As we prepare for the monumental launch of the Shardeum incentive trial network, we are excited to share the latest information on phase 1 of our airdrop program, while offering a preview to future airdrop phases. Our Phase 1 campaign is specifically designed to honor the early contributors/participants who have helped Shardeum emerge as one of the fastest growing L1s. We are grateful for your unwavering support.
Taking into account the factors and details listed below, we have identified as many early contributors as possible to be included in the Phase 1 airdrop. In line with Shardeum's OCC principles, we invite you to share your feedback on this update in the section provided in the section bottom of this blog post. Your input is very important for us to continue to develop.
Stay tuned for our upcoming (final) announcement regarding the Phase 1 airdrop, which will provide full details regarding the beneficiaries and exact eligibility criteria. We look forward to sharing this important information in the coming weeks.
The purpose of this Blog
This blog aims to provide the following information to the community as part of the launch of SHM Phase 1.
Stage 1 Eligibility Period
Total SHM allocated to Initial Contributors
Number of Beneficiaries Awarded in Each Category
Categories & Eligibility Criteria for Awarded Contributors
Seek Feedback from Contributors
Furthermore, through this blog, we invite node validators to vote and help determine the number of validators who are eligible to receive the airdrop in our Phase 1 package. You will find a call to action button for the same in one of the upcoming sections 👇.
Coin SHM
The original coin in Shardeum is the Shard and has SHM as its ticker symbol. SHM is the basic monetary unit of Shardeum and has various functions. Each SHM can be divided into 18 digits, similar to ETH on the Ethereum network. We will also refer to it as the SHM token, as the tokenized version of this coin is also used by smart contracts and to be consistent with common terminology.
SHM is a utility token with a variety of uses, including staking, governance, reward token, gas token, and transaction fee burning. All transaction fees on Shardeum are burned, allowing the network to remove SHM from circulating supply to ensure its scarcity by design and support its long-term value. This approach, among other things, is an integral part of Shardeum's deflationary economic model. You can read more about the SHM coin and token economics in our White Paper.
SHM Token Allocation Details
SHM will have a maximum supply of 508 Million. Following are the details of the SHM token allocation.
SHM Airdrop: A Three Stage Journey
The Shardeum Foundation plans to carry out the SHM airdrop in three stages. The SHM allocation for each stage is as follows.
Overview of Eligibility Criteria
SHM airdrop rewards are evaluated based on the following two main factors overall:
High performers in each category who meet certain eligibility criteria: This includes contributors who demonstrate exceptional activity or contributions in a specific category. This award is given to those who stand out for their performance and involvement.
Randomly selected contributors who meet certain eligibility criteria: To ensure broader participation, awards will also be distributed to randomly selected individuals from the pool of users who meet predetermined criteria. This approach expands opportunities for rewards, ensuring that all eligible participants have the opportunity to benefit.
Note: To ensure fairness and prevent potential abuse, the exact eligibility criteria (along with sybil & bot criteria) will be revealed after the Phase 1 deadline date. And as previously mentioned, our final announcement on the Phase 1 airdrop will also have detailed details. better than selected contributors. We appreciate your understanding and patience as we work to maintain the integrity of this process.
Airdrop Phase 1: Initial Contributors
- Total SHM Allocation: 3,661,600
- Eligible Wallet Address: 35.281 (or) 42.281
- Eligibility Period: February 2, 2022 — Deadline Date
- Cut-Off Date: The cut-off date is set one day before the launch of the incentivized trial network
Initial contributors are grouped into the following four categories to recognize their unique contributions to the project, along with their allocated amounts.
Now let's take a detailed look at each contributor category and the selection process:
1. Off-Chain Contributors
A) Shardeum logo design
The contributors here have played a vital role in conceptualizing and designing Shardeum's final logo.
B) Shardeum website design & development
Contributors here were instrumental in the design, development and initial project management of the website, which significantly shaped our online presence.
C) Promote awareness about Shardeum on Twitter
The contributors here have been instrumental in strengthening Shardeum's presence on Twitter. We have selected the top 25 Shardeum twitter influencers for the stage 1 airdrop.
D) Shardeum Discord Contributor
Contributors here have helped in fostering a supportive and engaged community on the Shardeum Discord through their active and helpful interactions with other members. We have selected the top 25 Shardeum Discord contributors for the stage 1 airdrop.
