The First Month of Sophon Yapper Rewards: Insights and Distribution
As the first season of the Sophon Yapper Leaderboard ends, we wanted to share insights into how rewards will be distributed, highlight exceptional contributions, and outline our vision for the future of this initiative.
The Vision Behind Our Approach
When we launched the Sophon Yapper Leaderboard, our goal was clear: to reward genuine, thoughtful engagement around Sophon's ecosystem. Instead of only focusing on network activity, we wanted to recognize those who contribute meaningfully to the conversation around Sophon, and Kaito has been a perfect venue for helping us do this.
This approach aligns with our broader philosophy that value should flow to those who create it. Our goal is to reward quality content and engagement while building a community of informed advocates rather than incentivizing superficial participation.
Reward Structure and Distribution
For this first month, we're distributing $27,500 in rewards based on a tiered structure that recognizes both consistent performance and standout contributions (This months rewards distribution equals ~20% of our total Yapper rewards pool, leaving the remaining ~80% to be distributed over the next two months)
| Rank | Winners | Reward per Winner | Subtotal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 1 | $2,500 | $2,500 |
| 2nd | 1 | $2,000 | $2,000 |
| 3rd | 1 | $1,500 | $1,500 |
| 4–10 | 7 | $750 | $5,250 |
| 11–20 | 10 | $400 | $4,000 |
| 21–30 | 10 | $300 | $3,000 |
| 31–50 | 20 | $150 | $3,000 |
Additionally, we've allocated:
- $6,250 for Wildcards (exceptional memes, threads, videos, etc.) and high effort contributors within and outside of the top 50.
See the full reward distribution breakdown in this Google Sheets.
How we approached rewards with time-weighted averaging
Rather than using simple point in time snapshots, we've worked with the Kaito team to implement time-weighted averaging that measures consistent engagement throughout the month. We took your average mindshare throughout the month to figure out how you were placed in the top 50 leaderboard. Sophon team members were excluded from this list.
This approach:
- Rewards sustained, meaningful participation
- Reduces the impact of last-minute participation spikes
- Better reflects genuine community engagement over time
This methodology ensures we're recognizing those who have maintained consistent mindshare within the community, rather than those who might attempt to game the system with short bursts of activity.
Addressing AI Generated & Low-Effort Content
We've noticed a increase in AI-generated content across X. While AI tools can enhance quality & creativity, we're now detecting and reducing rewards for:
- Mass-produced content lacking original insights
- Generic "yap farming" posts that tag multiple projects without adding value
- Spammy content that doesn't contribute to meaningful discussions
Accounts identified as producing such content have been removed from our leaderboard.
Based on the analytics from Kaito we noticed a lot of gaming happening to manipulate the leaderboard around the 40-60 ranks, to counteract this we gave a higher distribution of rewards to the top 10 as they are seen to post higher quality content thus gaining a larger mindshare.
Believe you've been incorrectly flagged? Submit an appeal: https://forms.gle/GuU8dDnBgHM7bEQs5
Our focus remains on authentic, thoughtful engagement that advances understanding of Sophon and contributes meaningfully to our community.
Wildcard Winners
Beyond the leaderboard rankings, we wanted to highlight exceptional contributions that might not be fully captured by metrics alone. Our wildcard winners for this month include:
- Stephen Kocoski (@StephenKocoski) for consistently putting out quality content & visuals that align exceptionally well with Sophon’s brand identity & tone of voice
- Seymirel (@Seymirel) for being a strong voice in the Sophon community and putting together long-form videos that educate through the Sophon realm
- papiofficial (@Shmula) for a high-quality podcast with Seb & associated coverage of Sophon
- Q (@qgmeta) for genuine, high-quality commentary on the Sophon ecosystem
- Kool Crypto (@koolcryptovc) for consistently featuring Sophon in his livestreams, and helping other creators get up to speed about Sophon.
- @lauda7916 created a beautiful, custom SOPHON WATCH (we have verified it’s legitimacy, and are ordering some for the team!!)
- Bahram (@0xUncleB) Set up the Sophon X community which has grown to over 1k members
- Mad Vincent (@MadVincent666) from Madlads for actively engaging with both the Sophon and Madlad communities uniting both together
- The Crypto Professor (@TheCryptoProfes) for creating an indepth video review on Sophon and two articles
- Travis (@ProofOfTravis) for being an active supporter and setting an example for the type of content we want to see from the Sophon community
| Wildcard Winner | Payout |
|---|---|
| Stephen Kocoski | $500 |
| Seymirel | $1,000 |
| papiofficial | $1,000 |
| Q | $250 |
| Kool Crypto | $750 |
| lauda7916 | $250 |
| Bahram | $500 |
| Mad Vincent | $500 |
| The Crypto Professor | $500 |
| ProofOfTravis | $1000 |
| TOTAL | $6250 |
Each wildcard winner will receive a payout based on the impact and recognition of their unique contributions.
Looking Ahead to Month Two
As we move into the second month, we're excited to announce:
- The same structured approach to rewards
- An expanded reward pool as we roll over remaining funds from month one. We feel this is the right approach, as it allows us to gather feedback and optimize the exact distribution methodology - ensuring the majority of rewards flow to the most deserving.
- Continued focus on quality over quantity
- Additional opportunities for specialized content creation
Month one has been a great success, with Sophon holding a top3 spot on Kaito’s Pre-TGE leaderboard throughout. We will keep optimizing the campaign as we go, to make sure the remaining $120k in rewards go to the right creators.
Join the Conversation
If you haven't already joined the Sophon Yapper Leaderboard, there's no better time than now. The community is growing, the conversations are deepening, and the opportunities to contribute are expanding.
Check your current ranking and learn more at https://yaps.kaito.ai/sophon.
Always verify you're interacting with an official Sophon account, domain, or team member at verify.sophon.xyz
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