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Deribit and SignalPlus Announce $600,000 Crypto Derivatives Trading Competition
Cryptocurrency derivatives exchange Deribit and trading software provider SignalPlus have announced the launch of a trading competition named "The Island," featuring a prize pool of up to $600,000 USDC. The 35-day event, described by the firms as their fifth and largest to date, is aimed at sophisticated retail traders of crypto options and futures.
Competition Details
The competition is scheduled to run from July 6, 2026, at 08:00 UTC to August 10, 2026, at 23:59 UTC, with registration opening on June 29. According to the announcement, participants must trade on the Deribit platform using the SignalPlus interface to be eligible.
Rankings will be determined by notional trading volume. The firms have specified a weighting system where options trades are weighted at 1.0 and futures trades are weighted at 0.5. The competition includes separate leaderboards for both individual and team performance.
- Total Prize Pool: Up to $600,000 USDC
- Competition Period: July 6 – August 10, 2026
- Eligibility: Open to eligible retail traders on Deribit via SignalPlus
- Scoring: Based on trading volume, with a higher weight for options.
New Features and Incentives
This edition introduces several new mechanics designed to increase trader engagement. A "Mystery Box" feature will offer registered users who maintain deposits a chance to win guaranteed USDC prizes. Additionally, a "Flash Arena" will reward higher volumes in short-dated options with multipliers and opportunities to win a jackpot.
AdThe prize structure extends beyond the main USDC pool to include luxury goods and tech products, such as a Rolex watch, an Apple Vision Pro, and NVIDIA stock, as well as trading fee rebates and other digital assets. The campaign is structured into eleven "arenas" that also incentivize block trades and user referrals.
Market Context and Commentary
Trading competitions are a common strategy used by exchanges to stimulate liquidity and attract high-volume traders. By focusing on derivatives and rewarding options volume more heavily, the event targets a specific segment of advanced crypto market participants.
"The Island brings together everything we want this competition to be: bigger scale, stronger participation loops, and a structure that rewards how active options traders actually engage," said Luuk Strijers, a senior director at Deribit, in a statement. Chris Yu, CEO of SignalPlus, added that the competition is designed to create "a more immersive experience for sophisticated retail traders."
The campaign is operated by DRB Panama Inc., Deribit's broker-dealer entity, and is not targeted at residents of Dubai, UAE, according to a disclaimer in the announcement.