E) Whitelisted contributors for POAP distribution
These are individuals who have actively participated in the Shardeum journey by attending Evidence Community Meetings in person and joining monthly/quarterly Shardeum update sessions online. Eligibility criteria:
Online Event Participants — Participants with a minimum of 4 POAP whitelists
Offline Event Participants — 1000 Random Participants whose POAPs are whitelisted
F) Super Shardian Program Contributor
Twitter Thread Program: Contributors here create informative and interesting Twitter threads to showcase and discuss various aspects of Shardeum. Eligibility criteria:
Threads with at least 5 tweets on topics related to Shardeum
The top 30 contributors will be rewarded in this airdrop
Discord Invites: These are contributors who have joined Discord through the Discord Invite Program. Eligibility criteria:
Refer at least 50 Discord members
The top 30 contributors will be rewarded here
Telegram Invites: These are contributors who have joined Telegram users through the Telegram Invitation Program. Eligibility criteria:
Refer at least 25 Telegram members
The top 30 contributors will be rewarded here
Shardeum is a program Without Borders: Contributors here have written/translated and published educational blogs about Shardeum on third-party blog platforms. Contributors also include those who publish videos about Shardeum on social media and other video platforms. Eligibility criteria:
Minimum 10 blog posts & videos
The top 50 contributors will be rewarded
Initial Translation Program Contributors: These contributors are contributors who translated official litepapers, short presentations, due diligence reports, blog posts in more than 10 languages during early 2022. Eligibility criteria:
Minimum 3 posts that have been translated
The top 10 contributors will receive awards
Proof of Community Program: Contributors here organize Shardeum Proof of Community meetups around the world in an effort to educate and create awareness about the project and the larger Web3 ecosystem. Eligibility criteria:
Those who organize more than 2 events or organize events without incentives
Shardeum League: They are community-run groups that actively spread awareness about Shardeum among their communities around the world. Eligibility criteria:
Leagues active for more than 12 months that have a minimum of 500 followers and share Shardeum related content on Twitter
A league active for more than 10 months that has a minimum of 100 members, and shares Shardeum-related content on Telegram
The top 25 leagues get rewarded
> Twitter — based on number of followers and posts, quality of posts, months active, impact created
> Telegram — based on number of members, quality of posts, months active, impact createdNote — Due to limited access to certain internal metrics from community channels, we based our analysis on publicly available metrics to ensure objectivity. Additionally, the Shardeum League includes several variables that add complexity. We would like to emphasize that the Shardeum League — new and upcoming — will be considered for further airing for its contributions to the community in the future.
Important note for the Super Shardian program: In addition to the eligibility criteria mentioned above, we also rank contributions using our internal points system. This system evaluates various parameters such as Quantity, Quality, Originality and Consistency. The weighting of these parameters varies depending on the nature of the activity, to ensure a fair and comprehensive assessment of each contribution.
2. On-chain Contributors
They are contributors who play an important role in testing the Shardeum network, actively engaging in transactions, testing various dapps of the Shardeum ecosystem, and participating in other network-related activities. Their efforts are critical in ensuring the resilience of our platform.
We have implemented carefully designed assessment mechanisms to ensure fair and effective evaluation of contributions. Please note, details of this assessment mechanism will be disclosed after the deadline date to maintain the integrity and impartiality of the process. Eligibility criteria:
Top 1000 Contributors: The 1000 people with the highest scores, each achieving at least 1 point in all categories, will be rewarded with amounts ranging from 1,000 to 10,000 SHM
25,000 Additional Contributors: We will randomly select 25,000 contributors from a pool of individuals who have achieved scores above a certain threshold (the exact number will be disclosed after the deadline date). Each selected contributor will receive 50 SHM.
3. Developer
A) Developing Shardeum Native Dapps: These early adopters have become pioneers, deploying dapps on Shardeum Liberty and Sphinx. Their pioneering efforts have played a critical role in shaping the future landscape of the Shardeum ecosystem. A reward pool of 250,000 SHM tokens is allocated to them. We will release the exact criteria after the deadline date.
B) Hackathon Participants: These are the contributors who were actively involved in the EthIndia hackathon, showcasing their technical prowess and innovation by using dapps on the Shardeum Test Network.
4. Validator Node
A) The top 50 node validators, based on criteria to be announced after the cutoff date, will be rewarded with amounts ranging from 500 to 10,000 SHM.
B) A further selection of 6,950 or 13,950 validator nodes, which have met the minimum number of hours (to be determined), will be randomly selected. These validators will receive rewards of 200 or 100 SHM respectively.
Call to Action: Node Validator
We ask node validators to participate in voting on one of the options below regarding the Phase 1 SHM airdrop. Your vote will determine the number of eligible contributors in category 4B. The options are:
Option 1: Validators of 6950 Nodes will be randomly rewarded with 200 SHM
Option 2: Validator 13950 Nodes will randomly be rewarded with 100 SHM
Please note: Only votes from Node Validators will be considered in this poll. Once complete, Node Validator wallet addresses will be filtered to ensure that only their selections are taken into account.
