We're publishing this post to formally close out the Linea Exponent program, provide a full account of outcomes, and make sure every participating team and their communities has the clear, factual information they need.

The Program

Linea Exponent ran from November 4, 2025 to January 30, 2026 – a three-month growth competition open to any projects deployed on Linea. Rankings were determined by verified onchain transactions from wallets that had completed Proof of Humanity verification through Sumsub.

The Winners

The teams below are officially recognized as Linea Exponent winners. Rankings reflect verified onchain transactions from Proof of Humanity verified wallets over the program duration, after sybil exclusion.

Thank you to each of these teams for building on Linea throughout the campaign.

Reward Distribution

How rewards were calculated

The prize pool totalled $250,000, split across established and new app categories. Rewards were distributed in LINEA tokens, with the token allocation for each tier calculated using a two-week average market price (TWAP) of LINEA for the period immediately before the campaign end date of January 30, 2026.

As with all token-denominated reward programs, the effective USD value at the time of receipt can vary based on market conditions. We acknowledge that by the time distributions were completed, the market price of LINEA had moved, resulting in a lower effective USD value at the point of receipt. This was not the outcome we intended, and we understand the frustration it caused.

Why did distribution take longer than expected?

We recognize that the distribution took longer than expected. The timeline was shaped by mandatory KYC/AML screenings and US tax compliance requirements, processes that are thorough by necessity and cannot be rushed. These are legal requirements for any prize distribution of this scale and cannot be bypassed or expedited. Distributions were processed on a rolling basis as each team completed their requirements.

All teams who completed the necessary compliance steps have received their full allocation. The deadline for submitting compliance documentation has now passed and no further distributions will be made.

We acknowledge that we could have communicated the compliance requirements and their implications for timing more clearly from the outset. That’s on us, and it’s something we’ll address in any future program.

Ecosystem rewards

→ Web3Auth & Infura: As part of the program, Linea awarded 40 coupons across the top Exponent winners, each free for 12 months: 

• 10 × Infura Team ($225/month)

• 10 × Infura Developer ($50/month)

• 10 × Web3Auth Growth ($69/month)

• 10 × Web3Auth Growth ($69/month)

This represents roughly $89,160 in total list-price value. All coupons have been distributed to eligible winners. If you haven’t received yours, reach out directly and we’ll resolve it.

→ Liquidity and Ecosystem Partnership: In the original program, we referenced liquidity and launch support as part of the broader rewards package. After reviewing program outcomes, we’ve decided not to extend these. The activity Exponent generated didn’t translate into an organic usage that justifies a liquidity commitment from Linea, and we’d rather be honest about that than extend support that wouldn’t be well-placed.   

→ Leaderboard visibility: The Exponent leaderboard spotlighted participating projects throughout the campaign, providing ongoing visibility across the Linea ecosystem. Winners were featured across Linea's channels during the program period.

On Leaderboard Integrity

The Exponent leaderboard was designed with fairness as a core principle. Verified user transactions required wallets to have completed Proof of Humanity verification through Sumsub - confirming both liveness and uniqueness. A per-user weighting system was also applied to prevent transaction looping:

• First 10 transactions per verified wallet per app per day = 100% weight

• Next 10 transactions = 20% weight

• Beyond 20 = excluded

We monitored onchain activity throughout the program for suspicious patterns. Where anomalies were identified, they were assessed against the methodology. We stand behind the integrity of the final leaderboard results.

A Final word

We know this program did not conclude in the way every team had hoped, and we take the feedback from our builder community seriously. The delays, the token price movement, and the communication gaps along the way created real challenges for teams and their communities, and we're sorry for that.

What we can say clearly is this: the program was run with integrity, the leaderboard reflected genuine verified user activity, and every eligible participant received their full token allocation in accordance with the methodology that was applied.

Thank you.

— The Linea Team