By posting resting limit orders, liquidity providers (makers) are automatically eligible for Polymarket’s incentive program. Rewards are distributed directly to maker addresses daily at midnight UTC.
The program is designed to:
Catalyze liquidity across all markets
Encourage liquidity throughout a market’s entire lifecycle
Motivate passive, balanced quoting tight to a market’s midpoint
Encourage trading activity
Discourage blatantly exploitative behaviors
This program is heavily inspired by dYdX’s liquidity provider
rewards . The
methodology is essentially a copy of dYdX’s approach with adjustments for
binary contract markets — distinct books, no staking mechanic, a modified
order utility-relative depth function, and reward amounts isolated per market. The minimum reward payout is $1 ; amounts below this will not be paid.
Both min_incentive_size and max_incentive_spread can be fetched alongside
full market objects via the CLOB API and Markets
API . Reward allocations for an epoch can also
be fetched via the Markets API. Methodology Liquidity providers are rewarded based on a formula that rewards participation in markets, boosts two-sided depth (single-sided orders still score), and tighter spread vs the size-cutoff-adjusted midpoint. Each market configures a max spread and min size cutoff within which orders are considered. The average of rewards earned is determined by the relative share of each participant’s Qn in market m.
Variables Variable Description S Order position scoring function v Max spread from midpoint (in cents) s Spread from size-cutoff-adjusted midpoint b In-game multiplier m Market m’ Market complement (i.e. NO if m = YES) n Trader index u Sample index c Scaling factor (currently 3.0 on all markets) Qne Point total for book one for a sample Qno Point total for book two for a sample Spread% Distance from midpoint (bps or relative) for order n in market m BidSize Share-denominated quantity of bid AskSize Share-denominated quantity of ask
Equations 1. Order Scoring Function Quadratic scoring rule for an order based on position between the adjusted midpoint and the minimum qualifying spread:
S ( v , s ) = ( v − s v ) 2 ⋅ b S(v,s)= (\frac{v-s}{v})^2 \cdot b S ( v , s ) = ( v v − s ) 2 ⋅ b 2. First Market Side Score Q o n e = S ( v , S p r e a d m 1 ) ⋅ B i d S i z e m 1 + S ( v , S p r e a d m 2 ) ⋅ B i d S i z e m 2 + … Q_{one}= S(v,Spread_{m_1}) \cdot BidSize_{m_1} + S(v,Spread_{m_2}) \cdot BidSize_{m_2} + \dots Q o n e = S ( v , Sp re a d m 1 ) ⋅ B i d S i z e m 1 + S ( v , Sp re a d m 2 ) ⋅ B i d S i z e m 2 + … + S ( v , S p r e a d m 1 ′ ) ⋅ A s k S i z e m 1 ′ + S ( v , S p r e a d m 2 ′ ) ⋅ A s k S i z e m 2 ′ + S(v, Spread_{m^\prime_1}) \cdot AskSize_{m^\prime_1} + S(v, Spread_{m^\prime_2}) \cdot AskSize_{m^\prime_2} + S ( v , Sp re a d m 1 ′ ) ⋅ A s k S i z e m 1 ′ + S ( v , Sp re a d m 2 ′ ) ⋅ A s k S i z e m 2 ′ 3. Second Market Side Score Q t w o = S ( v , S p r e a d m 1 ) ⋅ A s k S i z e m 1 + S ( v , S p r e a d m 2 ) ⋅ A s k S i z e m 2 + … Q_{two}= S(v,Spread_{m_1}) \cdot AskSize_{m_1} + S(v,Spread_{m_2}) \cdot AskSize_{m_2} + \dots Q tw o = S ( v , Sp re a d m 1 ) ⋅ A s k S i z e m 1 + S ( v , Sp re a d m 2 ) ⋅ A s k S i z e m 2 + … + S ( v , S p r e a d m 1 ′ ) ⋅ B i d S i z e m 1 ′ + S ( v , S p r e a d m 2 ′ ) ⋅ B i d S i z e m 2 ′ + S(v, Spread_{m^\prime_1}) \cdot BidSize_{m^\prime_1} + S(v, Spread_{m^\prime_2}) \cdot BidSize_{m^\prime_2} + S ( v , Sp re a d m 1 ′ ) ⋅ B i d S i z e m 1 ′ + S ( v , Sp re a d m 2 ′ ) ⋅ B i d S i z e m 2 ′ 4. Minimum Score Boosts two-sided liquidity by taking the minimum of Qne and Qno , while still rewarding single-sided liquidity at a reduced rate (divided by c).
