One neutral calendar of the tournaments exchanges actually run — with real dates, prize pools as announced and as distributed, who can enter, and six years of history. BuyCrypt does not run these events; we track them so you can decide with facts.
Exchange tournaments are real money, high variance and often geo-restricted. BuyCrypt tournaments run the same leaderboard mechanics on simulated capital — practice the format, then measure yourself.
Statuses are recomputed from official dates every night. Anything without a confirmed date is marked expected — inferred from the event's yearly cycle, not announced.
BinanceTop 5: 15,000→5,000 USDC; ranks 6–20 split 50K; 21–50 split 50K; 51–200 split 80K; 201–1,000 split 70K; remaining share 100K capped 60 USDC/user; two Sprint rounds. Min 500 USD volume.
ToobitEarly Bird 50K; Race to Victory 840K; Team Championship 1.5M (six themed teams); Solo Championship 600K (top 300, min 50 USDT balance + 30,000 USDT volume); social 10K
HTXVolume leaderboard 50% / PnL 30% / PnL% 20%; no separate registration; KYC; min 10,000 USDT balance and 3,000,000 USDT cumulative volume
MEXCTeam competition 1.5M USDT; daily volume leaderboard up to 28,571 USDT/day; stock-futures PnL-rate rewards up to 100,000 USDT in XAUT; pool split: Lucky Spin 60%, volume leaderboard 20%, team PnL 15%, stock PnL-rate 5%; individual boards need 20,000 USDT USDT-M futures volume. Early bird from 19 Aug.
BitgetRegistration 26 Aug – 22 Sep; early bird 26–30 Aug; team formation 26 Aug – 8 Sep; Team Battle + Individual Challenge (UEX Arena) 9–22 Sep (UTC+8); results 23–24 Sep. Multi-asset: crypto futures + TradFi perpetuals + spot rTokens on one PnL leaderboard. Pool: UEX Arena up to 2M, Treasure Map up to 600K, Captain 100K, Early Bird 200K, Livestream 100K. Eligibility ≥100 USDT balance; rewards need ≥30,000 USDT futures volume.
OKXCrypto leaderboard 900,000 USDT in trading bonuses (top 50, needs 1,000,000 USDT volume); xStocks & equity-perps leaderboard 100,000 USDT in xStocks (top 10, 100,000 USDT volume); TradingView connection bonus 5,000 USDT (first 500). Registration 25 Aug – 30 Sep.
Bybit
BitMEX
LBank
KuCoin
PhemexMEXCBinanceBybitThe flagship tournaments repeat on a schedule — which is why previews can be planned months ahead. Shaded months are the usual window.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEXC Anniversaryevery year | ||||||||||||
| Bitget KCGIevery year | ||||||||||||
| KuCoin Crypto Cupevery year | ||||||||||||
| Bybit WSOTevery year | ||||||||||||
| Binance Alphaevery month | ||||||||||||
| Bybit seriesevery month | ||||||||||||
 Dukascopyevery month |
Announced prize pools of the two flagship series, by edition. Original chart from our data — announced figures; see the note on distributed amounts below.
2020 → 2025, USD
2022 → 2026, USD (2022 = distributed)
Ranked by the announced ("up to") pool. Announced ≠ paid out: many pools are dynamic and unlock with participant count or volume. Where a distributed figure is known we show it.
Bybit WSOT 2024 (5th)Bybit · 2024 · ~85,000 (secondary-source estimate, unverified)Bybit WSOT 2025 (6th)Bybit · 2025 · 520,451 traders from 202 countries; $172.8B volume; 1,474 squads (+288% YoY); 350,000+ registrationsMEXC Ferrari GiveawayMEXC · 2024MEXC 8th Anniversary Futures Team CompetitionMEXC · 2026
BingX 8-Year Anniversary $10MBingX · 2025
Aster Double Harvest + Stage 4Aster · 2025MEXC Win: Infinity ArenaMEXC · 2026Bybit WSOT 2022 (3rd)Bybit · 2022 · ~70,000 (2x 2021)Bybit WSOT 2023 (4th)Bybit · 2023Bitget KCGI 2025 (6th)Bitget · 2025 · 120,197 participants; record 1,620 teams; 100+ countriesBitget KCGI 2024 (5th)Bitget · 2024 · 51,000+ (historical total)LBank World Cup Super LeagueLBank · 2026Every edition we could source, oldest to newest. Missing cells mean the organizer never published the number — we do not fill gaps with estimates.
