Season 1 — Inaugural Round

The first season of the Zealynx Audit Grants program. Application window, evaluation rubric, and what we are looking for in inaugural-round applicants.

Carlos (Bloqarl) - April 30, 2026

Season 1 is the inaugural round of the Zealynx Audit Grants program. We are funding founder-led smart contract audits for Web3 protocols across DeFi, infrastructure, and AI security — applied as a percentage discount on Zealynx engagements at the standard rate of $8,000 per auditor per week.

This page is the public source of truth for Season 1. It will update as the round progresses: open dates, applicant count, finalists, winners, and links to published audit reports.

Round at a glance

Stage	Date
Applications open	May 15, 2026
Applications close	June 15, 2026
Review period	June 16 – June 29, 2026
Winners announced	June 30, 2026
Audit kickoff window	Within 60 days of notification (Core), 30 days (Growth/Builder)

What's on the table

Three tiers, all percentage discounts on a scoped Zealynx engagement:

1× Core Grant — 100% subsidy. Typical value up to $32,000. The recipient pays $0.
2× Growth Grants — 50% subsidy. Typical value up to $16,000 each. The recipient pays 50%.
Multiple Builder Grants — 25% subsidy. Typical value up to $8,000 each. The recipient pays 75%.

Total program pool exceeds $100,000.

What we're looking for in Season 1

The inaugural round sets the bar for everything that follows. We are weighting four things heavily in the Protocol Merit category (45 of 100 points):

Technical maturity. Does the codebase have tests, fuzz harnesses, and a clear scope? Is the design ready to be audited, or is it still being prototyped?
Likelihood of success. Is there evidence of traction — testnet deployments, design-partner protocols, prior funding — or a credible plan to get there?
Go-to-market plan. Is there a clear path from "audit complete" to "users on-chain"? An audit that ships is more valuable than an audit that sits.
Team credibility. At least one team member with a verifiable public identity is a hard requirement. Beyond that, prior shipping history, code-review participation, and demonstrated engagement with Web3 security all count.

Product Engagement (40 points) and Social Sharing (15 points) are optional but improve your score. See How scoring works for the full breakdown.

How to apply

Create an account at grants.zealynx.io.
Read How to prepare to get your repository, scope, and team materials in order before opening the form.
Fill out the application — drafts can be edited freely until you submit.
Optionally complete scoring tasks (Krait Claude Skill, Krait Platform assessment, eMBA modules, Shadow Audit, social shares).
Submit before applications close on June 15.

Decisions are emailed to all applicants — both selected and not — by June 30.

Past rounds

Season 1 is the first round. Future seasons will be announced here, and each will get its own per-round page with the dates, applicants, finalists, and winners.

Contact

Questions about Season 1: contact@zealynx.io or @vendrell46 on Telegram.