Blockchain game developers and web3 app creators building on Base, you have less than 2 weeks to apply for the network's Onchain Summer Awards for a potential chance of winning a share of the $250k prize pool.

What Is the Onchain Summer Awards?

The Onchain Summer Awards is a retroactive rewards program that aims to highlight and support both newly-launched mini apps and popular consumer apps across the Base ecosystem.

The program opened on July 9 and key engagement metrics are being tracked since then in order to award the top teams that are building the most engaging and innovative projects on this Ethereum-powered chain.

The $250k is divided into 2 builder award categories: Top Apps by Overall Engagement, and Top Apps by Overall Maturity. Both of these are then further subdivided into specific categories with their own prize pools. Next to prizes, teams may also receive an invitation to Basecamp and have their app spotlighted during the OCS Awards Ceremony.

The Top Apps by Overall Engagement category takes up the majority of the prize pool, with $200k split across the following 4 subcategories:

  • Top 5 Live Mini Apps
  • Top 5 Live Consumer Apps
  • Top 5 New Mini Apps
  • Top 5 New Consumer Apps

Each of these has their own $50k prize pool distributed to the top 4 teams in the subcategory. The first two include live mini apps and consumer apps launched before July 1, 2025, with winners determined based on user engagement, usage metrics, and onchain activity. The latter two rankings aim to reward newly-launched breakout projects that have shown impressive early metrics and have been built and released after July 1, 2025.

The prize pool distribution works the same in any of the 4 sub-categories:

  • 1st: $25,000
  • 2nd: $10,000
  • 3rd: $7,500
  • 4th: $5,000
  • 5th: $2,500

In the Top Apps by Overall Maturity category, the program looks to reward teams at various stages of their project development with a prize pool of $50k split across 3 subcategories:

  • Top 30 Early Stage Apps (<100 users)
  • Top 15 Emerging Apps (<5000 users)
  • Top 5 Established ( >5000 users)

If you have an early stage app with less than 100 users, you stand a chance at being among the top 30 projects to win $1k each. Next to the monetary prize, you will also be given dedicated support from the Base Core team.

For teams with a slightly bigger userbase but less than 5000 users, your emerging app could be among the top 15 to win $1k each and be given automatic entry into IncuBase, an on-chain startup incubator for Latin America and the US that begins this fall 2025.

The top 5 established teams building apps that already have more than 5000 users will earn $1k each alongside “social recognition” as well as direct support such as fundraising support and possibly other unannounced features to help your project continue to grow.

If you’re building on Base and fit in any of the rankings from the 2 main categories, you should apply as soon as possible, as the program is set to close on September 2. Here’s how to dive in.

How to Apply

To apply to Base’s Onchain Summer Awards, fill in the application form found on the program’s dedicated Devfolio page. You will have to sign up to Devfolio first using email, Google, GitHub, or Ethereum, to gain access to the application page.

The form will ask you to fill in a number of optional and mandatory fields, such as your project name, the project’s social media handle on X or Farcaster, and the project’s smart contract address, which should not be a token address. You can only submit one project.

With that, you’ve successfully applied to this developer program. Anyone can apply regardless of team size. In case the 1-5 team size number on the program page confuses you, the FAQ section clarifies by stating that you can only add up to 5 team members on your Devfolio submission, but there is no actual team size limit in place for the judging criteria.

Speaking of judging, the program will determine winners by evaluating a variety of onchain engagement data. This can include metrics such as transaction volume, interactions of new Base users, demand generated for Base Blockspace, Farcaster leaderboard ranking, interactions from repeat Base users, and more. Every metric is only measured on this L2 chain, and according to the FAQ, an existing project’s impact is measured from June 1 to August 25, while newly-launched projects have their impact measured from the day of launch to August 25. Winners are planned to be announced at some point in early September.

In order for metrics to be tracked properly, teams need to register their app on Base Build. Mini apps can now do so since August 12, while consumer apps now have the option since August 19.

About Base

Base is an Ethereum-powered Layer 2 blockchain that is designed to make dApps more accessible, scalable, and user-friendly. Built on Optimism’s OP Stack and made by Coinbase, this chain leverages rollup technology to offer fast, low-cost transactions while maintaining a high level of security tied to Ethereum’s mainnet. This combination of scalability and security makes Base an attractive platform for developers looking to build next-generation web3 apps, including DeFi projects, blockchain games, and social platforms.

With a focus on fostering community and innovation, this growing network supports a broad ecosystem by providing developer tools, robust infrastructure, and funding opportunities such as grants and awards programs while focusing on enabling a seamless user experience in order to onboard mainstream users to web3.

Last month, Fantasy Top migrated to Base in a major Layer 2 shift, while Hytopia is also making the switch to Base with their new $HYBUX token.