in brand campaigns, yet original creators receive no royalties or credit. In 2022, over 2.5 million AR filters were published on Instagram. Fewer than 0.1% of creators earned direct income from their work.
Yellow SDK Powers Web3 Infrastructure
The Yellow SDK, a high-performance, chain-agnostic development toolkit, serves as the foundation for the platform's infrastructure. The SDK bridges the gap between Web2 and Web3 functionality by abstracting away technical complexity, allowing developers to create blockchain-powered applications with the speed and simplicity of traditional web development. It provides a single integration layer that handles chain-specific logic and enables off-chain execution for real-time interactions.
Yellow highlighted the project on their social media platform. "Hackathon Spotlight," the company wrote. The post noted that the developers "built Lenz, letting creators tokenize AR filters, games, and spatial experiences as onchain assets." The company emphasized that "each interaction turns into an earning opportunity" and that the project was "built with the Yellow SDK."
On-Chain Tracking and Automated Payouts
The platform's MVP includes AR filter tokenization on Yellow Network, an on-chain engagement tracker that records filter usage, and a prototype rewards pool that distributes payouts automatically to creators. On-chain logic logs every interaction—use, share, remix, playtime—making the system transparent and tamper-proof with no black-box algorithms.
The wallet-native experience eliminates centralized accounts.
Earnings flow directly to creators' wallets via programmable splits. Creators control what metadata is public versus private, and users can engage without compromising personal data.
Weekly crypto rewards come from a shared rewards pool, with payouts proportional to engagement. Tips, licensing and remix royalties flow directly through smart contracts. On-chain attribution ensures original creators are always credited, with future DAO governance allowing creators to shape fees, rules and discovery algorithms.
New Revenue Streams for Brands and Communities
For brands and agencies, the platform offers a way to license AR filters and spatial experiences directly from creators with built-in attribution and automated royalties. Creators can monetize beyond exposure through engagement, tips, licensing and remixes. Communities support creators through transparent, on-chain interactions.
The impact extends across multiple dimensions.
Fair monetization shifts revenue from platforms to creators. Ownership and attribution transform filters and mini-games into true digital property with provable origin.
An open creative economy emerges—a decentralized marketplace for spatial creativity free from gatekeeping. Engagement drives continuous rewards, ensuring long-term viability for creators in what the platform calls a sustainable ecosystem.
Final Thoughts
Lenz.dev represents a fundamental shift in how AR creators can own and monetize their digital work, replacing platform-controlled exposure with transparent, blockchain-based earnings. The Yellow hackathon winner demonstrates how Web3 infrastructure can address longstanding inequities in creator compensation while maintaining the seamless user experience expected from modern applications.