Interested in Qualifying for the zkSync Airdrop? Here's how

zkSync has been making waves lately, with a supposed "regenesis" slated to be taking place for the zkSync 2.0 testent on 8 Feb, which will feature key updates for Account Abstraction, SDKs, and general L1 (Layer 1) contracts. 

For those who are yet unfamiliar with the protocol, zkSync is a ZK (zero-knowledge) scaling solution on the Ethereum blockchain that primarily aims to boost transaction speeds and lower gas fees for transactions on the Ethereum chain by bridging these activities into a L2 environment. Users will be able to interact with their assets via DApps in this L2 environment, such as minting NFTs or swapping tokens. 

zkSync has declared its intention to be "community-owned" and its 2.0 version will be focused on providing a L2 environment that is EVM (Ethereum Virtual Machine) compatible for projects and teams. Amongst its purported benefits for developers, zkSync2.0 will allow for the redeployment of projects on to zkSync with little to no changes to the base code, such as Solidity, and without having to learn new programming languages. 

An Incoming zkSync Airdrop?

A staggering $458 million has been raised by the protocol so far in mission-driven funding, and has confirmed that a zkSync token will be released in the future. While an Airdrop for these tokens has not been confirmed even following this announcement, the "community-driven" approach adopted by the protocol does hint to us that it is still nevertheless possible for these tokens to be distributed amongst the public once the token is launched. 

How do I qualify for the zkSync Airdrop?

To stand the best chances of qualifying for the zkSync airdrop, there are five broad tasks that users are recommended to participate in, which will be outlined in this article. 

Step 1: Activating your wallet on the zkSync Mainnet

To qualify for the zkSync airdrop, first you should activate your zkSync wallet on Bitget Wallet (Previously Bitget Wallet (Previously BitKeep)). This will allow you to begin bridging and depositing funds into the zkSync mainnet. To do so, simply select the mainnet option at the top right corner of your home screen before selecting + Add Mainnet. Enter "zkSync" in the search field and connect to it. Congratulations, you have now activated your Bitget Wallet (Previously Bitget Wallet (Previously BitKeep)) wallet on the zkSync Mainnet! 

Next, add some ETH into your wallet using Bitget Wallet (Previously Bitget Wallet (Previously BitKeep)) wallet's integrated swap function. Alternatively, you may also opt to bridge your existing funds over to the wallet via Orbiter Finance, an exchange platform partnered with zkSync. You may access this protocol by tapping on "DApp" at the bottom of the Bitget Wallet (Previously Bitget Wallet (Previously BitKeep)) wallet interface, and then entering "Orbiter Finance" in the search field.

Doing so will automatically synchronise your Bitget Wallet (Previously Bitget Wallet (Previously BitKeep)) Wallet to Orbiter Finance. 

If you do not have any crypto funds available, you may also opt to purchase some ETH directly using Bitget Wallet (Previously Bitget Wallet (Previously BitKeep)) wallet's overt-the-counter (OTC) purchase function by selecting "buy" on your Bitget Wallet (Previously Bitget Wallet (Previously BitKeep)) Wallet's home interface. 

Simply select "Buy" on your Bitget Wallet (Previously Bitget Wallet (Previously BitKeep)) Wallet home screen, and choose to purchase ETH. 

Once your transfer has been logged, it should not take too long for the transaction to be confirmed. 

Next, swap some of your ETH into a token of your choice, such as DAI. Again, do ensure that the network has also been changed to zkSync via the select network dropdown list on Bitget Wallet (Previously Bitget Wallet (Previously BitKeep)) wallet's interface. You may also use the Orbiter Finance DApp to do so. 

Hit "Swap" and await the confirmation of the swap order. 

Step 2: Minting an NFT

The next step would be to mint an NFT on zkSync. To do this, simply access an NFT storage platform like NFT.Storage or Pinata, and register for an account with your email address. Upload an image of your choice and copy the CID (hash-based Content Identifier) code of the image and head over to the zkSync website. 

Once on the zkSync website, go under the "learn" tab on the website and select "zkSync v1 Wallet" and connect your wallet to the website. On the interface, select the "NFTs" tab and paste your earlier CID on to the corresponding field. 