If midpoint is in range [0.10, 0.90] — single-sided liquidity can score:Q min = max ( min ( Q o n e , Q t w o ) , max ( Q o n e / c , Q t w o / c ) ) Q_{\min} = \max(\min({Q_{one}, Q_{two}}), \max(Q_{one}/c, Q_{two}/c)) Q m i n = max ( min ( Q o n e , Q tw o ) , max ( Q o n e / c , Q tw o / c )) If midpoint is in range [0, 0.10) or (0.90, 1.0] — liquidity must be double-sided to score:Q min = min ( Q o n e , Q t w o ) Q_{\min} = \min({Q_{one}, Q_{two}}) Q m i n = min ( Q o n e , Q tw o ) 5. Normalized Score Qmin of a market maker divided by the sum of all Qmin across market makers in a given sample:
Q n o r m a l = Q m i n ∑ n = 1 N ( Q m i n ) n Q_{normal} = \frac{Q_{min}}{\sum_{n=1}^{N}{(Q_{min})_n}} Q n or ma l = ∑ n = 1 N ( Q min ) n Q min 6. Epoch Score Sum of all Qnormal for a trader across all samples in an epoch:
Q e p o c h = ∑ u = 1 10 , 080 ( Q n o r m a l ) u Q_{epoch} = \sum_{u=1}^{10,080}{(Q_{normal})_u} Q e p oc h = ∑ u = 1 10 , 080 ( Q n or ma l ) u 7. Final Score Normalizes Qepoch by dividing by the sum of all market makers’ Qepoch in a given epoch. This value is multiplied by the rewards available for the market to get a trader’s reward:
Q f i n a l = Q e p o c h ∑ n = 1 N ( Q e p o c h ) n Q_{final}=\frac{Q_{epoch}}{\sum_{n=1}^{N}{(Q_{epoch})_n}} Q f ina l = ∑ n = 1 N ( Q e p oc h ) n Q e p oc h Worked Example Assume an adjusted market midpoint of 0.50 and a max spread config of 3 cents for both m and m’.
Step 2 - First Side Score A trader has the following open orders:
100Q bid on m @ 0.49 (spread = 1 cent)
200Q bid on m @ 0.48 (spread = 2 cents)
100Q ask on m’ @ 0.51 (spread = 1 cent)
Q n e = ( ( 3 − 1 ) 3 ) 2 ⋅ 100 + ( ( 3 − 2 ) 3 ) 2 ⋅ 200 + ( ( 3 − 1 ) 3 ) 2 ⋅ 100 Q_{ne} = \left( \frac{(3-1)}{3} \right)^2 \cdot 100 + \left( \frac{(3-2)}{3} \right)^2 \cdot 200 + \left( \frac{(3-1)}{3} \right)^2 \cdot 100 Q n e = ( 3 ( 3 − 1 ) ) 2 ⋅ 100 + ( 3 ( 3 − 2 ) ) 2 ⋅ 200 + ( 3 ( 3 − 1 ) ) 2 ⋅ 100 Qne is calculated every minute using random sampling.
Step 3 - Second Side Score The same trader also has:
100Q bid on m @ 0.485 (spread = 1.5 cents)
100Q bid on m’ @ 0.48 (spread = 2 cents)
200Q ask on m’ @ 0.505 (spread = 0.5 cents)
Q n o = ( ( 3 − 1.5 ) 3 ) 2 ⋅ 100 + ( ( 3 − 2 ) 3 ) 2 ⋅ 100 + ( ( 3 − . 5 ) 3 ) 2 ⋅ 200 Q_{no} = \left( \frac{(3-1.5)}{3} \right)^2 \cdot 100 + \left( \frac{(3-2)}{3} \right)^2 \cdot 100 + \left( \frac{(3-.5)}{3} \right)^2 \cdot 200 Q n o = ( 3 ( 3 − 1.5 ) ) 2 ⋅ 100 + ( 3 ( 3 − 2 ) ) 2 ⋅ 100 + ( 3 ( 3 − .5 ) ) 2 ⋅ 200 Qno is calculated every minute using random sampling.
Steps 4-7
Take the minimum of Qne and Qno (with single-sided adjustment if midpoint is in [0.10, 0.90])
Normalize against all other market makers in the sample
Sum across all 10,080 samples in the epoch
Normalize again to get final reward share
April 2026 — Liquidity Incentive Program Polymarket is distributing over $5M in liquidity incentives for April 2026 across sports and esports markets. The reward pool is split into Pre (pre-game) and Live (in-play) periods per game. Rewards are distributed pro-rata across all eligible markets within each game.
This covers April 2026 sports markets. Additional categories will be added soon.
Soccer — Top 5 Leagues + UEFA Every game in these leagues has liquidity rewards split across pre-game and live periods.
League Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game English Premier League $2,800 $7,200 $10,000 La Liga $900 $2,400 $3,300 Serie A $900 $2,400 $3,300 Bundesliga $850 $2,150 $3,000 Ligue 1 $600 $1,500 $2,100 Champions League (QFs) $6,750 $17,250 $24,000 Europa League (QFs) $1,350 $3,400 $4,750 Conference League (QFs) $400 $1,100 $1,500
Soccer — Americas League Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game MLS $450 $1,200 $1,650 Liga MX $450 $1,200 $1,650 Copa Libertadores (Groups) $750 $1,900 $2,650 Copa Sudamericana (Groups) $225 $575 $800 Argentine Primera Division $150 $400 $550 Brasileirao Serie A $150 $400 $550 Colombian Primera A $100 $200 $300 Chilean Primera Division $75 $175 $250 Peruvian Primera Division $75 $175 $250 Bolivian Primera $25 $50 $75 Brasileirao Serie B $25 $50 $75
Soccer — Other Europe League Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game Turkish Super Lig $550 $1,450 $2,000 Eredivisie $250 $650 $900 Liga Portugal $200 $550 $750 EFL Championship $150 $350 $500 Russian Premier League $100 $275 $375 Danish Superliga $75 $150 $225 Czech First League $25 $75 $100 Romanian Liga I $25 $75 $100 Ukrainian Premier League $25 $75 $100
Soccer — Asia / Middle East / Africa League Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game Saudi Pro League $450 $1,200 $1,650 J1 League (Japan) $300 $800 $1,100 K League 1 (Korea) $200 $550 $750 Chinese Super League $100 $250 $350 A-League (Australia) $100 $250 $350 Indian Super League $75 $175 $250 J2 League (Japan) $25 $75 $100 Egyptian Premier League $25 $75 $100 Moroccan League $25 $75 $100 Norwegian Eliteserien $25 $75 $100
Soccer — Domestic Cups League Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game FA Cup (Semi-Finals) $850 $2,000 $2,850 DFB-Pokal (Semi-Finals) $450 $950 $1,400 Coppa Italia (Semi-Finals) $450 $950 $1,400 Coupe de France (Semi-Finals) $275 $675 $950
Esports — CS2 Tier Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game A Tier (ESL Pro League, BLAST) $1,550 $3,950 $5,500 B Tier (RMRs, Large Regional) $1,550 $3,950 $5,500 C Tier (Small Regional, Qualifiers) $150 $350 $500
Esports — League of Legends Tier Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game A Tier (LCK, LPL, LEC Playoffs) $1,550 $3,950 $5,500 B Tier (LCS, Other Regional) $1,550 $3,950 $5,500 C Tier (ERLs, National Leagues) $150 $350 $500
Esports — Dota 2 Tier Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game A/B Tier (DPC, Qualifiers) $1,000 $2,500 $3,500 C Tier (Regional) $150 $350 $500
Esports — Valorant Tier Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game A/B Tier (VCT Stages) $1,000 $2,500 $3,500 C Tier (Regional) $150 $350 $500
Esports — Other Titles Game Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game Call of Duty (CDL) $50 $100 $150 Rocket League (RLCS) $50 $100 $150 Mobile Legends: Bang Bang $50 $100 $150 Honor of Kings $50 $100 $150
Basketball League Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game NBA (Reg Season + Play-In + Playoffs) $2,150 $5,550 $7,700 EuroLeague (Playoffs) $150 $350 $500 ACB Spain $75 $200 $275 Lega Basket Serie A (Italy) $75 $200 $275 Basketball Champions League $75 $200 $275 CBA (China) $50 $150 $200 LNB Pro A (France) $50 $150 $200 KBL (Korea) $25 $50 $75 NBL (Australia) $25 $50 $75 B.League (Japan) $25 $50 $75 BBL (Germany) $25 $50 $75 ABA League $25 $50 $75 BSL (Turkey) $25 $50 $75 Greek A1 $25 $50 $75 LNB Argentina $0 $25 $25 VTB United League $0 $25 $25
Baseball League Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game MLB $465 $1,185 $1,650 KBO (Korea) $75 $225 $300
Hockey League Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game NHL (Reg Season + Playoffs) $400 $1,100 $1,500 KHL (Playoffs) $75 $200 $275 SHL (Playoffs) $25 $150 $175 AHL $0 $25 $25 Czech Extraliga (Playoffs) $0 $25 $25 DEL Germany (Playoffs) $0 $25 $25
Tennis Tour Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game ATP Tour $450 $1,000 $1,450 WTA Tour $300 $750 $1,050
UFC / MMA Event Type Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game UFC Main Card $1,200 $3,050 $4,250 UFC Prelims $250 $700 $950
Cricket League Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game IPL (Indian Premier League) $1,250 $3,250 $4,500 ICC ODI Internationals $0 $50 $50 ICC T20 Internationals $0 $50 $50 Other Cricket Internationals $0 $25 $25 Test Cricket $0 $25 $25
Rugby League Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game Top 14 (France) $75 $175 $250 Premiership Rugby (England) $75 $175 $250 Super Rugby Pacific $75 $175 $250 United Rugby Championship $50 $125 $175 European Champions Cup (QFs) $100 $300 $400
Other Event Pre $/Game Live $/Game Total $/Game WTT Table Tennis $0 $25 $25 Chess $25 $75 $100 PLL Lacrosse $25 $75 $100
Next Steps
Trading Order entry and quoting best practices
Maker Rebates Earn USDC rebates on eligible crypto and sports markets
