The ZKsync Association has announced an extraordinary airdrop of 3.6 billion tokens, setting a new standard for community rewards. This historic distribution, starting next week, will benefit 695,232 eligible wallets, prioritizing "real people first." Matter Labs, the creators of ZKsync, has designed this airdrop to acknowledge and incentivize the active participation of users and contributors in the Ethereum Layer 2 network.

With a total token supply of 21 billion, the 17.5% airdrop represents the largest token distribution from a Layer 2 network, demonstrating ZKsync's commitment to community empowerment. The airdrop will allocate 89% of the tokens to users, who have demonstrated significant transactional activity by the snapshot date, March 24, and 11% to contributors, including developers, researchers, and community members who have contributed to ZKsync's growth.

To ensure transparency and inclusivity, ZKsync has provided a wallet eligibility checker, allowing individuals to verify their eligibility for the airdrop. Notably, every airdropped token is immediately unlocked and transferable, without any vesting period. This decision reflects ZKsync's dedication to community governance, allocating 66% of the total ZK tokens to the community and 33% to investors and teams.

The ZKsync Association emphasized that awarding more tokens to the community is a deliberate choice, enabling them to direct protocol governance upgrades. The team tokens, allocated to Matter Labs and investors, will be distributed starting in June 2025, with a four-year vesting period ending in 2028. This decision follows the precedent set by StarkWare, which postponed its team unlock date due to community feedback.

The airdrop's focus on rewarding real people, rather than bots and sybil wallets, demonstrates ZKsync's commitment to authenticity and community engagement. The network employs rigorous criteria to identify and reward wallets with genuine on-chain activity, ensuring that the airdrop benefits those who have actively contributed to the ecosystem.

When asked about potential selling pressure due to the large number of unlocked tokens, Matter Labs CEO Alex Gluchowski emphasized that token holders are free to dispose of their tokens as they see fit. The primary goal is to encourage participation in governance, while also allowing those who wish to sell their tokens the freedom to do so. This pioneering approach to community rewards sets a new standard for blockchain networks, prioritizing the people who drive their growth and success.