What is the Aethercycle Fairdrop?

In line with its community-first philosophy, AetherCycle reserved 8% of total supply (71,111,111 AEC) for a one-time distribution event known as the Fairdrop.

Unlike typical airdrops designed to lure short-term speculators, the Fairdrop was engineered to reward genuine, early contributors who created real value for the ecosystem before token launch.

The entire process is managed autonomously by the FairAirdrop.sol and ContributorPoints.sol smart contracts.

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The Goal: Rewarding Proof-of-Contribution

The Fairdrop was designed to solve a core problem in distribution: 👉 How do you reward real community members while filtering out airdrop hunters and Sybil attackers?

The solution: Contributor Points (CP).

• CP is a non-transferable reputation token.

• Each CP represents verifiable proof-of-contribution during pre-launch.

• The more meaningful your contributions, the more CP you earned.

• Your share of the Fairdrop was directly proportional to your CP balance.

This ensured that rewards flowed only to those who truly helped bootstrap AetherCycle.

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The Choice Mechanism

AetherCycle introduced a unique claim system to reinforce fairness and fuel the protocol flywheel.

When the claim period opened, eligible participants with CP had two options:

1. Claim 100% Allocation (Paid Option)

   • Pay a nominal 1 USDC fee.

   • Receive 100% of your pro-rata allocation.

   • The USDC goes directly into the Perpetual Engine as protocol revenue.

2. Claim 80% Allocation (Free Option)

   • Pay nothing.

   • Receive 80% of your allocation.

   • The remaining 20% is redirected to the Perpetual Engine.

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Why This Is Fair

This mechanism creates a perfect balance:

• Accessible: Anyone can participate, regardless of financial means.

• Aligned: Supporters willing to contribute provide fuel for the protocol’s long-term growth.

• Sustainable: Every claim—paid or free—directly strengthens the Perpetual Engine.

The Fairdrop is more than an airdrop. It’s a proof-of-contribution reward system that ensured AetherCycle began its life powered by its most authentic community members.