In crypto, new network launches are typically followed by airdrop seasons. These “seasons” are periods when all the new projects that have successfully built applications on the network’s testnet get ready to launch them on mainnet. To spur activity and attract new users to their product, they airdrop an allocation of their native token to early adopters. 

For new projects, airdrops are a great way to attract attention and do a fair initial distribution of their native governance tokens. For users, they’re a great way to earn risk-free money by trying out new applications. The latest example of this is the launch of one of the most anticipated Layer 1 networks, Aptos, and the airdrop season that is coming up. 

Hunting for Aptos Airdrops

Before we dig into the best ways to capitalize on Aptos airdrop season, here is a short primer on the network. 

Aptos is a Proof-of-Stake-based Layer 1 blockchain that combines parallel transaction processing with a new smart contract language called Move to achieve very high transaction throughput. It’s built by Aptos Labs, a blockchain startup spearheaded by two former Meta employees, Mo Shaikh and Avery Ching. It is considered the technological successor of Meta’s abandoned blockchain project Diem, which is the main reason it has garnered a lot of early attention.

Aptos launched on mainnet on October 19 with an airdrop of 150 APT tokens (worth about $1,237 at the time) to users who took part in its incentivized testnet. Less than a month since, hundreds of new projects have either launched or announced their release on Aptos, with many hinting at potential airdrops. And while the majority of these airdrops have not yet been officially confirmed, many airdrop hunters have already started using applications in hopes of qualifying.

The best way to capitalize on this gold rush is to use as many Aptos applications as possible since many of them could retroactively reward their users with airdrops. You can start using the network and preparing for airdrop season with a small amount of capital to reduce your risk exposure; allocating a lower sum to airdrop hunting strategies is unlikely to exclude you from potential opportunities. Aptos News provides a Notion page with an extensive list of live and upcoming applications on Aptos. You can filter for the projects that are already live on mainnet and then go through them to see whether they have plans to launch tokens.

To help you kickstart your Aptos journey and potentially walk away with a nice profit, we’ve put together a short step-by-step guide that could help you secure tokens from some projects that are rumored for upcoming airdrops.  

1. Get an Aptos Wallet

The first step in this process is to download a crypto wallet that supports Aptos. Currently, the two most popular wallets are Martian and Pontem. Download and install both, as some Aptos applications only support one and not the other. Besides, both wallets are rumored to launch their own tokens, but to qualify you’ll have to follow different steps.

For Martian, after you download the Chrome extension and create your wallet, visit this webpage, change the network from inside your wallet to the Devnet, acquire some devnet APT tokens, and mint the free Martian NFT. Holding this NFT will increase your chances of receiving a potential airdrop from the project soon.

To qualify for the Pontem airdrop, which has been officially confirmed, you’ll first need to download the Pontem Chrome extension, create your wallet, and bridge some tokens to Aptos. 

2. Bridge USDC using the Aptos Bridge

We recommend bridging a stablecoin like USDC using LayerZero’s Aptos Bridge. There’s a good chance that you’ll kill two birds with one stone doing this, as LayerZero is also rumored to launch its own token. 

To move USDC to Aptos, go to the Aptos Bridge, connect your MetaMask wallet on Ethereum and your Pontem wallet on Aptos, select the amount of USDC you want to move from Ethereum to Aptos and click “transfer.” In a few minutes, you’ll have USDC in your Pontem wallet on Aptos. This should help qualify you for the LayerZero airdrop.

3. Trade on Liquidswap

To qualify for the Pontem airdrop, you’ll need to use the project’s decentralized exchange on Aptos, Liquidswap. Before you can do this, however, you’ll need to acquire some APT tokens, as you’ll need them to pay the gas fees to transact on Aptos. Currently, the only way to do this is by using centralized exchanges like Binance, Coinbase, or FTX and then withdrawing the APT to your Pontem wallet on Aptos.

After you’ve got some APT, you can go on Liquidswap and make a simple swap to hopefully qualify for the Pontem airdrop. For example, if you want more exposure to APT, you can swap the USDC you bridged from Ethereum for APT, which should be enough to qualify you for the airdrop. However, to increase your chances even further, it could also be a good idea to provide liquidity. Since you should already have USDC and APT on Aptos if you followed the previous steps, you can provide liquidity in the APT/USDC pool on the exchange. To do this, click on the “Pools” option in the top right-hand corner of Liquidswap’s homepage, select APT and USDC as your desired tokens, and then click “Provide Liquidity.” You can stop providing liquidity at any time, but it would be wise to keep doing it until the airdrop is distributed.

4. Buy Aptos Monkeys or Aptomingos NFTs

Enchanter Finance is another decentralized exchange on Aptos that has confirmed an airdrop. To qualify for this one, you’ll have to purchase NFTs from either the Aptos Monkeys or the Aptomingos collections and follow the steps outlined in the team’s official airdrop guide. This airdrop campaign is set to start in the following days, so make sure you keep tabs on the project’s social media accounts for updates. It’s also a good idea to do a simple swap or provide liquidity on the exchange in case they decide to retroactively reward their users in the future.

5. Trade on Cetus Protocol 

To cover all bases, consider swapping and providing liquidity on the Cetus Protocol decentralized exchange, as it’s another project rumored to launch a token soon. The process is effectively the same as swapping or adding liquidity on Liquidswap and Enchanter Finance.

6. Start liquid staking on Tortuga

Another project you should consider using is the Aptos liquid staking protocol Tortuga. While it has yet to officially confirm an airdrop, Tortuga has announced plans to launch its own token, which it will distribute to its users. To qualify for a potential Tortuga airdrop, you can stake APT for the yield-bearing tAPT token on Tortuga’s liquid staking application and then provide liquidity for the APT/tAPT trading pair on the AUX decentralized exchange on Aptos.

Final Thoughts

As many of the potential airdrop opportunities are unconfirmed, there is a good chance that some of them may not materialize. Furthermore, it’s worth considering that the Aptos ecosystem is still in its early stages, and the applications built on it may be prone to bugs or hacks. This is especially true for decentralized exchanges, which may experience liquidity issues or suffer from platform-wide outages.

With that said, hunting for Aptos airdrops using only small amounts should outweigh the inherent risks of using the nascent Layer 1 network and its smart contract-based protocols. As Aptos airdrop season approaches, there’s every reason to follow our guide and get stuck in. 

Disclosure: At the time of writing, the author of this piece owned ETH and several other cryptocurrencies.