TL;DR
The StarkWare Delegation Program now has two tracks to support validators, expanding upon the former, single-track program. Track A will continue to support newer and smaller validators, with an aim to encourage onboarding and support their growth over time, while Track B targets validators with a proven operational history who demonstrate long-term alignment and reliability.
Introduction
Since its inception in July 2025, the StarkWare Delegation Program has been running successfully and with strong momentum. During this time, we have delegated millions of STRK to dozens of validators. We’re pleased to see the impact the Delegation Program has had on Starknet’s resilience and the growing participation across the ecosystem.
Much has changed since the program first launched. In addition to the staking pool becoming larger and more robust, the validator set has expanded and the delegator base has grown. We’ve also seen new, and very welcome, delegation initiatives emerge across the ecosystem, and of course, Bitcoin staking has entered the picture. With Staking v2, validators took on the responsibility of block attestation and Staking v3 (targeting late 2026) will see validators validating blocks.
All these factors led us to consider changes to the program that would better reflect both the network’s current state and where we believe it is heading. Over the past few weeks, we carefully evaluated multiple approaches to balance these goals. As before, open discussions in the community forum and conversations with various community members played a significant role in shaping the changes that best fit current conditions.
These conversations brought us to the conclusion that, in order to meet the network’s current and future needs, it is important to support not just small and emerging validators, but also seasoned, professional operators with strong alignment and proven track records. As a result, the program is introducing a new track for seasoned validators who will be eligible for a more substantial delegation, alongside the existing track that supports emerging validators.
Track A
This track remains aligned with the program to date and focuses on newer and smaller validators. Its goal is to encourage onboarding, support growth over time, and promote decentralization and accessibility—helping small validators mature into long-term contributors to the network. The requirements for validators in this track are:
- Minimum 1 month as active validator
- 99% liveness – Minimum uptime requirement
- 20K STRK minimum stake – Excluding StarkWare and Starknet Foundation delegation programs
- Maximum 5% total consensus power
- Compliance completion
- Maximum commission – Capped at 15%
- Testnet operation – Active participation in Staking v3, when applicable
Track B
Designed for validators with a proven operational history, validators in this category are expected to demonstrate long-term alignment and reliability. The requirements for validators in this track are:
- Minimum 3 months as active validator
- 99.5% liveness – Minimum uptime requirement
- 1 million STRK minimum stake – Excluding StarkWare and Starknet Foundation delegation programs
- Maximum 5% total consensus power
- Compliance completion
- Maximum commission – Capped at 15%
- Testnet operation – Active participation in Staking v3, starting from Q2
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What this Means for Existing and Interested Validators
Current Program Participants
If you are already participating in the StarkWare Delegation Program, you don’t need to take any action – you will continue to participate in the program. If you are a current participant and you are interested in moving to Track B, you may visit the “Apply Now” section of the website and choose the relevant option.
Interested in Joining?
If you are not a current StarkWare Delegation Program validator and are interested in joining, visit the StarkWare Delegation Program website and apply. For questions or assistance completing the form, please contact [email protected]. To offer feedback on StarkWare’s proposal for this new phase of the program, visit the recent Starknet Community Forum post. You can also learn more about Starknet’s phased approach to implementing the staking protocol here and about becoming a Starknet validator here.
