Crypto trading competition, free to enter
MarginPad runs a continuous crypto futures trading competition in fourteen-day seasons. Six leaderboards, real prize money on every one, and no deposit and no exchange account needed to compete on five of them. Trades are filled by our server against real exchange candles, so the standings measure trading, not a browser.
A crypto trading competition is running right now: day 2 of 14, $350 in prizes on the line, free to enter.
This season ends 2026-09-28, in 12 days, and the next one starts the same day - you can join on any day and still place. Six leaderboards are live and 66 entries are ranked across them.
Measured 2026-09-15 19:08 UTC by MarginPad, from the same data that pays the prizes.
Who is winning right now
| Board | Leading | Score | Entries | Pool |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Highest ROE | Mistrlefty | 1207.1% ROE | 15 | $30 |
| Green Days | Bala | 2 green days | 10 | $30 |
| Best Win Rate | igbekwu | 93.5% win rate | 8 | $30 |
| Season XP | Sarz07 | 2,163 XP | 15 | $30 |
| The Gold Room | Papis | 75 pts | 15 | $30 |
| Bybit Volume | Mushtaq | $1,532 | 3 | $200 |
Standings refresh as trades close. A board with no entries yet is an open board - one qualifying trade puts you first on it.
The six boards
Every board scores something different, so one style of trading does not sweep them all. Each pays its top five, and you can place on more than one.
| Board | What it measures | Pool | Entry |
|---|---|---|---|
| Highest ROE | The best return on a single closed trade in the season. | $30 | Paper |
| Green Days | The most days closed in profit - consistency, not one lucky trade. | $30 | Paper |
| Best Win Rate | The highest win rate, Wilson-ranked so a short streak cannot top it. | $30 | Paper |
| Season XP | The most XP earned this season across trading, lessons and missions. | $30 | Paper |
| The Gold Room | A points score across wins and losses - the all-round board. | $30 | Paper |
| Bybit Volume | Real futures volume on a Bybit account opened through MarginPad. | $200 | Real money |
Paper boards pay $10 / $8 / $6 / $4 / $2 to the top five. The Bybit volume board pays $100 / $50 / $25 / $15 / $10. Prizes are credited to your MarginPad rewards balance and can be withdrawn.
How to enter
- Open the terminal. Paper Trade works with no account at all - try it first if you want.
- Create a free account. Email and a sign-in code. No card, no deposit, no KYC.
- Trade. Every trade you close counts toward the boards from that moment. There is no separate entry step and nothing to pay.
- Watch the boards. Live standings update as trades close. A season is fourteen days and you can join on any day of it.
- Get paid. Prizes are credited automatically when the season ends, to the top five of every board.
Competing with real money
The sixth board is different: it ranks members by real futures volume traded on a Bybit account opened through MarginPad, and pays the top five $200 a season - on top of whatever fee rebate the exchange itself gives you. It exists for traders who are already trading size and would rather be paid twice for it. Register that account's UID on the season page to appear. Bybit cannot open accounts everywhere, including the United States.
Why the standings can be trusted
A paper-trading leaderboard is only worth entering if it cannot be gamed. Four things make this one hold:
Fills happen on the server. When you open or close a position, the price comes from real exchange candles on our side - your browser reports nothing. A modified page cannot invent a fill or a price.
A win has to be a real win. A trade counts as a win only with at least 5% ROE and a real price move of 0.2%, which removes the trick of opening and closing on noise at extreme leverage.
The win-rate board is Wilson-ranked. Five wins out of five does not outrank forty-two out of fifty. Confidence matters, not a short streak.
Everything is public. Standings, the prize table and the season dates are all visible to anyone, and the same numbers are available as a keyless JSON feed.
Questions
Is there a free crypto trading competition?
Yes. MarginPad runs one continuously in fourteen-day seasons. Five of its six boards are scored from paper trades, so entry costs nothing, needs no deposit and needs no exchange account. The prize money is real and is paid to the top five on every board.
What do you win?
Every board pays its top five: $10, $8, $6, $4 and $2. The Bybit volume board pays $100, $50, $25, $15 and $10. Across all six boards that is $350 a season, about $750 a month. Prizes are credited to your MarginPad rewards balance and can be withdrawn.
How do I enter?
Create a free MarginPad account and start trading on the paper terminal. Every closed trade counts toward the boards automatically from the moment you sign up; there is no separate registration step and no entry fee. You can try the terminal with no account at all first, but only signed-in accounts appear on the boards.
How is it kept fair?
Paper trades are filled by the server against real exchange candles, not reported by your browser, so a modified page cannot invent a fill. A trade only counts as a win with at least 5% ROE and a real price move of 0.2%, which kills the trick of scalping noise. The win-rate board is ranked by Wilson score, so five lucky trades cannot outrank fifty consistent ones. Every standing is public.
Can I compete with real money instead of paper?
Yes, on the Bybit volume board. It ranks members by real futures volume traded on a Bybit account opened through MarginPad, and pays the top five $200 a season on top of whatever the exchange itself rebates. Register that account’s UID on the season page to appear.
When does the next season start?
Seasons run back to back with no gap, each one fourteen days, anchored to Monday. The live block at the top of this page shows which day of the current season it is and exactly when it ends - you can join mid-season and still place.
Do I need to be in a particular country?
The paper boards are open everywhere MarginPad is available. The Bybit volume board depends on Bybit being able to open an account for you, which excludes some countries including the United States.
MarginPad is a free crypto futures toolkit: a paper-trading terminal, a multi-chart workspace, a screener, liquidation maps and a live liquidation feed. The competition runs on the same terminal. Not financial advice.