Last updated Jul 09, 2026 · 13:17 UTC
Showing 41–45 of 45
45 audit contests
| Protocol | Source | Prize | Window | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Cyfrin Attester
|
Codehawks
Finished
|
$6K |
Mar 11 - Mar 14, 2025
3 days
|
View |
|
USDO/CCIP
|
Codehawks
Finished
|
$3K |
Mar 14 - Mar 15, 2025
1 day
|
View |
|
Storage Proofs
|
Codehawks
Finished
|
$10K |
Mar 10 - Mar 17, 2025
7 days
|
View |
|
RWA Part 2
|
Codehawks
Finished
|
$4K |
Mar 25 - Mar 27, 2025
2 days
|
View |
|
Staking Part 2
|
Codehawks
Finished
|
$80K |
Apr 03 - Apr 24, 2025
21 days
|
View |
Codehawks
Finished
Codehawks
Finished
Codehawks
Finished
Codehawks
Finished
Codehawks
Finished
CodeHawks launched as part of Cyfrin's audit ecosystem and is best known for First Flights: smaller, beginner-friendly audit contests with prize pools under $20,000. First Flights are how many new auditors build their first submission history before moving to larger Code4rena or Sherlock contests.
Full CodeHawks audits run 3 to 21 days with $20,000-$200,000 prize pools. This page shows only contests aggregated from CodeHawks. For audit contests on other platforms, see the full Web3 audit competition tracker.
Six major platforms host the Web3 audit competitions and smart contract bug bounty programs aggregated above. Click any platform to see only its active contests.
| Platform | Type | Typical Prize | Contest Length | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Code4rena
|
Audit contests | $50K to $500K | 3 to 14 days | DeFi protocols pre-launch |
Sherlock
|
Contests + bounties | $50K to $300K | 7 to 30 days | Insurance-backed audits |
|
CodeHawks
|
Audit contests + First Flights | $5K to $200K | 3 to 21 days | Newer auditors building a track record |
Cantina
|
Mega-comps + bounties | $200K to $2M+ | 14 to 30 days | Experienced researchers, high-value protocols |
Immunefi
|
Ongoing bug bounties | Up to $15M per critical | Ongoing | Production protocol vulnerability hunting |
HackenProof
|
Bounties + crowdsourced audits | $1K to $1M+ | Ongoing or time-boxed | Managed Web3 programs and exchange/protocol bounties |
First Flights are small audit contests on CodeHawks designed for new auditors. Prize pools are under $20,000, scope is intentionally narrow (often a single contract), and competition is lighter than full audits. They are the standard onboarding path for new wardens.
CodeHawks (run by Cyfrin) offers First Flights specifically for new auditors and includes Cyfrin's educational ecosystem. Code4rena has higher average prize pools but no beginner tier. Many auditors start with CodeHawks First Flights, then graduate to Code4rena.
The leading Web3 bug bounty platforms are Immunefi (largest, $15M max payouts on DeFi protocols), Cantina (Spearbit's bounty program plus audit competitions), HackenProof (managed Web3 bounties and crowdsourced audits), Sherlock (audit contests with insurance-backed bounties), and Code4rena (best known for time-boxed audit competitions). Codehawks rounds out the field with Cyfrin-run contests focused on emerging protocols and beginner-friendly First Flights.
Cantina runs the largest audit competitions ($2M+ prize pools for protocols like EigenLayer and Uniswap v4). Immunefi pays the highest per-bug bounty (up to $15M for critical findings). Code4rena and Sherlock typically run $100K-$500K audit contests. Codehawks First Flights are smaller but accessible to newer auditors.
Audit competitions invite security researchers to review a protocol's smart contract code for a fixed prize pool over 1-4 weeks. Rewards are split based on unique valid findings, weighted by severity (critical, high, medium). Code4rena, Sherlock, Codehawks, and Cantina are the main platforms.
Top auditors earn $10,000-$500,000+ per competition. Cantina and Code4rena regularly run $500K-$2M prize pool contests. Bug bounties can pay up to $15M per critical finding on platforms like Immunefi.
Audit contests run for a fixed time window with a fixed prize pool shared among all valid findings. Bug bounties are ongoing programs where each valid submission earns a direct per-vulnerability reward (often $50K-$15M depending on severity). Bug bounties require finding a real vulnerability in production code.
Learn the most common vulnerability classes first: reentrancy, flash loan attacks, oracle manipulation, and access control. The SCH Smart Contract Hacking Course covers all the core attack patterns that audit competitions test, starting from zero experience.
A practical path from learning vulnerability classes to submitting your first contest finding.
Master reentrancy, access control, oracle manipulation, flash loan attacks, and arithmetic overflows. These five classes account for most contest findings.
Read every public report from past Code4rena and Sherlock contests. Try to spot findings yourself before reading the writeup. This is how every top auditor trained.
First Flights are small audit contests designed for newer auditors. Prize pools are under $20K, scope is small, and competition is lighter. They build real submission history.
Pick an active audit contest from the tracker above filtered by Solidity and a $50K-$200K prize range. Spend 20 to 40 hours on the contest, even if you only find one valid medium-severity issue.
Publish your findings, share writeups on Twitter and Mirror, and start accumulating valid submissions across multiple platforms. A documented track record is what opens bug bounty access and full-time auditor roles.