Optimism, known for its Ethereum Layer 2 ecosystem, has conducted five airdrop events between 2022 and 2024. According to official data, Optimism has issued 250 million $OP tokens as rewards for early contributors, with approximately 550 million tokens (equivalent to about $990 million in market price) still reserved to reward future eligible users.
The previous five rounds of airdrops targeted early users, governance participants, NFT traders, and widely engaged multi-contract traders, with each round focusing on different user behaviors and contributions, allowing the platform community to expand comprehensively. In particular, the first airdrop had the largest volume, distributing nearly 200 million $OP to over 240,000 addresses, while subsequent rounds focused on more specific thresholds and ecological interactions. Previous airdrop information can be referenced from the official governance community announcements.
Participation strategy: trading, governance, cross-chain diversified activities.
However, the official criteria for the sixth round of airdrops have not been explicitly disclosed, and the community generally speculates that 'participation in governance' is once again a key criterion. Observing previous seasons, there have been multiple requests for users to 'hold and delegate (Delegate) the voting rights of $OP tokens' or directly participate in DAO proposal voting. To enhance the likelihood of receiving an airdrop, it is recommended that investors first purchase $OP tokens (no quantity limit, but at least 100 is often considered more persuasive) and delegate them to active governance representatives in the community.
Additionally, due to Optimism's promotion of the 'Superchain' alliance, encouraging different Layer 2s, Rollups, and cross-chain projects to share its underlying technology, interactions across multiple sub-chains may also become a selection criterion. For example, engaging in contract interactions on Ink (a new Layer 2 launched by Kraken) or cross-chain trading through SuperBridge between other Layer 2s like Mode, Base, Zora, etc. In previous airdrops, users were often required to engage in multiple transactions over several days across multiple contracts, reaching a certain trading volume, so to increase the chances of success, it is advisable to maximize operations across various protocols, NFTs, DeFi, and other sectors within the Superchain.
Will the price rise or fall after the airdrop?
Generally bullish in the long term, but cautious in the short term.
If you buy $OP to participate in the airdrop, you should also pay attention to its price fluctuations. $OP is still some distance away from its historical peak of $4.8, and if the market enters a more optimistic atmosphere, there is potential for $OP to rise. However, Layer 2 tokens have performed moderately in recent market fluctuations, not as outstanding as some DeFi projects. Market analysis indicates that if Optimism collaborates deeply with more partners (such as Kraken, Coinbase, etc.) and continues to launch new applications, it may stimulate token demand and drive the trend upward.
It should be noted that once the airdrop news is officially announced, it may lead to a 'buy the rumor, sell the news' effect, causing short-term price fluctuations. If you want to hold OP long-term to accumulate governance rights and aim for airdrops, consider including it in your overall asset allocation, managing risks well, and continuously paying attention to official announcements and market trends. Overall, the sixth round of airdrops remains a significant boost, attracting more developers and users to the Optimism ecosystem. For long-term optimistic developers of this chain, airdrops are both a reward and a stimulus, which may continue to drive user activity in this ecosystem.