Treasures of Shimmer: Review

Charting Innovation and Ecosystem Expansion of the ShimmerEVM Testnet

TL;DR:
The recently-completed Treasures of Shimmer campaign was a significant milestone for the ShimmerEVM testnet, uniting projects, users, and players in a race for 1.8 million SMR tokens. The competition led to a massive surge in activity, adding over 10 million transactions to the testnet and a peak of more than 1.5 million daily transactions. Despite the influx of transactions temporarily pushing the EVM chain to its limits, continuous sub-second block times were achieved, proving its resilience. The campaign not only accelerated the development of the EVM chain but also spurred significant growth in the Shimmer ecosystem, transforming the testnet into a hub of innovation and collaboration.

As the dust settles on the Treasures of Shimmer testnet campaign, we want to take a moment to marvel at the jewels unearthed by this epic voyage. Orchestrated by the Tangle Ecosystem Association (TEA)*, this treasure hunt was a twofold endeavor, with a bounty of 1,800,000 $SMR tokens spread over Test & Earn and Play & Earn campaigns. Let's dive into the most significant highlights of this campaign, its impact on the Shimmer ecosystem, and its long-term influence on the ShimmerEVM testnet’s performance.

An Unprecedented Level of Participation

The Test & Earn campaign incentivized participants to test their dApps on the ShimmerEVM testnet. It was met with great activity and excitement: 16 projects competed for a share of the $SMR bounty, instigating a fierce battle for activity and creating a high level of interest for their projects, growing their user base even ahead of the full release of the ShimmerEVM chain.

The campaign provided a real stress test for the Shimmer network. At times, the network was brought to its limits, which gave us invaluable insights into how to improve its performance ahead of its full release. It was also an exciting opportunity to witness our community’s creativity and innovation, with each participating project contributing to the robustness of the ShimmerEVM testnet.

A Tribute to the Champions

The battle for dominance was nothing short of epic. Fierce at times, and dramatic, it was finally won by TangleSwapDEX, which emerged victorious from the tides of the competition with its smart campaign strategy and execution.

According to the TangleSwap team, “Treasures of Shimmer represented the perfect opportunity for us to significantly grow our global community while successfully stress-testing the entire protocol with tens of thousands of highly motivated users. Over these two weeks, we’ve gathered invaluable feedback and data around common user pain points and future desires”.

Hot on the heels of the frontrunner was ShimmerSea, another DEX that left an impressive mark on the campaign with its powerful contribution, especially the passionate participation of its community. Dr. Tangle from ShimmerSea shared: “We’re amazed by the engagement we received during the competition! But it’s not over yet for ShimmerSea: The ShimmerSea Training DEX competition continues until 21 of May! See you there!"

Securing the coveted third position was ApeDAO, proving their robustness in this highly competitive arena. Reflecting on the campaign, the ApeDAO team said: “The campaign was a major success for us, with thousands of unique users testing the ApeDAO dApp and more than half a million NFTs transferred. The feedback generated by testers is of crucial value to our progress and will be evaluated and implemented a.s.a.p.”

While TangleSwap, ShimmerSea, and ApeDAO claimed the top spots, they were not the only contributors to the Treasures of Shimmer. An additional 12 projects shared their enthusiasm, passion, and commitment, and helped us gather invaluable data during the event.

Each project played an integral role in the campaign: kudos to all of them for smoothly sailing through it with flying colors. Contributing their unique projects, we salute IOTA Heroes, Deepr Finance, and IOTAbee for leaving their mark on the Treasures of Shimmer campaign, as well as, Snippool and Genie’s Bounty. For navigating the rough seas of the campaign with panache, we also pay our respect to Lendexe, Accumulator and IOTAMPC Bridge. And last but not least, our heartfelt thanks go to Mosquito Pay, OG Adventure, Chakra Labs and Minted Vodka for being part of this journey. Their participation has enriched the Shimmer ecosystem and has left unique footprints.

All participating projects brought Treasures of Shimmer to life, ensuring its successful completion and providing insights that will be instrumental in shaping the future of Shimmer. Our heartiest thanks!

The Testnet Tsunami

Treasures of Shimmer unleashed a wave of activity on the ShimmerEVM testnet, adding more than 14 million transactions. This surpassed our expectations, putting the spotlight on the testnet's resilience by pushing the chain at times to its limits. All issues found were fixed by our tireless engineering team, improving the chain’s performance day by day.

Despite these congestions, the daily transaction volume reached a peak of 1.83 million, displaying the testnet's potential and the community's insatiable appetite for participation. These findings showcased the network's ability to handle an impressive volume of transactions confirming its efficiency.

Notably, the average block time, clocking in at sub-seconds, showcased the network's prowess in processing transactions at breakneck speed. It validates ShimmerEVM's potential as a high-performance, scalable, and efficient EVM-compatible chain.

Another significant achievement of Treasures of Shimmer was an increase in the number of Shimmer wallets. By the end of the campaign, the total count exceeded 200,000 wallets.

This growth is more than just a number. It represents a rapidly growing community’s passion for the potential of Shimmer.

A Shimmering Future

The Treasures of Shimmer campaign was a triumphant success, a treasure trove that amplified ShimmerEVM's capabilities and which fostered a vibrant, thriving community and its activity. It served as a critical catalyst, not just for stress-testing the network and fueling its development, but also for sparking a rapid expansion of the ecosystem.

The wins of the campaign go beyond the numbers. They reflect the passion, creativity, hard labor, and dedication of our ecosystem projects and our community.

We extend our deepest gratitude to all who heeded our call to adventure and contributed to the success of Treasures of Shimmer. As we set our sights on the uncharted territories of the future, we are thrilled by the promise that Shimmer holds.

Remember, this treasure hunt is just the first of many thrilling adventures that await us on the high Shimmer seas. Keep up with all our future adventures on Twitter.

*Disclaimer

The campaign was run by the Tangle Ecosystem Association (“TEA”), an association established in Switzerland (reg. no. CHE-356.027.165) with its registered address at Industriestrasse 47, 6300 Zug, Switzerland.