Sherlock (sherlock.xyz) Live Audit Contests

3 Active contests
$162,750$163K Active prize pool
0 Bug bounties
1 Platforms

Last updated Jul 21, 2026 · 10:55 UTC

Showing 61–80 of 301

301 audit contests

Protocol Source Prize Window Link
Notional Update #3
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$16K
Apr 10 - Apr 15, 2023
5 days
View
Teller
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$26K
Apr 14 - Apr 22, 2023
8 days
View
Splits
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$14K
Apr 19 - Apr 24, 2023
5 days
View
Blueberry Update
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$16K
Apr 25 - Apr 30, 2023
5 days
View
Footium
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$11K
May 02 - May 05, 2023
3 days
View
JOJO Exchange
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$52K
Apr 24 - May 10, 2023
16 days
View
Blueberry Update #2
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$24K
May 04 - May 11, 2023
7 days
View
DODO Margin Trading
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$10K
May 09 - May 12, 2023
3 days
View
Notional V3
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$164K
Mar 27 - May 15, 2023
49 days
View
USSD - Autonomous Secure Dollar
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$12K
May 19 - May 23, 2023
4 days
View
Eco Protocol
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$10K
May 22 - May 25, 2023
3 days
View
GMX Update
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$134K
Apr 25 - Jun 04, 2023
40 days
View
Iron Bank
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$45K
May 29 - Jun 11, 2023
13 days
View
Unitas Protocol
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$24K
Jun 05 - Jun 12, 2023
7 days
View
Index
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$87K
May 19 - Jun 14, 2023
26 days
View
Perennial
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$81K
May 22 - Jun 15, 2023
24 days
View
Ajna Update
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$57K
Jun 05 - Jun 22, 2023
17 days
View
RealWagmi
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$22K
Jun 20 - Jun 25, 2023
5 days
View
Arrakis
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$54K
Jun 14 - Jun 29, 2023
15 days
View
DODO V3
Solidity
Sherlock Finished
$39K
Jun 19 - Jul 01, 2023
12 days
View
Loading timeline...
Sherlock Finished

Notional Update #3

$16K Prize pool
Apr 10 - Apr 15, 2023
View on Sherlock
Sherlock Finished

Blueberry Update

$16K Prize pool
Apr 25 - Apr 30, 2023
View on Sherlock
Sherlock Finished

Blueberry Update #2

$24K Prize pool
May 04 - May 11, 2023
View on Sherlock
Sherlock Finished

DODO Margin Trading

$10K Prize pool
May 09 - May 12, 2023
View on Sherlock
Sherlock Finished

USSD - Autonomous Secure Dollar

$12K Prize pool
May 19 - May 23, 2023
View on Sherlock
Sherlock Finished

Unitas Protocol

$24K Prize pool
Jun 05 - Jun 12, 2023
View on Sherlock

About Sherlock

Sherlock launched in 2022 with a unique twist: protocols that pass a Sherlock audit can buy on-chain coverage backed by Sherlock and its watson community. Contests typically run 7 to 30 days with $50,000-$300,000 prize pools. Watsons (Sherlock auditors) submit findings, the judging panel determines severity, and the prize is split across valid unique findings.

This page shows only contests aggregated from Sherlock. For audit contests on other platforms, see the full Web3 audit competition tracker.

Smart Contract Audit Competition & Bug Bounty Platforms Compared

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.

Comparison of the major smart contract audit competition and bug bounty platforms.
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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Sherlock and Code4rena?

Sherlock contests have stricter judging and include an insurance-backed bounty period afterward. Code4rena focuses purely on time-boxed contests. Sherlock prize pools are typically smaller ($50K-$300K) than Code4rena ($50K-$500K), but Sherlock watsons earn from post-contest bounties too.

How do I find active Sherlock contests?

Every currently-active Sherlock audit competition appears in the listing above, pulled from the Sherlock API every 2 hours. You can also browse all contests directly on audits.sherlock.xyz.

What are the best smart contract bug bounty platforms?

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.

Which audit competition platform pays the most?

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.

How do smart contract audit competitions work?

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.

How much can you earn in a smart contract audit competition?

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.

What is the difference between a bug bounty and an audit contest?

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.

How do I get started with smart contract auditing?

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.

How to Start Competing in Smart Contract Audits

A practical path from learning vulnerability classes to submitting your first contest finding.

  1. Learn the core vulnerability classes

    Master reentrancy, access control, oracle manipulation, flash loan attacks, and arithmetic overflows. These five classes account for most contest findings.

  2. Practice on retired contests

    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.

  3. Start with CodeHawks First Flights

    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.

  4. Enter your first full competition

    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.

  5. Build a public track record

    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.