Validator Node: Vote by sini
Shardeum ECP: Future Opportunities for Unrewarded Contributors
Despite our efforts to reward as many contributors as possible, it is not possible to provide SHM rewards to all node validators and other contributors in the phase 1 airdrop. However, we are happy to present to you our Fulfilled Early Contributor Program (ECP) plan minimum eligibility criteria during the phase 1 eligibility period. For example, operating the node for >50 standby node hours, top 50 Shardeum Leagues, etc. (exact criteria will be revealed after the deadline date).
Qualified contributors will be integrated into ECP, tagged with a Unique NFT with the following potential profits:
Priority in IEO (Disclaimer: Depending on the platform that will host, X% will be allocated)
Priority access to Ecosystem Project Airdrops (applicable to consenting partners)
Priority in future contests and campaigns
Multiplier of future rewards
Note: Stay tuned for full details on ECP in our final Phase 1 Airdrop announcement.
The bigger picture: Fair Distribution of SHM Tokens
Similar to Shardeum's network architecture and token economics, our airdrop approach is unique and unmatched. Here are some of its distinctive elements:
Limited Supply
While others typically opt for unlimited or very high token supplies, Shardeum strategically caps the SHM supply at 508 Million. This fosters a sense of scarcity, protecting against hyperinflation and oversaturation, thereby increasing the perceived value of SHM. Our commitment to limited supply positions SHM as a store of value in addition to being a utility token.
Community Empowerment
Shardeum's commitment to its community extends beyond airdrop campaigns, but is also reflected in our thoughtful token economy. With 51% of the supply allocated to node rewards, the total SHM allocation to the community effectively reaches 56%, ensuring a more decentralized and inclusive ecosystem.
Democratizing Node Operations
To achieve our goal of achieving decentralization for all, we have democratized node validation. Because Shardeum scales linearly, ordinary users with low hardware requirements can run nodes on the network in exchange for maintaining network security. Our GUI feature will allow anyone — tech-savvy or not — to run a node with a few clicks of a button. Additionally, our ecosystem partners have introduced one-click node deployment, at an affordable $16-$18 per month that removes the friction in node operations. Since validator and archiver nodes play a major role in operating the network (due to our linear scaling model), they are allocated the majority proportion of tokens (51%) in our token economy. This unique approach sets Shardeum apart, as neither L1 nor L2 have significant allocations to nodes so far.
Next Steps — Send Feedback & Please Wait for Final Announcement
We ask our community to wait for the final announcement regarding the Phase 1 airdrop directly from us. Please ignore information from other sources to avoid confusion or misinformation. In the meantime, we welcome your feedback and invite you to share your thoughts with us about this update by clicking the button below
Submit Your Feedback
Upcoming Airdrop: Trial Network & Main Network Campaign with Incentives
The first stage of this airdrop was to celebrate the early contributors, which perfectly prepared us for Stage 2: The Trial Network Airdrop with incentives. So get ready to support and test the network at full speed in the coming weeks. We will announce the launch date of the Incentivized Trial Network soon. Stay tuned!
The final stage of our airdrop program is the Main Network campaign. The campaign is a series of initiatives scheduled to roll out in stages following the Prime Network debut. The campaign is designed to increase on-chain activity and engagement, ensuring continued interest and participation in the main network ecosystem.
Closing Notes
Reflecting on the broader Web3 ecosystem, we understand that different projects have different approaches to airdrop allocation. However, Shardeum stands out by providing rewards to participants/contributors at every stage — from the early days of Shardeum launch to the main network— highlighting the deep value we hold for our entire community.
As mentioned, our Phase 1 airdrop was not just a token allocation; this is a sign of deep gratitude for your role in shaping Shardeum's journey. This is just the beginning. Stay tuned for more updates, announcements, and get ready for more exciting rewards and opportunities in the future.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
1. What is Shardeum or SHM airdrop?
The Shardeum airdrop is a strategic distribution of SHM, the native token of the Shardeum blockchain platform, directly to the digital wallets of eligible community members. This underscores Shardeum's commitment to offering a rewarding experience for its community members and contributors, highlighting the value and benefits of active participation and contribution in the network. The main goals of the Phase 1 Shardeum airdrop are: reward as many early contributors as possible who were key in growing Shardeum, decentralize SHM ownership, encourage users to engage more deeply with the platform, foster a sense of participation and investment in the growth and success of the Shardeum ecosystem, especially with The main network is just around the corner.
