> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.rivalryze.com/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.rivalryze.com/contests/entry-fees-and-prizes.md). # Entry Fees, Prize Pools & Donations This page explains the money side of Contests: how gems get into the prize pool and how they come back out. ## Entry fee The entry fee is what each player pays to join. The host sets it as the **Participation Cost** ("Each Gem will contribute to the overall Prize Pool"). It can be zero. * You pay it from your gem wallet when you join. For **Invite Only** Contests, you pay when your invite or join request is accepted. * The whole fee goes into the prize pool. * If your balance is lower than the fee, you can't join. The join window tells you how many gems you're missing. ## Prize pool The prize pool is every gem the winners will share. It grows from three sources: 1. **Entry fees** from every player who joins. 2. **Prize Boost**: gems the host seeds when creating the Contest ("Seed the initial Prize for the battle"). They're taken from the host's wallet when the Contest is created. 3. **Donations**: anyone can boost the pool while the Contest hasn't started or is live, including players who aren't competing. ### Example A host creates a Battle with a 50-gem entry fee and a 100-gem Prize Boost. Four players join (200 gems), and two community members donate 25 gems each (50 gems). **Prize pool: 100 + 200 + 50 = 350 gems.** ## Donating to a Contest 1. Open the Contest and click **Boost** in the prize pool panel. 2. In **Boost this Contest**, enter the **Amount of Gems** (at least 1, up to your balance). 3. Add an optional message (up to 100 characters) for the participants. 4. Click **Donate** (the button shows the amount, for example **Donate 25 Gems**). Your donation is shared among the winners like the rest of the pool, and the host is notified. Donations are public: the **Funded by** list on the Contest page shows each donor, their message and amount (entry fees are shown as one total). On Discord, the Contest thread has a **Boost Battle** button that does the same. Donations close once the Contest ends. ## How the prize pool is split The host picks a prize distribution when creating the Contest: | Distribution | Split | | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Winner Takes All** | 100% to 1st place | | **Top 3** | 1st 60%, 2nd 25%, 3rd 15% | | **Top 5** | 1st 40%, 2nd 25%, 3rd 15%, 4th 10%, 5th 10% | | **Equal Top 5** | The top 5 split the pool equally | | **Participant Count** (default) | The number of paid places grows with the number of players (table below) | ### Participant Count | Players | Places paid | Split | | ------- | ----------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- | | 1–3 | 1 | 1st 100% | | 4–6 | 3 | 50% / 30% / 20% | | 7–12 | 5 | 40% / 25% / 15% / 10% / 10% | | 13–20 | 8 | 30% / 20% / 14% / 10% / 8% / 6% / 6% / 6% | | 21–40 | 12 | 25% / 16% / 12% / 9% / 8% / 7% / 7% / 6%, then 9th–12th share 10% | | 41–80 | 18 | 22% / 14% / 10% / 8% / 7% / 6% / 6% / 5%, then 9th–18th share 22% | | 81–120 | 25 | 20% / 13% / 9% / 7% / 6% / 5% / 5% / 5%, then 9th–25th share 30% | | 121–200 | 35 | 18% / 12% / 8% / 6% / 5% / 4.5% / 4.5% / 4%, then 9th–35th share 37% | | 201+ | 50 | 16% / 11% / 7% / 5.5% / 5% / 4% / 4% / 3.5%, then 9th–50th share 44% | Payouts are rounded down to whole gems. Any gems left over, including shares for places nobody reached (for example a **Top 5** split with three players), go to 1st place. In a [Guild Versus Guild](/contests/guild-vs-guild.md) Contest, the same distribution is applied inside the winning guild, with its counted players ranked by contribution. ## Guild Rewards (Discord roles) In a **Guild Contest**, the host can also hand out Discord roles in their server as prizes. Turn on **Guild Rewards** in the **Prizes** section, then: * Pick each **Guild Role** and who gets it: **Winner**, **Top 3** or **All Participants**. * Pick a **Role Removal Period**: **Never**, **1 Week** or **1 Month**. Roles are granted automatically when the Contest ends. Only guild admins can add role rewards, and the bot needs permission to assign those roles. Guild Rewards aren't available in Guild Versus Guild Contests. ## Getting your prize When a Contest you placed in ends, your gem prize appears on the **Rewards** page under **Contest prizes**. Click **Claim prize** to add the gems to your wallet. If you don't claim it, it's paid to your wallet automatically after 14 days. Discord role prizes don't need claiming: they're granted to you directly. ## Refunds When a Contest is **cancelled**, every deposit goes back to whoever paid it, automatically: * Entry fees back to each player. * The Prize Boost back to the host. * Donations back to each donor. A Contest is cancelled when the host cancels it before it starts, or when its start date arrives with nobody joined and late joining turned off (see [Auto-Start Rules](/contests/auto-start-rules.md)). There's no refund for leaving: once you've joined, you can't withdraw from a Contest. ## Transaction history Every entry fee, donation, prize and refund appears in your wallet's transaction history. See [Transaction History](/gems-and-wallet/transaction-history.md). ## Tips for hosts * **Match the fee to the commitment.** A one-day sprint and a month-long Battle shouldn't cost the same. * **Seed the pool.** A Prize Boost makes a Contest attractive before anyone joins, and you get it back if the Contest is cancelled. * **Pick the split for your crowd.** Winner Takes All suits small, competitive groups. Participant Count pays more places as the Contest grows. ## Related * [Battles](/contests/battles.md) * [Guild Versus Guild](/contests/guild-vs-guild.md) * [Hosting Your Own Contest](/contests/hosting-a-contest.md) * [Auto-Start Rules](/contests/auto-start-rules.md)