$41M airdrop by Optimism for NFT creators in web3

A grand sum of 10.3 million OP tokens, equivalent to approximately $40.8 million, has been distributed by Optimism (OP) to about 22,000 eligible addresses.

The focus of this distribution is on artists in the web3 community, specifically creators of NFTs who have generated tokens on either the Ethereum mainnet or Optimism’s Superchain between January 10, 2023, and January 10, 2024.

Each wallet can receive a maximum reward of 6000 OP, with the possibility of additional bonuses for users who meet specific requirements.

Criteria for eligibility and distribution information

The requirements for being eligible and receiving the Optimism airdrop are outlined in the following allocation details:

Rewards may be increased for those who have previously created an NFT contract prior to January 2023, transferred an NFT that was made after November 11, 2023, spent over 0.0005 ETH in gas to purchase a collection on July 14, 2023, or have been actively involved with the Superchain since at least November 11, 2023.

The amount of rewards received will depend on the level of engagement with the ecosystem and specific actions taken within it.

Obtaining your Optimism airdrop tokens

In order to determine your eligibility for claiming your portion of the Optimism airdrop tokens and begin the claiming procedure, you can follow this:

1. Go to the claim page on Optimism’s official website

2. The deadline to request and receive your tokens is February 13, 2025.

Recap of past airdrops for OP

In the past, Optimism has organized multiple rounds of airdrops, each with distinct goals and incentives. Here is a quick summary of their previous distributions:

In terms of cryptocurrency distributed to the community, the fourth round has the lowest value compared to the previous rounds.

Throughout all four rounds, Optimism has distributed a total of 255.9 million OP tokens worth around $923 million. The initial round allocated the most significant amount of tokens, with 200 million OP tokens being distributed to different stakeholders.

The approaching airdrops for layer-2 solutions

In 2024, the release of the Optimism airdrop will mark the beginning of a series of layer-2 crypto projects to come.

Recently, Starknet made its market debut by releasing the STRK token through an airdrop to its community. Despite facing criticism from users regarding its eligibility criteria, the token achieved a significant market capitalization upon listing.

In light of the overwhelming excitement in the cryptocurrency market during the final quarter of 2023, Manta Pacific, a scalability solution on the second layer, has made the decision to introduce its own digital currency named MANTA. This move also includes offering rewards to its backers.

In the following months, it is anticipated that additional layer-2 tokens will be introduced using this incentivization approach, as several projects are currently receiving attention from farmers.

Currently, the top contenders for names are zkSync Era, Scroll, and Linea. Combined, these three rollups have a total TVL of approximately 940 million dollars according to the L2Beat ranking.

The likelihood of the next airdrops being successful is high, given the reputation of the individuals involved in these three cases and the significant external investments from venture capitalists.

It is noteworthy to take into account that the current trend in 2024 is the emergence of layer-2 technology, as there is a growing demand to efficiently scale Ethereum.

Eligibility may seem like a straightforward process. It involves providing sufficient funds on the relevant chains, conducting multiple transactions like swapping and participating in liquidity mining, engaging with various protocols, and maintaining activity for a minimum of three months.

How you can participate in the upcoming airdrops

In order to increase your chances of receiving rewards from potential future airdrops, it is important to position yourself accordingly:

• 1. Utilize bridge funds within appropriate networks
• 2. Participate in activities such as exchanging and providing liquidity through mining
• 3. Interact with a variety of protocols
• 4. Sustain participation within the ecosystem for a minimum of three months.