How to Stake LINK and Claim Tokens in Chainlink Rewards Season 1

If you staked LINK in Chainlink Staking v0.1 or v0.2 before November 3, 2025, you are eligible for Chainlink Rewards Season 1– a program that allows long-time supporters to claim project tokens from leading teams in Web3. This guide explains how cubes work, how to assign them, and what to expect during the reward period. It also outlines for newcomers how to prepare for future reward opportunities.

Key Takeaways

• Chainlink staking strengthens the network and provides access to reward opportunities from Build projects.

• Season 1 introduces Cubes, a points-based system tied to historical wagering activities.

• Nine Build projects are distributing a portion of their token supply to eligible LINK stakers.

• Allocations occur off-chain, allowing participants to choose which projects they want rewards from.

• A 90-day unlock schedule and optional early unlock create additional incentives for patients who discontinue.

Understanding Chainlink and its growing ecosystem

I’ve seen Chainlink grow from a simple oracle provider to a full infrastructure network connecting blockchains to real-world data, payments, and cross-chain communications. The technology is now powering areas such as AI-driven analytics, tokenized real possessionsgaming, ThePINcredit markets and institutional finance.

This growth has made Chainlink a backbone of Web3 reliability. As more protocols rely on Chainlink services, such as CCIP for cross-chain messaging or Automation for onchain logic, the need for security increases. That’s where staking comes into the picture.

What Chainlink Staking actually does

Chainlink staking allows LINK holders to contribute to the integrity of the network. By locking their tokens, stakers signal a long-term commitment and help secure oracle operations.

Here’s what staking has to offer:

• Network Security: Staked LINK helps protect against misreported data.

• Stronger reputation: Long-term stakeholders earn credibility and influence in the ecosystem.

• Access to Rewards: Historical stakes in v0.1 and v0.2 determine eligibility for Season 1 Cubes.

Staking is not just a passive action. It’s a way to support many of the protocols that rely on Chainlink for accurate price feeds, automation triggers, cross-chain transfers, and more.

Introducing Chainlink Rewards Season 1

Season 1 builds on the success of the pilot phase – Season Genesis – where Space and Time allocated 100 million SXT tokens to eligible LINK strikers. Season 1 goes much further than that.

This time there are nine Build projects involved:

• Dolomite

• Space and time

• XSwap

• Brickken

• People Finance

• Mind network

• Suku

• Truflation

• bitsCrunch

These teams represent a broad spectrum of Web3 activities, from asset lending and tokenization to coded computation and onchain analytics.

How cubes work: the core of the reward system

Cubes act as loyalty points for previous wagering activities. They are not tokens, they cannot be traded and they have no cash value. Instead, they represent your share of the potential rewards.

This determines your Cube balance:

All balances were captured during a snapshot on November 3, 2025. No new cubes will be generated during Season 1.

Think of Cubes as your personal claim distribution among participating projects.

Assign your cubes

Beginning November 11, 2025, eligible strikers will have access rewards.chain.link to see their cube balance. Before assigning cubes to a project, users complete a short quiz. This encourages participants to understand the purpose and technology of each project.

Allocation works as follows:

• Assign cubes to any combination of projects.

• Spread them thinly or put them all in one.

• Adjust as often as you like until December 9.

• All promotions take place outside the chain, without gas costs.

Once the final snapshot is taken, cube assignments are locked and redemption rates are set for each project.

Claiming rewards in Season 1

Token claims will begin on December 16, 2025, using a linear 90-day unlock schedule. Users can:

• Claim tokens gradually as they are unlocked, or

• Wait until the end of the period to save gas.

Tokens are automatically unlocked in each block, allowing participants to choose their timing.

Chainlink also introduced an Early Unlock mechanism. This allows users to claim some of their locked tokens ahead of schedule, but lose the rest. Forfeited tokens then go into the loyalty pool, which rewards patient participants at the end of the cycle.

This mechanism encourages planning and rewards thoughtful participation.

A closer look at Season 1’s construction projects

Each Build project contributes something different to the Chainlink landscape. Here’s a snapshot of what they offer:

• Dolomite – DeFi money market using Chainlink Automation, Data Feeds and CCIP

• Space and time – Decentralized data warehouse with Chainlink Functions and CCIP

• XSwap – Cross-chain trading ecosystem using CCIP and AI analytics

• Brickken – Institutional platform for tokenized assets using Proof of Reserve and CCIP

• People Finance – Lending protocol with Chainlink Data Feeds and CCIP

• Mind network – FHE-enabled encrypted calculation with Chainlink CCIP

• Suku – Consumer Web3 tools with features, automation and CCIP

• Truflation – Real-time index provider using data streams and automation

• bitsCrunch – AI blockchain analysis using Chainlink VRF

Can you still earn cubes?

No. Cubes were assigned based on historical participation before the snapshot. However, participating in Season 1 will still give users access to some of the most active Web3 projects through token distribution.

How to earn value through Chainlink

These are the main ways to interact with the ecosystem:

• Use LINK to support the network and access rewards

• Allocate cubes strategically in Season 1

• Hold project tokens earned through participation

• Support ecosystem growth through long-term engagement

Chainlink does not offer traditional yield. Instead, it offers participatory rewards and early access to new things Web3 Technologies.

Final thoughts

Chainlink Rewards Season 1 demonstrates a practical model for distributing project tokens based on user participation and long-term commitment. By linking historical deployment activities to actual utility within the Chainlink ecosystem, the program encourages sustainable engagement from LINK holders.

Whether you want to support emerging markets Web3 infrastructure or diversify your exposure through token distributions, Season 1 provides a structured, transparent way to participate in Chainlink-powered projects.