The story of ZKsync has always been about scalability, decentralization, and building a better way forward for Web3.

With the expansion of the Elastic Network, governance shifts, and a new era of interconnected ZK Chains, the community plays a greater role than ever. This evolution brings new opportunities for contributors to engage, shape discussions, and drive ecosystem growth.

That’s where the ZKsync Community Program comes in: a structured six-month initiative designed to empower contributors, reward meaningful participation, and provide clear pathways for community members to play an active role in expanding the ecosystem.

With over 5 million ZK tokens funded by ZKsync Foundation and allocated to Gitcoin for distribution over the next six months, the program ensures that active community contributors are recognized and rewarded monthly based on their engagement, impact, and participation. Eligibility criteria, including the roles and responsibilities of participants, will be outlined by Gitcoin as part of the program’s rollout.

Who Can Participate and How Are Rewards Distributed?

The ZKsync Community Program is designed to recognize key contributors who actively support and grow the ecosystem. Eligibility is based on designated community roles within the program, which include:

🔹 Community Moderators – Maintaining and moderating a welcoming and informed environment across Discord and other platforms.

🔹 Captains – Leading discussions, mentoring members, and organizing key initiatives.

🔹 Mateys – Actively participating in campaigns, amplifying messages, and onboarding new users.

Contributions will be assessed monthly through a structured self-reporting process, where participants submit their activities via a dedicated form. These reports will be reviewed by Gitcoin — managing the program — in collaboration with Community Moderators and verified against engagement data from community platforms, including activity metrics, event participation, and interaction logs. This evaluation ensures that contributions meet the program’s criteria before rewards are distributed at the end of each month.

How Participants Will Contribute

The program offers structured activities designed to strengthen engagement and ecosystem growth. Participants will be able to:

🔹 Engage in community discussions to help onboard new users and maintain an active, positive environment.

🔹 Take part in ecosystem campaigns and weekly activities to play games, participate to new launches, help spread awareness and support the Elastic Network, ZK Chains, and dApps.

🔹 Join Squads, dedicated working groups focused on areas like Governance, Security, Onboarding, and Event Coordination.

🔹 Host and participate in community events and AMAs to drive meaningful engagement.

Who Manages the Program?

The ZKsync Community Program will be managed collaboratively to ensure fairness, transparency, and efficiency throughout its six-month duration:

🔹 Gitcoin – Responsible for program ideation, execution, rewards distribution, and participant evaluations, ensuring a structured and transparent process.

🔹 Discord Admins – Supporting community engagement by facilitating discussions, assisting contributors, and ensuring smooth day-to-day operations.

🔹 Community Moderators – Helping onboard new participants, maintaining a positive and constructive environment, and guiding contributors through the program’s structure.

This management structure ensures that the program remains well-organized, scalable, and effectively supports all participants as they take an active role in the ZKsync ecosystem.

What Makes The Program Unique?

A decentralized ecosystem grows with its community, shaping the future through participation and collaboration.

🔹 Opportunities to Grow – Through structured activities, advocacy, and ecosystem engagement, the community actively contributes to expansion.

🔹 Community Ownership – A step toward a more aligned community model where participation actively shapes the ecosystem.

🔹 Transparency and Fairness – Managed by Gitcoin, ensuring an open and fair process that includes community contributions from early 2024. Eligibility criteria and selection processes will be communicated by Gitcoin.

🔹 Expanding Local Communities – The program supports localized communities, known as Elastic Teams, starting with ZK Amigos in Argentina. These teams focus on regional engagement, education, and ecosystem growth, creating stronger connections between local users and the broader ZKsync network.

What does that mean for you?

🔹 Be part of the growth – The Elastic Network is introducing new ZK Chains and dApps every day. This program gives the community opportunities to contribute to its development.

🔹 New ways to participate and be rewarded – Whether by joining ecosystem campaigns, supporting new users, or helping shape discussions, the program provides clear roles and incentives.

🔹 A future-proof community – This program strengthens the role of the community in the Elastic Network’s ongoing expansion.

🔹 A path to governance – Over the next six months, the community will have direct opportunities to influence the future of the program through Squads, structured governance discussions, and surveys. Community input will shape improvements to fairness, reward structures, and long-term participation models, ensuring the program evolves based on real needs.

What Does the Onboarding Process Look Like?

The onboarding process, managed by Gitcoin, will assess the eligibility of participants before they officially join the program. Once onboarded, participants will:

🔹 Gain access to structured activities, Squads, and engagement opportunities.

🔹 Start contributing through discussions, ecosystem campaigns, and community initiatives.

🔹 Receive guidance on how to track and report their contributions to qualify for rewards.

Gitcoin will provide further details on onboarding and reporting guidelines, ensuring participants have everything needed to engage effectively from day one.

What’s Next?

• March 5 – The Community Program details will be communicated by Gitcoin, and available on the ZKsync Community Hub. A dedicated Q&A channel will also open on Discord, providing a space for the community to ask questions and get insights.

• March 7 – A Discord AMA at 4PM UTC will offer a deep dive into the program, its roles, and the rewards structure. The onboarding process will officially begin, inviting eligible participants to start their journey in the program.

This is just the beginning: how far the program grows depends on the community. Get ready to participate, contribute, and help shape the future of ZKsync! 🚀