2. Recently joined the Shardeum community, have I missed this opportunity?
Welcome to Shardeum! You came right on time. Shardeum is committed to long-term and widespread decentralization — growing horizontally or in other words, growing together, and driven by the community! Our journey includes several key stages, with the upcoming airdrop for the Incentivized Trial Network and the launch of the Main Network. To stay involved and contribute, join our Discord server and get started. Your participation can now play an important role as we transition from the pilot network to the main network. Beyond this initial launch, Shardeum and our ecosystem of projects will offer many opportunities in the future. Starting from career vacancies, grants to build innovative projects/applications, node operations, various campaigns & contests, NFTs, and others. So, rest assured, there is much more to come — you are still at the forefront of exciting developments!
3. Who is eligible for the airdrop at this stage? And how can I know if I am eligible for an airdrop?
We will soon make an official announcement with all the necessary details for the phase 1 airdrop campaign. The announcement will also contain details on how and when you can receive airdrop tokens.
4. What measures are taken to ensure a fair airdrop?
While it is not possible to provide rewards to all contributors, we have designed an essentially two-pronged approach to distributing SHM rewards in our efforts to conduct fair airdrops:
High performers in each category who meet specific eligibility criteria: This includes contributors who demonstrate exceptional activity or contributions in a specific category. This award is given to those who stand out for their performance and involvement.
Randomly selected contributors who meet certain eligibility criteria: To ensure broader participation, rewards will also be distributed to randomly selected individuals from the pool of users who meet predetermined criteria. This approach expands opportunities for rewards, ensuring that all eligible participants have the opportunity to benefit.
Eligibility criteria, sybils & bots will be revealed after the deadline date.
5. Considering the criteria and selection process for the Phase 1 airdrop as explained in the article, is there a possibility that I will not be included?
Thank you for asking this important question. We have dedicated considerable effort to rewarding as many early contributors as possible, conducting unmatched and thorough data analysis to determine eligibility. It is true that not all early contributors will receive an airdrop at this stage. However, that is why we plan to introduce the Shardeum Early Contributor Program or ECP to provide additional benefits, especially, to contributors who have not received rewards that meet the minimum criteria during the phase 1 eligibility period. The criteria will be revealed after the cut-off date.
6. Are there regional restrictions for receiving airdrops?
Yes. Participants/contributors residing in countries or regions affected by comprehensive sanctions will face restrictions. A detailed list of these locations will be provided with our final airdrop announcement document.
7. How do I get the latest information about upcoming airdrop campaigns?
Be sure to join our Discord server, and any other social channels you choose to get the latest information on upcoming campaigns. Additionally, to stay informed about the latest developments at Shardeum, we recommend you subscribe to our newsletter. Our customers receive regular updates containing important details about our ongoing and upcoming activities.
8. What are the eligibility criteria for on-chain contributors?
We have implemented a scoring mechanism to measure the performance of on-chain contributors. This will be disclosed after the cut-off date to prevent potential abuse.
9. What are the eligibility criteria for node validators?
The selection criteria will be based on standby hours. The actual criteria will be revealed after the deadline date.
10. When will the snapshot for qualification be taken in relation to the level 1 airdrop?
Snapshots will be taken on the cut-off date (one day before the launch of the Incentivized Trial Network).
11. Are snapshots taken on all test network versions of Liberty and Sphinx?
Yes, snapshots have been taken on all versions of Liberty and Sphinx.
12. How does the duration of a node's operation affect my eligibility for rewards, especially considering that some rewards are randomized? For example, is there a difference in rewards for someone who runs a node for 10 months compared to one?
Our reward structure is designed to recognize and reward the commitment and contributions of our node operators fairly through data-driven analysis and feedback received from the community. As mentioned in the blog, it is important to note two key prerequisites for any participant to qualify for rewards:
High performers in each category who meet specific eligibility criteria: This includes contributors who demonstrate exceptional activity or contributions in a specific category. This award is given to those who stand out for their performance and engagement based on certain criteria.
Randomly selected contributors who meet certain eligibility criteria: To ensure broader participation, rewards will also be distributed to randomly selected individuals from the user pool provided they meet minimum eligibility criteria.
Eligibility criteria, sybils & bots will be revealed after the deadline date.
13. Are early contributors before the betanet launch on February 2, 2023, eligible for the airdrop?
The Stage 1 Airdrop eligibility period for early contributors is between February 2, 2022 to the last day before the upcoming incentivized trial network.
14. When will you launch the Incentivized Trial Network?
The Incentivized Trial Network is expected to launch in the next few weeks.
15. Can I run node now?
Yes, you can run nodes now, as the cutoff period for the Phase 1 Airdrop was extended to the day before the launch of the incentivized trial network. We also encourage participants/contributors to stay involved in all versions of the Shardeum trial network and beyond until the launch of our main network. This is considering we have airdrops allocated to the upcoming incentivized trial network and the main network.
Update February 3, 2024: FAQ no. 11 added for clarity.
Update February 5, 2024: FAQ no. 12 and 13 added for clarity.