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Proof, the Web3 startup behind the smash hit Moonbirds NFT collection, is launching its next digital art series—favoring its existing collectors.
The new collection—"Moonbirds: Diamond Exhibition"—will feature 10,000 digital artworks created by 22 artists, including Beeple, Daniel Isles (aka Dirty Robot), Terrell Jones, Summer Wagner, and Michael Sidofsky. Those works will only be available, however, to Moonbirds holders who have achieved Diamond Nest status by staking their NFTs with the company for a certain period of time.
Moonbirds feature a nesting function that encourages holders to lock up their NFTs instead of listing or selling them. The longer a Moonbird is nested in a holder’s wallet, the more perks and rewards—such as the "Diamond Exhibition"—are made available to that holder.
On April 18, Day 1 Diamond Nesters—those who opted to stake their Moonbirds NFTs on the first day that the Moonbirds nesting program launched—will be airdropped a “Choice Pass,” which will allow them to rank their preferred artists among the 22 participating in the collection. After a four-day voting period, Proof will use a raffle informed by those rankings to airdrop art pieces to all participating Day 1 Diamond Nest Moonbirds holders.
This exclusive drop celebrates our community's most dedicated members with a unique opportunity to collect works from some of our favorite artists of the moment—some you’ll know, & some you’ll want to start following. 💯
— Moonbirds (🦉, 🎨) (@moonbirds) April 7, 2023
From there, all Diamond Nesters who staked their Moonbirds within the first week of the nesting program’s debut will go through a similar rank choice voting and airdrop process, and so on, and so on, until all 10,000 artworks have been distributed.
To celebrate the collection’s release, Proof will also host a party with Beeple for Moonbirds holders at NFT NYC this Thursday, where the artist will draw one of his Diamond Exhibition pieces in-person.
.@beeple has posted original artwork every day for over 16 years. He made art history when his piece ‘Everydays: The First 5000 Days’ sold for $69 million at a @ChristiesInc auction in 2021.
A LIVE drawing of his Diamond Exhibition piece will be created at Beeple x PROOF NYC! pic.twitter.com/XTIEMhYMZg
— Moonbirds (🦉, 🎨) (@moonbirds) April 7, 2023
The drop comes at a time when Proof and other NFT companies continue to search for ways to keep their NFT holders satisfied and engaged.
Proof had somewhat of an uphill battle in that regard. In February, the company canceled its marquee annual gathering, Proof of Conference, citing a lack of interest. Some Moonbirds holders were outraged at the news, because access to the conference had previously been touted as one of the main perks associated with owning a Moonbirds NFT.
Yuga Labs—the $4 billion company behind dominant NFT collection Bored Ape Yacht Club—similarly touts access to ApeFest, an annual gathering of Bored Ape holders that’s featured performances from high-profile music artists including Eminem and Snoop Dogg, as a key benefit of owning an Ape.
Last week, Yuga announced a series of exclusive jewelry pieces crafted in partnership with Gucci that were made available only to holders of certain NFTs within Otherside, Yuga’s ape-themed metaverse game. That promotion, which lasted only 24 hours, raised over $5.7 million, according to Yuga.