| Event | Dates | Announced | Distributed | Participants | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bybit WSOT 2020 (1st) | Aug–Sep 2020 | $1.27M (100 BTC + 90,000 USDT) | 12,368 traders, 135 teams | Ended | finance.yahoo.com | |
| Bybit WSOT 2021 (2nd) | Aug–Sep 2021 | $4.09M | ~35,000 | Ended | learn.bybit.com | |
| Bybit WSOT 2022 (3rd) | Aug–Sep 2022 | $8M (Squad $6M, Solo $1M, Speed Zone $1M) | ~70,000 (2x 2021) | Ended | benzinga.com | |
| Bybit WSOT 2023 (4th) | Aug–Sep 2023 | ~$8M | Ended | learn.bybit.com | ||
| Bybit WSOT 2024 (5th) | Aug–Sep 2024 | $10M | ~85,000 (secondary-source estimate, unverified) | Ended | moondev.com | |
| Bybit WSOT 2025 (6th) | 2025-08-27 → 2025-09-15 | $10M announced (main $8M: Squad $3.76M, Individual $4.4M; pre-heat $670K) | 7,976,000 USDT distributed (Bybit recap, 24 Sep 2025) | 520,451 traders from 202 countries; $172.8B volume; 1,474 squads (+288% YoY); 350,000+ registrations | Ended | prnewswire.com (12 Aug 2025; 9 Sep 2025; 3 Jan 2026) |
| Bybit WSOT 2026 | Not announced | — | Not announced | prnewswire.com/news/bybit | ||
| Bybit series (WSOC, Master Trader, Spot Arena, Token Buzz) | 2026 | $100K–$330K per event | Recurring | trading-tournaments.com | ||
| Bybit Vietnam All-Market Showdown | 2026-07-16 → 2026-08-16 | $330,000 | Ended | trading-tournaments.com |
| Event | Dates | Announced | Distributed | Participants | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitget KCGI 2021 (1st) | Jun–Aug 2021 | — | Ended | bitget.com | ||
| Bitget KCGI 2022 (Football Edition) | Jun–Aug 2022 | large headline pool | up to $565,000 distributed (incl. 5 BTC) | 32,000+, ~200 teams | Ended | bitget.com/academy |
| Bitget KCGI 2023 (4th) | 2023-08-18 | up to $2.65M | Ended | globenewswire.com | ||
| Bitget KCGI 2024 (5th) | 2024-06-07 | up to $5M (dynamic: $100K/8,000 → $5M/200,000) | 51,000+ (historical total) | Ended | chainwire.org | |
| Bitget KCGI 2025 (6th) | 2025-07-24 → 2025-08-12 | $6M (Team League $3M, OnChain $1M, Hot Coin $600K, Airdrop $1M, Copy/Bot $100K, Pioneer $300K) | 120,197 participants; record 1,620 teams; 100+ countries | Ended | globenewswire.com | |
| Bitget CFD Championship Phase 8 | 2026-07-20 → 2026-08-03 | 70,000 USDT | Ended | trading-tournaments.com | ||
| Bitget KCGI 2026 (7th) | 2026-08-26 → 2026-09-22 | up to 3,000,000 USDT (dynamic; 1,160,000 USDT unlocked as of 7 Sep 2026) | 35,134 participants, 1,286 teams (activity page counters, 7 Sep 2026) | Live now | bitget.com/support/articles/12560603892970 |
| Event | Dates | Announced | Distributed | Participants | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MEXC Ferrari Giveaway | 2024-11-17 → 2024-12-27 | $10M (incl. Ferrari SF90 Stradale, Hublot watch, Leclerc helmet) | Ended | ambcrypto.com | ||
| MEXC February Futures Trading Competition | 2025-02-12 | $1M → $8M (at 150K participants) | Ended | globenewswire.com | ||
| MEXC 8th Anniversary Futures Team Competition | 2026-04-12 → 2026-05-03 | up to $10M (Team $2M, XAUT top-1 $200K, spin up to 2026 USDT) | Ended | chainwire.org | ||
| MEXC AI Trading Showdown | 2026-07-23 → 2026-08-06 | $500,000 (incl. $350K AI challenge) | Ended | trading-tournaments.com | ||
| MEXC Win: Infinity Arena | 2026-08-25 → 2026-09-15 | up to 10,000,000 USDT (tiered: base 1,000,000 USDT, six tiers by registrations, 10M only above 300,000 users) | Live now | globenewswire.com (19 Aug 2026) | ||
| MEXC 9th Anniversary | expected by cycle: Apr | up to $10M (by precedent) | Expected | chainwire.org |
| Event | Dates | Announced | Distributed | Participants | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Binance Battle of Thousand Teams (合约千团大战) | — | up to $1.5M in BNB | Ended | binance.com | ||
