The Polygon Delegate Incentive Program (DIP) has now completed its third quarter of operations with 15 active delegates participating throughout the period.
As the Polygon ecosystem continues to develop, governance discussions are increasingly gaining momentum across the forums, with the first votes on PIPs expected in the near future. This quarter served as an important bridge period as the community prepares for more active governance participation ahead.
Incentives Distribution
Given the absence of governance proposals during Q3, the Governance Activity incentive bucket was not in consideration for a second consecutive quarter. As a result, the total allocation for Q3 was $47,906 USD (in POL), distributed among active delegates based on their performance across the following reward categories:
I. Awareness Creation: The top 10 delegates in a given period are recognized for their role in driving visibility and engagement around Polygon and Polygon governance. The foremost channel considered here is X, although broader research/content pieces from delegates are still encouraged.
II. [Not Considered in Q3] Governance Activity
III. Voting Power: Encouraging greater community delegation, the top 10 delegates based on delegated POL voting power are rewarded.
Here are the incentive outcomes for Q3:
| Delegate | Reward (USD) |
|---|---|
| Diminiko (BountyBlok) | $11,980.00 |
| CupoJoseph (Nifty Chess) | $7,866.00 |
| Takeshi (Tané) | $6,715.00 |
| Yanshu | $5,119.00 |
| Deniz (Lumia) | $3,490.00 |
| John (Node Infra) | $2,706.00 |
| Carlos (Aragon) | $2,646.00 |
| Krzysztof (L2 Beat) | $2,646.00 |
| Masha (Everstake) | $2,559.00 |
| Gosha (Prom) | $624.00 |
| Michael (OpenZeppelin) | $624.00 |
| Akshaan (Blockchain Berkeley) | $624.00 |
| Kimberly (FranklinDAO) | $307.00 |
| Ivan (gateway.fm) | $0.00 |
| Daniel (Balancer) | $0.00 |
- Rewards were paid out to delegates in POL, based on the average daily price as of the end of the quarter (September 30th).
The above totals additionally reflect the rewards from three special incentive buckets, each of which is allocated quarterly to one delegate. These rewards are intended to recognize outstanding efforts and contributions from a select few DIP delegates across the following categories:
Amplifier - Awareness Champion: For the highest awareness creation score in the quarter.
Beacon - Forum Leader: For the most significant forum contributions in the quarter.
Trailblazer - Community Contributor: For exceptional community contributions in the quarter.
For this quarter, the special rewards were distributed to the following delegates:
| Award | Delegate | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Amplifier - Awareness Champion | Diminiko (BountyBlok) | Once again delivered the largest contributions to awareness efforts, with exceptional attention metrics across likes, retweets, comments, and views. Standout posts included comprehensive coverage of Polygon developments and governance discussions. |
| Beacon - Forum Leader | Takeshi (Tané) | As a delegate who joined in Q2, Tané has become an active contributor in the governance forum with 9 posts and replies throughout Q3, demonstrating consistent engagement with community discussions. |
| Trailblazer - Community Contributor | CupoJoseph (Nifty Chess) | Played an instrumental role in advancing the LST discussion on Polygon Forums, helping to shape what has evolved into a solid proposal with strong implementation prospects. |
As we enter the final quarter of the pilot program, Peter from Immutable will be joining the DIP, bringing the roster to its full complement for this concluding period.
For Q4, given the ongoing work to better define delegate roles within the Polygon ecosystem, the program will operate with a lean structure focused exclusively on Awareness Creation rewards. Should an active governance vote occur during the quarter, categories and funding allocations may be adjusted accordingly to reward delegates for their participation.
Program Update
As the pilot phase of the Delegate Incentive Program concludes at the end of this year, Polygon is currently evaluating strategies to better define and continue to grow the role of delegates within the Polygon ecosystem moving forward.
The future structure and continuation of incentivized delegates in 2026 remains an open question as the Foundation works to align delegate roles with the broader strategic goals of Polygon governance.
We look forward to closing out this pilot phase and working with the community to shape the future of delegate participation in Polygon governance.