Prizes
Prizes are paid in USDT to the Nimiq wallet address you submit with your entry. Amounts vary per round — see each competitions/competition-N.yml for the round-specific pool.
Competition 1 — Inaugural ($17,000 total)
| Place | Total | Builder payout (upfront) | Maintenance funding (3 × month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1st | $10,000 | $4,000 | $2,000 × 3 months |
| 🥈 2nd | $5,000 | $2,000 | $1,000 × 3 months |
| 🥉 3rd | $2,000 | $500 | $500 × 3 months |
Competitions 2 & 3 ($11,000 each)
| Place | Total | Builder payout (upfront) | Maintenance funding (3 × month) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇 1st | $6,000 | $2,400 | $1,200 × 3 months |
| 🥈 2nd | $3,500 | $1,400 | $700 × 3 months |
| 🥉 3rd | $1,500 | $375 | $375 × 3 months |
How the payout schedule works
Prizes are milestone-based. A portion is paid upfront (after the 7-day verification window) and the rest is paid monthly for three months, each month gated on a maintenance milestone.
| Month | Milestone | Payment |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Demo day → 7-day verification → upfront payout | Builder payout |
| 1 | Mini App remains live and functional | Month 1 maintenance |
| 2 | Mini App live + critical bugs fixed + community feedback addressed | Month 2 maintenance |
| 3 | Mini App live + meaningful update (new feature, UX improvement, or performance gain) + brief status summary | Month 3 maintenance |
If a milestone is missed in a given month, that month's payment is forfeited — but previous payments are not clawed back (unless there's a rule violation). The goal is to fund real products, not one-shot demos.
Optional bounties ($50,000 separate pool)
Ten thematic bounties run in parallel, $5,000 each. The first builder to reach 1,000 verified unique earners in a bounty category claims the reward.
| Bounty | Category |
|---|---|
| Survey-to-Earn | Users earn by completing surveys |
| Validate-to-Earn | Users earn by validating data or claims |
| Play-to-Earn | Skill-based games with rewards |
| Learn-to-Earn | Educational content with earning |
| Test-to-Earn | User testing and feedback |
| Write-to-Earn | Writing and content creation |
| Design-to-Earn | Design and creative work |
| Translate-to-Earn | Translation and localization |
| Tag-to-Earn | Data labeling and tagging |
| Code-to-Earn | Open-source contributions |
A bounty is independent of the round placement — you can win both. Bounties stay open until claimed.
Payment details
- Currency: USDT (Tether), paid on Polygon unless another supported network is mutually agreed.
- Wallet: we pay to the Nimiq wallet address you submitted in
submission.yml. Triple-check it before submitting. - Timing: upfront payment within 7 days of demo day (after verification). Maintenance payments within 7 days of each monthly milestone check.
- Taxes: prizes may be taxable income in your jurisdiction. You are responsible for reporting and paying any applicable taxes.
- Compliance: we cannot pay to wallets linked to OFAC-sanctioned jurisdictions.
Changes between rounds
Prize amounts may change between rounds based on funding availability. The amounts in this document are a reference; the binding amounts are always in each round's competitions/competition-N.yml.