| Binance Futures Championship (合约锦标赛) | 2023-06-01 → 2023-06-22 | up to 1.8M USDT + 1,400 Cyberworld NFT | Ended | binance.com | ||
| Binance Futures Grand Tournament | 2024-06-01 | up to $3M | Ended | binance.com | ||
| Binance World Championship | 2024-06-05 → 2024-06-25 | 1.2M USDC | Ended | cexfinder.com | ||
| Binance Alpha tournaments (BILL, ACU, …) | 2026 | $200K–$300K per event | Recurring | t.me/binance_announcements | ||
| Binance Spot Trading Tournament Season 3 | 2026-08-25 → 2026-09-08 | up to 500,000 USDC in token vouchers | Live now | binance.com/en/support/announcement (25 Aug 2026) |
| Event | Dates | Announced | Distributed | Participants | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OKX Shoot for Glory: BTC Championship | — | 5 BTC + 535,000 USDT + Man City tickets | Ended | okx.com | ||
| OKX Football Cup Trading Competition | 2022 | Solo Profit up to $400K | Ended | okx.com | ||
| OKX Race to a Million | 2026-06-08 → 2026-07-06 | up to 1M USDT (top-1 up to $300K) | Ended | incrypted.com | ||
| OKX $1M Race x2 (with TradingView) | 2026-09-01 → 2026-09-30 | 1,005,000 USDT max — paid as trading bonuses and xStocks, not cash | Live now | okx.com/campaigns/1m-race-x2 |
| Event | Dates | Announced | Distributed | Participants | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| WhiteBIT Influence Trade Battle | 2026-05-26 → 2026-07-19 | up to 50,000 USDT (teams) + 400+ prize places; individual up to 4,800 USDT/category | Ended | ambcrypto.com |
| Event | Dates | Announced | Distributed | Participants | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| HTX Quantitative Trading Championship #1 | 2026-07-15 → 2026-09-13 | up to 1,000,000 USDT (unlocked by cumulative participant volume, 9 tiers) | Live now | htx.com/en-us/support/85038348762221 |
| Event | Dates | Announced | Distributed | Participants | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Deribit × SignalPlus: The Island | — | up to 600,000 USDC | Ended | cn.investing.com |
| Event | Dates | Announced | Distributed | Participants | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BitMEX 2026 Trading Cup | 2026 | 200,000 USDT | Expected | trading-tournaments.com |
| Event | Dates | Announced | Distributed | Participants | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| LBank World Cup Super League | 2026 | 5,000,000 USDT | Expected | trading-tournaments.com |
| Event | Dates | Announced | Distributed | Participants | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $AITECH Trading Competition | 2025 | $30,000 | Ended | medium.com |
| Event | Dates | Announced | Distributed | Participants | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bitrue Futures Grand Finale | 2026-07-21 → 2026-08-03 | 77,777 USDT | Ended | trading-tournaments.com |
| Event | Dates | Announced | Distributed | Participants | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KuCoin Crypto Cup / 9th Anniversary | expected by cycle: Jun–Jul | ~650K USDT | Expected | aggregators |
| Event | Dates | Announced | Distributed | Participants | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phemex 2026 Ultimate Championship | expected by cycle | $7M (football theme) | Expected | aggregators |
| Event | Dates | Announced | Distributed | Participants | Source | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toobit International Futures Tournament (TIFT) 2026 | 2026-08-12 → 2026-09-09 | 3,000,000 USDT | Live now | toobit.com/announcement (12 Aug 2026) |
On-chain venues run two different things: real prize tournaments, and points programs that farm volume for a future airdrop. We label them separately — they are not the same bet.
