This document should be read in conjunction with the Polygon Improvement Proposal and PIP-8 framework.
The Polygon Improvement Proposal (PIP) process is an essential part of the development and maintenance of Polygon protocols. However, incentivizing contributions to PIPs can be challenging, as it is a voluntary and often time-consuming process. A bounty program can provide an extra incentive for developers to contribute to PIPs, leading to a more active and engaged community.
This program aims to outline an initiative for incentivizing the creation, submission, and successful finalization of PIPs.
We believe proposals that lead to improvements in the Polygon PoS protocol, and the Polygon protocols in general, should be rewarded.
We appreciate all the work that members of the Polygon community have done over time to improve the protocol. This bounty program aims to reward continued contributions that lead to the improvement of Polygon protocols and further the reach of the Polygon community.
We hope that the implementation of this proposal will allow for more inclusion in the Polygon protocols governance processes.
The Polygon protocols are constantly evolving and improving, with developers proposing new features and enhancements through the PIP process. However, the success of the PIP process depends on active community participation, and incentivizing contributions can be a challenge. This bounty program can provide additional motivation for developers and other community members to contribute to the creation of PIPs, leading to a more robust and secure protocol.
With a new POS validator governance module being integrated into snapshot and the renewed Polygon Improvement Proposals framework (PIP-1 & PIP-8), the community now has the tools to become more active in governance by creating proposals via the Polygon community Forum and the GitHub Repository.
A new bounty program will provide awards to the creators of successful Polygon Improvement Proposals that push the ecosystem forward.
These awards will be paid on an ad-hoc basis at the discretion of the Polygon Labs Governance team. The criteria for paying awards for PIP proposals will include the following factors, among others:
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Complexity and impact of the proposed PIP;
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Quality of the proposal, including clarity, completeness, documentation, and implementation;
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Timeliness of submitted proposals;
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Whether the proposer has followed the suggested guidelines of the PIP process and the proposal has been marked as FINAL;
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Whether the proposal has resulted directly or indirectly in an implementation;
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Whether the proposal adds significant value to ongoing governance discussions; and
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Whether the proposal has significantly bettered the Polygon community.
PIPs should relate to one or more of the following areas:
Improvements on core components such as Heimdall and Bor as well as changes that are not necessarily consensus critical but may be relevant to core components.
Improvements on the Core Contracts that are deployed on Ethereum.
Improvements around client API/RPC specifications and standards, and also certain language-level standards like method names and contract ABIs.
An Informational PIP describes a Polygon design issue, or provides general guidelines or information to the Polygon community, but does not propose a new feature. An informational PIP doesn't require validator consensus but may be adopted by the wider ecosystem, e.g., a new token standard. Informational PIPs do not necessarily represent Polygon community consensus or a recommendation, so users and implementers are free to ignore Informational PIPs or follow their advice.
Community, PIPs regarding improvements and ideas relating to the Polygon community will also be considered. These types of proposals should be less technical and be more aimed toward the betterment of the Polygon community.
$40,000 in total awards have been earmarked for 2023. The evaluation of submitted PIPs and the allocation of the awards take place once per quarter. the Polygon Labs Governance Team is responsible for the evaluation of the proposals and the allocation of funds.
The awards will be paid in USDC, and the awarded amounts will vary depending on the above-mentioned criteria, with larger awards for more complex and impactful PIPs.
Award recipients will be required to complete basic "know your customer" (KYC) checks before their awards are paid.
The bounty program will be advertised through various channels, including the Polygon community Forum, social media accounts, and Discord. The program will be open to all developers and community members and proposals will be reviewed by members of the Polygon Labs Governance team and experts from other Polygon Labs teams to ensure their quality and relevance. After the evaluation of the PIPs, the rationale behind the award of the bounty will be presented in public in the Polygon community Forum.
Read the Terms and Conditions here.
The Polygon Labs Governance team is responsible for reviewing the submitted proposals and will decide on the selected proposals and the remuneration once per quarter.
The selected proposals and proposed remuneration will be posted in a Forum post, accompanied by the reasoning of the team.