Optimism just launched its fourth token airdrop to reward its dynamic ecosystem of NFT and Web3 creators.
The ‘Optimism Airdrop #4’ from the popular Layer 2 chain will award around 10.3 million OP tokens to nearly 23,000 unique addresses. According to reports, the airdrop is estimated to be worth around $41 million, and the max amount of rewards any individual received were 6,000 $OP, or about $21,900 with the current price of the token.
The move comes in an aim to give back to those who have helped build culture across the blockchain. Worth noting, this is the first airdrop from Optimism that extends to its entire network of interoperable OP chains.
The airdrop was designated to users who have launched NFTs and contributed to the cultural fabric of Optimism’s Superchain, a series of interconnected L2 networks. Eligibility was based on community participation, as determined with a snapshot taken on January 10th, 2024. The airdrop is also aimed at incentivizing members to engage more with Optimism’s governance process, and instructions on how to do so is available on the blockchain’s website.
For users that are ineligible, more airdrops can be expected. Optimism plans to allocate 19% of its total token supply to its community, and there are around 560 million OP tokens designated for future distribution.
Optimism, which launched in May of 2022, is the second largest Layer-2 scaling solution on Ethereum. By processing transactions off-chain before onboarding them onto the Ethereum mainnet, the L2 has cheaper transactions fees. Although it’s still not a top blockchain for NFTs, its ecosystem has been growing rapidly in recent months.
Those hopeful to receive the airdrop were warned that official tweets will only come from @OptimismGov or @Optimism, and were advised to check that the URL is app.optimism.io or optimism.io. They will have until February 13th, 2025 to claim their tokens.
Airdrops Are a Popular Way to Reward Participation
For creators on Optimism, the recent airdrop is exciting news and for some prolific creators could bring in some serious bucks. But Optimism isn’t the first chain or Web3 company we’ve seen reward its community with an airdrop. At Rarity Sniper, we’ve covered several big airdrops in recent months and years. Here are the top three stories.
First, in May 2023, Nike airdropped over 100,000 free ‘Our Force 1’ posters to its first generation of users on its Web3 platform .SWOOSH. The posters were divided into four categories: Cultural, Heritage, Innovation, and Regional — and were first voted on by members of the .SWOOSH community in November 2021.
Next, in March 2023, Arbitrum, another Layer 2 scaling solution on Ethereum, airdropped 10 billion $ARB tokens to users and autonomous organizations in its ecosystem. The tokens were allocated to users based on the number of transactions they’d completed on the blockchain.
Lastly, about a year ago, the NFT marketplace Blur airdropped governance tokens to reward Ethereum NFT traders. The tokens were distributed to users who listed an NFT on Blur, bid on an NFT on Blur, and even to traders who used a competing NFT marketplace six months prior to the drop.
As we enter what looks like the next crypto bull market, airdrops from Web3 platforms and blockchains are likely to surge and reward participants within their ecosystem. But for now, it’s the creators and artists on Optimism who have reason to celebrate.