IncentedProgram Design Guide
Design powerful incentive programs with the right structure for your goals
Before you open the creation wizard, think about what you're trying to achieve. The same building blocks can create a 7-day meme contest or a year-long research grants program - it's all in how you combine them.
This guide helps you design programs that match your goals.
The Building Blocks
Every program is a combination of four choices:
| Choice | Question | Options |
|---|---|---|
| Structure | How do you pick winners? | Top X or Quorum |
| Rhythm | One-time or recurring? | Single cycle or Cyclical |
| Award Model | How do winners get paid? | Fixed / Split / Milestone |
| Tokens | What tokens for voting and awards? | Same or different |
Program Structures
How should winners be chosen?
Top X
"Fund the best 5 projects." The top X submissions win based on net votes. Use this when you have limited slots and want competition.
Best for: Contests, hackathons, "best of" selections, ranked competitions.
Quorum-Based
"Fund anything good enough." Any submission reaching the approval threshold wins. Use this when quality matters more than competition.
Best for: Grants, governance proposals, idea validation, community curation.
Program Rhythm
Is this a one-time thing or ongoing?
Single Cycle
One round: submissions open, voting happens, rewards distributed, done. The program ends after settlement.
Best for: Hackathons, one-time contests, project-specific funding, pilots.
Cyclical (Recurring)
The program repeats on a schedule. Each cycle has its own submissions, voting, and payouts.
Best for: Ongoing bounties, regular grant rounds, recurring community rewards.
Cycle length shapes behavior. Short cycles (3-7 days) create urgency and frequent engagement. Longer cycles (14-30 days) allow for more thoughtful, polished submissions.
Award Models
How should winners get paid?
| Model | How It Works | Best For |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed | Every winner gets the same amount | Bounties, clear expectations upfront |
| Split Equal | Pool divided equally among winners | Fair distribution, collaborative programs |
| Split Proportional | Higher-voted winners get more | Merit-based, competitive differentiation |
| Milestone | Contributors propose deliverables with budgets | Project grants, longer-term work with accountability |
For Milestone programs: Enable Application Amount Limit to cap how much any single submission can request. Helps spread funding across more projects.
Token Setup
Programs use two tokens - they can be the same or different:
- Voting Token - What voters stake to vote (and get rewarded in)
- Award Token - What winners get paid in
Same token for both: Simpler economics. Works well for DAOs where one token handles everything.
Different tokens: Separates voting from payment. Common pattern: governance/reputation token for voting, stablecoin for awards.
Templates
Not sure where to start? Here are proven configurations for common use cases:
Meme Contest
Fast-paced creative competition with fixed prizes.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Structure | Top 4 |
| Award Model | Fixed (25 USDC each) |
| Rhythm | Single cycle (7 days) |
| Submission / Voting | 5 days / 2 days |
| Slash % | 5% |
Research Grants
Quality-based funding for serious projects.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Structure | Quorum 60% |
| Award Model | Milestone |
| Rhythm | Cyclical (monthly) |
| Submission / Voting | 21 days / 7 days |
| Slash % | 12% |
| Application Limit | 25,000 USDC |
Weekly Bounties
Ongoing task completion with recurring rewards.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Structure | Top 5 |
| Award Model | Split Proportional |
| Rhythm | Cyclical (weekly) |
| Submission / Voting | 5 days / 2 days |
| Slash % | 8% |
Community DAO Governance
Proposal approval with community tokens.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Structure | Quorum 51% |
| Award Model | Split Equal |
| Rhythm | Cyclical (bi-weekly) |
| Voting/Award Token | Same ($DAO) |
| Submission / Voting | 10 days / 4 days |
| Slash % | 15% |
Design Competition
Creative challenge with standout recognition.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Structure | Top 3 |
| Award Model | Split Proportional |
| Rhythm | Single cycle |
| Submission / Voting | 14 days / 5 days |
| Slash % | 10% |
Quick Reference
Rules of thumb for common decisions:
Match Rhythm to Attention
| Goal | Cycle Length |
|---|---|
| High engagement, frequent activity | 3-7 days |
| Thoughtful work, quality focus | 14-30 days |
| Major initiatives | 30+ days |
Match Structure to Intent
| Intent | Structure |
|---|---|
| "Select the best X" | Top X |
| "Fund everything good" | Quorum |
| "Compete for limited slots" | Top X |
| "Quality over competition" | Quorum |
Match Awards to Motivation
| Motivation | Award Model |
|---|---|
| Clear expectations | Fixed |
| Fairness and equality | Split Equal |
| Merit-based differentiation | Split Proportional |
| Project delivery | Milestone |
Calibrate Slashing
| Environment | Slash % | Effect |
|---|---|---|
| Casual, exploratory | 0-5% | Low friction |
| Balanced incentives | 5-15% | Standard |
| High-stakes decisions | 15-25% | Serious consideration |
Creative Combinations
The building blocks combine in interesting ways:
"Quality gate with merit rewards" - Quorum 60% + Split Proportional. Everything above threshold wins, but better submissions get more. Best of both worlds.
"Rolling bounties with accountability" - Top 5 + Weekly + Milestone. Weekly competitions where winners submit deliverables to get paid. Keeps things moving.
"Community curation fund" - Quorum 51% + Fixed (small amount) + Cyclical. Any community-approved content gets a small reward. Scales infinitely.