Authorise and sign the transaction on your wallet (this will involve a small amount of gas), and await the successful confirmation of your NFT mint. Once the transaction goes through, it should appear on your wallet as a minted NFT. At this point, the transaction history on your wallet should reflect both your earlier token swap as well as the successful NFT mint. 

Step 3: Making a donation on Gitcoin 

Gitcoin is a protocol for both coders and developers to work on open-sourced software in exchange for monetary incentives. Users may also submit their own projects and ideas on to the platform to procure crowdsourced funding from willing donors. 

As the protocol adhered to a KYC policy, it is necessary to establish your passport and undergo several identity verification requirements to obtain your Gitcoin passport. Once that has been completed, select "grants" under the "Products" tab, which will bring you to the page where projects receive funds from donors. 

This is a similar process that qualified users for the Optimism airdrop, which also required users to participate in donating to projects. Explore the available projects on Gitcoin, which should display statistics on the projects such as the total funds they have respectively raised, Total Value Locked (TVL), as well as the project outline. This is also a good way to immerse yourself in up-and-coming projects on the ecosystem, as well as perhaps even help you brainstorm for future ideas that you may be interested in pursuing yourself. 

Select "Add to Cart" once you have decided on a project to donate to, and select the checkout option. Select any amount that you are willing to donate (even $1 would suffice), and select "zkSync Checkout" under the checkout dropdown list. 

Proceed with the checkout once you have done so, and connect your wallet to complete the donation transaction. 

At the time of your reading of this guide, the Gitcoin fundraising round may not be available. Typically, Gitcoin rounds are held quarterly throughout the year and will last for slightly over 3 weeks each time. 

Step 4: Interacting with the zkSync2.0 Testnet 

While there may be limited DApps that are live currently on the zkSync2.0 testnet, you may find a list of live projects here. On the upside, some of these DApps may even reward early users, although this is of course subject to the own internal strategies of these protocols. 

To begin doing so, request a faucet here by tweeting an assigned message using your Twitter account. After you have done so, testnet tokens should be transferred over to your address. 

Once you have obtained the testnet tokens, head over back to the zkSync home page and select "zkSync v2 Portal" under the "Learn" main tab. You will be brought to your account balance page, and it should reflect the testnet tokens you have received from the faucet earlier. 

Bridge the tokens over from Ethereum Goerli (Testnet2) to zkSync Goerli (Testnet2). This transaction may take up to 5 minutes depending on the network congestion. With these testnet tokens, you can begin interacting with the protocols on the testnet. 

Do bear in mind that as some of the applications listed may not be fully functional as of yet, you may have to spend some time sourcing for one that is currently available for use on zkSync2.0. 

To save you some time instead of rummaging through the pile of protocols, we have selected this website that works. On Mute.switch, perform some swaps on the protocol, which will be reflected on the blockchain. It is recommended to perform at least two swaps to increase your chances for qualifying for the airdrop. You may also opt to add to existing liquidity pools. The point here is to interact with the protocol and explore its features, so do take some time to play around with it as you wish. 

Once you have performed several transactions on the protocol, head over the zkSync block explorer and connect to the Goerli (Testnet2) network. Input your wallet address in the appropriate field and it should reflect your interactions with the protocol. 

Step 5: Participating in the zkSync Community

The final step of qualifying for the airdrop would be to interact and participate in zkSync's Twitter and Discord communities. This could look like attending Twitterspace AMA sessions, and collecting any POAPs or NFTs when they are available. The zkSync team is fairly active on Twitter, and it would be good to drop a quick listen to their past AMAs to find out more about the team's vision and technical infrastructure behind zkSync. 

This concludes Bitget Wallet (Previously Bitget Wallet (Previously BitKeep))'s guide on qualifying for zkSync's airdrop! 

Closing Words

While an airdrop is technically not yet confirmed, following this guide will guarantee that you stand the highest chance of qualifying for one in the event that it does take place. Nevertheless, based on zkSync's community-driven approach, it is fairly probable that it may occur, so do ensure that you perform all the necessary steps beforehand to qualify for it, while ensuring that your interactions and transactions have been successfully logged on chain via the zkSync block explorer and your wallet transaction history. 

That sums up this guide for qualifying for the zkSync airdrop, and best of luck to everyone out there.