# Closed Alpha Testing Phase #3

The **Cortensor Closed Alpha Testing Contest (Phase #3)** is a major step in expanding the decentralized AI network. This phase brings new enhancements, increased participant capacity, and a refined reward system. Early supporters and node operators continue to play a critical role in building a more scalable and robust AI infrastructure—while earning $COR rewards for their contributions.

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## Contest Rules

### Stake Requirement

* **New Participants**: Stake **4,000 $COR** per node on **Pool 3** to join Phase #3.
* **Pre-approved Testers**: Participants from **Phase #1 & #2** are automatically eligible and do not need to re-stake.

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### Node Uptime

Keep your nodes online and responsive for **30–45 days** to qualify for full rewards.

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### Bug Reporting

Active bug reporting and feedback are **required**. Participants must:

* Communicate with Cortensor admins
* Report bugs or performance issues
* Cooperate in troubleshooting

Failure to report or troubleshoot may lead to **disqualification**.

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### Disqualification Rights

Cortensor reserves the right to disqualify any participant at its discretion for:

* Misreporting node behavior
* Abusing the ranking or staking system
* Acting against the community’s best interests

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### Long-Term Commitment

Running stable nodes over time increases your chances of being eligible for:

* **Future airdrops**
* **Testnet & Mainnet whitelisting**

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## Rewards

<table data-header-hidden><thead><tr><th></th><th></th><th data-hidden></th><th data-hidden></th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td><strong>Rank</strong></td><td><strong>Total Reward</strong></td><td><strong>On the Spot</strong></td><td><strong>Staked on Pool 1</strong></td></tr><tr><td>🥇 1st</td><td>$50</td><td>$1000</td><td>$1500 (28-day lock)</td></tr><tr><td>🥈 2nd</td><td>$50</td><td>$400</td><td>$600 (28-day lock)</td></tr><tr><td>🥉 3rd</td><td>$50</td><td>$200</td><td>$200 (28-day lock)</td></tr><tr><td>🏅 4th</td><td>$50</td><td>$100</td><td>$100 (28-day lock)</td></tr><tr><td>🎖️ 5th</td><td>$50</td><td>$100</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>6th–10th</td><td>$35 each</td><td>$50</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>11th-20th</td><td>$25 each</td><td>$35</td><td>-</td></tr><tr><td>21th-30th</td><td>$15 each</td><td>$20</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>31th-100th</td><td>$10 each</td><td></td><td></td></tr><tr><td>101th-150th</td><td>$5 each</td><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

### Base Rewards

* **$20/month per active node** with valid uptime and participation.

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### Rank-Based Bonus Rewards

* **Ranks 1–100**: Bonus rewards based on performance.
* **Ranks 101–150**: Flat **$5 reward** per qualifying participant.

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### Multi-Node Bonus Boost

* **3+ nodes** → **10%** bonus
* **5+ nodes** → **20%** bonus

*Note: This multi-node bonus is applied to new nodes once during the contest period and not on a monthly basis. This is subject to change.*

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### Role Bonus

Participants with verified roles (e.g., **miner, oracle, verifier**) earn an additional **5–10%** on top of total rewards. \
\
\&#xNAN;***Note:** The total bonus from multi-node and role-based boosts is **capped at 40–50%** to ensure fair distribution and sustainability. This is subject to change.*

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#### Reward Tier Limits (Fair Distribution)

To maintain fairness, participants are limited in how many rank reward spots they can hold:

| **Rank Range** | **Max Spots per Operator** |
| -------------- | -------------------------- |
| 1st – 5th      | 1                          |
| 6th – 10th     | 1                          |
| 11th – 20th    | 1                          |
| 21st – 30th    | 1                          |
| 31st – 100th   | 10                         |
| 101st – 150th  | Unlimited                  |

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### Example Calculations

**Scenario 1: Running 3 Nodes (With Role Bonus)**

* Base reward: $20 × 3 = **$60**
* Multi-node bonus (10%): **$6**
* Subtotal: **$66**
* Role bonus (10%): **$6.60**
* **Total: $72.60** + additional rank rewards

**Scenario 2: Running 5 Nodes (With Role Bonus)**

* Base reward: $20 × 5 = **$100**
* Multi-node bonus (20%): **$20**
* Subtotal: **$120**
* Role bonus (10%): **$12**
* **Total: $132** + additional rank rewards

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## Contest Mechanics

### Max Nodes Per User

Each participant may operate **up to \~25 nodes**.

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### Winner Determination

Participants will be ranked using multiple performance metrics:

* **NodeStats Performance**: Uptime, responsiveness, and throughput
* **Ping & Global Ping**: Regional and global latency
* **State Machine Metrics**: Quality in Create, Prepare, Precommit, Commit states
* **Task Counters**: Number and accuracy of completed inference tasks
* **Bug Reports**: Additional points for helpful reports

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## Testing Focus

This phase continues refining Cortensor’s decentralized AI infrastructure, emphasizing improvements in reliability, user experience, and scalability. It also builds upon key architectural elements introduced in previous phases.

### **Core Testing Areas:**

* **Node Reputation Tuning & Iterations** – Ongoing optimization of reputation scoring models for fair and effective miner selection.
* **Node Pool Logic (Ephemeral Sessions)** – Enhancing ephemeral node reservation, assignment, and release cycles critical for routing user requests.
* **Session UI & Integrated Task Flow** – Testing seamless interactions between Session, Session Queue, and miners through user-facing workflows and updated interfaces.
* **Desktop App Stress-Testing** – Validating auto-install and launch performance across major operating systems (Windows, Linux, macOS) to support wide-scale participation.

### **Key Outcomes:**

* Improve accuracy and fairness in miner/node reputation scoring.
* Validate ephemeral session logic and reinforce the reliability of node rotation.
* Enhance user experience and end-to-end task handling across UI and backend flows.
* Ensure installation and runtime stability across different system environments for broader network accessibility.

## Join the Contest

* Learn more and stay updated by joining the [Cortensor Discord Community](https://discord.gg/cortensor).

Let’s build the future of decentralized AI together! 🌐