| Event | Organizer | Dates | Prize pool | Format | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hyperliquid Paper Trading Competition | Hyperliquid | 2022-11-15 | $7,500 | Top-10 + 1 random (early project history) | x.com/HyperliquidX |
| Aster Genesis Stage 1–4 (points) | Aster | 2025 | 4% supply per stage | Points for volume — NOT a cash-prize tournament (airdrop farming) · points program, separate format | docs.asterdex.com |
| Aster BMT/USDT Competition | Aster | 2025-01-29 → 2025-02-05 | 50,000 ASTER + 2.27M BMT | Spot + perps, 3% cap per participant | kucoin.com |
| Aster CMC20 + RIVER Competition | Aster | 2025-02-01 | $75,000 | Double tournament | bitget.com |
| Aster Double Harvest + Stage 4 | Aster | 2025-11-01 | $10M | 5 weekly leaderboards | chainwire.org |
| Backpack Points Program S1–S4 | Backpack | 2025-03-21 | 24–25% supply to community | Volume-based points — NOT a cash-prize tournament; VARA licence + MiFID II (FTX EU) · S4 from 20 Nov 2025; points program, separate format | support.backpack.exchange |
| Alpha Arena (AI-model competition) | nof1.ai (on Hyperliquid) | 2025-10-01 → 2025-11-30 | — | Qwen3 Max +22.3% (1st), DeepSeek V3.1 +4.89%; Claude −30.81%, Grok 4 −45.3%, Gemini 2.5 Pro −56.71%, GPT-5 −62.66% · data via Chinese secondary source — verify against nof1.ai before publishing | finance.sina.com.cn |
| Atomic Wallet Trading Competition (perps on Hyperliquid) | Atomic Wallet | 04-09 → 04-23 | $6,000 total (top-3 PnL: $3,000 / $2,000 / $1,000) | Perps on Hyperliquid; prizes unlock once combined volume reaches $20M; min $10K volume per trader; 1 wallet = 1 participant | competition.atomicwallet.io |
Real-money championships with independent audits predate crypto by decades. They set the standard for what a verified track record looks like.
| Event | Organizer | Since | Format | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| World Cup Trading Championships (WCTC) | Robbins Trading Company | 1983 | Real money, independent audit; min $10K futures / $5K forex. All-time record Larry Williams +11,376% (1987); only 4x champion Andrea Unger; Ivan Sherman +491.4% (2023 Futures) | worldcupchampionships.com |
| U.S. Investing Championship | — | 1983 | Stocks/options, real money | trading-tournaments.com |
| Dukascopy Trader Contest | Dukascopy | Forex; contest with trader blogs, 4-criteria rating | dukascopy.com |
Funded-trader challenges are competitions with a different payout: pass the test, trade the firm's capital, split the profit. Fast-growing, and a different risk profile.
| Firm | What stands out | Founded | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| HyroTrader | Real execution via Bybit API, up to $200K→$1M, 1:100, 30,000+ traders | 2020/2022, Bratislava | kraken.com |
| Crypto Fund Trader | Bybit partnership, 715+ pairs, $18M+ paid out, payouts 8–24h | Nov 2022 | altfins.com |
| Breakout Prop | Acquired by Kraken (Sep 2025) — first top exchange in prop; 62 pairs, USDC payouts on demand | 2025 | kraken.com |
| FundedNext | Prop Firm of the Year 2025 (Finance Magnates), 51,000+ traders in 195+ countries, entry from $32, split up to 95% | Mar 2022, UAE | coinpaper.com |
| FTMO | Revenue $329M in 2024 (+53% YoY), net profit $62.5M; acquired OANDA Jan 2025 ($250M UniCredit credit line); crypto via CFD | — | veritaschain.org |
| BrightFunded / Funded Trading Plus / DNA Funded / The Trading Pit | Various models, splits up to 100% | — | cryptofundtrader.com |
Registration is usually free, but exchange tournaments require KYC and trading with real funds — your ranking depends on real PnL, ROI or volume. If you want the competition without the capital risk, demo/paper formats (including BuyCrypt practice tournaments) run the same leaderboard mechanics on simulated money.
Because most pools are dynamic: the amount unlocked grows with the number of participants or the trading volume. Bitget KCGI 2022 is the classic case — a large headline, up to $565,000 actually distributed. This page shows announced and distributed figures separately wherever a source exists.
Every year in August–September. WSOT 2025 ran 27 Aug – 15 Sep with early registration from 12 Aug. WSOT 2026 dates are expected by that cycle until Bybit announces them — we mark them "expected", not confirmed.
By ROI %, absolute PnL, or volume, depending on the league — many events run several leaderboards at once (solo, squad, newcomer). Anti-cheat rules disqualify wash trading and multi-accounts; OKX and Bitget keep only the highest-PnL entry when strategies are near-identical.
A tournament pays prizes to the top of a leaderboard for a fixed period. A prop-firm challenge is a test: pass it and you trade the firm's capital for a profit split, with drawdown rules instead of a leaderboard. Different risk, different payout, different skill emphasis.
No. BuyCrypt is not an exchange and is not affiliated with the organizers listed here. We track the events so you can rehearse the format on simulated capital and compare yourself with a fact-checked Trader Passport before committing real money on an exchange.
Fact-checked guides from this series, and the traders who actually win these things.
