- Blast has launched its testnet and has announced a competition to popularize the network
- Dubbed “Big Bang,” the competition targets to attract developer activity on the platform
- Blast promises developers free tokens during the upcoming airdrop
Ethereum layer 2 protocol Blast has launched its testnet, extinguishing fears it plans to embezzle funds staked in an Ethereum bridge long before the testnet’s launch. The platform has announced a competition dubbed “Big Bang” to popularize the scaling layer among decentralized application (Dapp) developers. Blast is promising developers a 50% share of free tokens during its upcoming airdrop, a tactic used to market Blur, an NFT marketplace related to the layer 2 platform.
Winning Apps Promoted to Mainnet
In an X (formerly Twitter) thread, Blast disclosed that developers participating in the competition will be given first priority during the airdrop, with winning apps finding a place on the platform’s mainnet whose launch is scheduled for late next month.
The Blast Testnet is OFFICIALLY LIVE
With it, the Blast BIG BANG competition officially begins.
Dapps can compete to get in front of 100k users & $1.3B in TVL, connect with top investors, and earn the Blast Airdrop. pic.twitter.com/Cajnmtxtd3
— Blast (@Blast_L2) January 16, 2024
The competition’s judges will be the platform’s founder popularly known as “Pacman” or Tieshun Roquerre and Blast’s investors like a representative from Paradigm. The Blast team will however guide developers during the event.
Judges will filter a project through metrics like “concept, execution and Blast-native features” in all eight categories, with winners in each category.
CATEGORIES
There are 8 categories in the competition. Each category will have its own set of dapps and winners.
Late Stage and Early stage projects will be judged separately. Projects will be evaluated on their concept, execution, and Blast-native features. pic.twitter.com/HcqwwaQxd7
— Blast (@Blast_L2) January 16, 2024
According to the Ethereum scaling layer, its Ethereum bridge has attracted roughly 100,000 users and over $1 billion of total value locked.
Base Runs On-chain Summer
Blast’s move to hold a competition before its mainnet launch resembles that of Coinbase’s Base. In August last year, Coinbase announced an on-chain summer event that sought to popularize its scaling layer Base with the NFT and gaming circles.
The event attracted participation from leading traditional brands like Coca-Cola and led to the birth of over 700,000 collectibles in less than a month.
With Blast allocating half of the airdrop amount to developers, it’s to be seen whether developers will take up the offer.
