Axie Esports Grant 3: 160,000 AXS!
Esports Grant 3 is here with 160,000 AXS ($2 M) in funding!
Key Points
Esports Grant 3 is here with 160,000 AXS ($2 M) in funding!
Grant 3 features different tiers of support, including: majors, minors, online leagues / invitational, and regional events.
Our increased funding for Esports grant 3 represents our confidence Origins is ready for serious competitive play and that Axie can become a shining city on a hill for Web 3 Esports moving forward.
Coming off our first electric World Championships at AxieCon we’re rolling out our 3rd Esports grant!
To date, Sky Mavis has distributed over 13,000 AXS to support previous Axie Esports Grants. These early grants served as an exciting opportunity for early movers to get support for running tournaments, with most of the AXS going directly to prizing for players.
As announced at AxieCon, Sky Mavis will be committing up to 160,000 AXS ($2.1 million USD at AXS $13) over the next three quarters to continue our growth trajectory.
GENERAL INFO
Rather than a one size fits all style like we’ve done before, this grant features different tiers of support, including: majors, minors, online leagues / invitational, and regional events. We are confident this more dynamic structure will allow us to allocate grant money more effectively for tournament organizers of all size.
While we are already talking to several large tournament organizers from the traditional esports world about running events on this grant, we will only commit financial to organizers that have the credentials to match their proposals.
If we are unable to secure enough tournament organizers to confidently allocate all $2.4 million of the grant, any remaining AXS will roll over to the next grant for future use.
We will do our best to maximize the community money spent on this grant and allocate as much as we can confidently justify!
GRANT TIERS
Major Tournaments - $150,001 - $1,000,000 prize pool
Large events with substantial prizing, robust online qualifiers, and a significant physical presence with a LAN finals. Assumed to have a good size in-person audience and attract a number of sponsors to help offset costs.
80% of grant must be used for prize pool
Finals broadcast in English, Spanish, & Tagalog
Must have at least 16 players on-site for LAN finals, live audience required
At least 75% of players must come from open qualifiers
Third party sponsorship and direct marketing support from Sky Mavis
Minor Tournaments - $50,001 - $150,000 prize pool
Smaller scale events with less prizing, some online qualifiers, and a physical LAN finals in more intimate setting. Less players onsite, but still involved than the lower tier of online leagues. This tier of events will need additional subsidy beyond just the prize pool, but has many important partners that are growing with us.
80% of grant used for prize pool
20% of grant can be used for expenses
Finals broadcast in English, Spanish, & Tagalog
Must have at least 8 players on-site for LAN finals, audience not required
At least 50% of players must come from open qualifiers
Online Invitationals & Leagues - $10,000 - $50,000 prize pool
Tournaments that are purely online with no physical presence, like leagues, cups, and invitationals that have some form of open qualifiers.
90% of grant used for prize pool
10% of grant can be used for expenses
Broadcast in English and 1 additional languages of the organizer’s choice
At least 25% of players must come from open qualifiers
Local Tournaments - $1,000 - $9,999 prize pool
Regional, local amateur events for smaller organizers, scholarships, and emerging regions. Similar to our current grant that exists now and serves as an important catalyst to give new organizers a chance to grow with us; training ground in new regions where we don’t have as much marketing reach.
90% of grant used for prize pool
10% of grant can be used for expenses outside of prize pool
Broadcast in 1 language of the organizer’s choice
At least 25% of players must come from open qualifiers
Other Parameters
Sky Mavis must approve of all sponsors, which have to be submitted before they’re announced
Tournament organizers can apply for multiple events but should focus on maximizing quality and committing to two events at most
Tournament organizers must follow our advice / parameters for deep prizing to ensure prize dollars are spread appropriately
Tournaments are not required to cover travel expenses for players that qualify through open qualifiers; however, tournaments that choose not to cover expenses are required to have deep enough prizing that ALL PARTICIPANTS at the finals receive prizing.
Closing Thoughts
Esports is rapidly becoming a crucial pillar of our movement to empower gamers with freedom and digital property rights. Our increased funding for Esports grant 3 represents our increasing confidence that both Origins is becoming increasingly ready for serious competitive play and that Axie can become a shining city on a hill for Web 3 Esports moving forward.
We look forward to engaging with both Web 3 and traditional Esports organizations for this grant as we move into a new era of competitive gaming.
See You In the Arena!