p>The competition was stiff and the battle for supremacy in any hacker arena is hard fought, yet one person emerged victorious. Congratulations to First Place winner Shawn Merdinger! Shawn and company raised $2,560 for EFF! He will receive the grand prize including two Defcon 18 Human badges, a room at the Riviera Hotel, two tickets to the Vegas 2.0 Party at the Top of the Riv, two tickets to the iSEC Partners Party, and two Ninja Networks Party badges!

Cheers to Second Place winner Art Conklin who raised $2,100! Art will receive two Defcon 18 Human badges, two tickets to the iSEC Partners Party, and two tickets to the Vegas 2.0 Party!

Beating out the competition and making it to Third Place with $1,040, team Holy Handgrenades will receive one Defcon 18 Human badge, one ticket to the iSEC Partners Party, and one ticket to the Vegas 2.0 Party. These top three winners will also receive an EFF Swag Super Pack!

Buck up, brothers and sisters! Just because you didn't make it to the top three doesn't mean you have to walk away empty-handed - not by a long shot! EFF is awarding a limited edition Defcon 18 "Things to Hack" t-shirt to ALL fundraising captains who raised more than $200! All prize winners will be contacted via email.

Thank you to all of the contestants and supporters for raising $9,746 for EFF! Your support makes a meaningful difference in EFF's tireless efforts to defend our civil liberties. EFF relies on your help to continue the fight. Let's keep it up!

Thanks to our Defcon 18 Getaway Contest Prize Donors:

  • Dark Tangent and Defcon
  • Vegas 2.0
  • iSEC Partners
  • Ninja Networks

Thanks to our Defcon 18 Getaway Contest Sponsors for their crucial support:


Now on to Sin City!