Eagles receive a distinct payout known as the “Eagle Reward”. This reward is separate from the standard prize distribution in CodeHawks contests and is designed to compensate Eagles for providing high-level expertise and leadership.
Eagle Reward Structure
Lead Eagle Guaranteed Reward ◦ A portion of the contest prize pool (7.5% for significant contests or 10% for smaller ones) is paid to the lead Eagle at the start of the audit. ◦ Provides a baseline compensation, ensuring lead Eagles are rewarded for their time and leadership.
Eagle Pool Reward ◦ Applicable only for contests where the prize pool is greater or equal than $40K. ◦ 7.5% of the pot is allocated for this performance-based payout. ◦ This portion is awarded to whichever Eagle ranks highest on the contest leaderboard (as long as the Eagle is in the top 5 for contests with ≤ 100 competitors or the top 5% for contests with > 100 competitors). ◦ If no Eagle meets the rank requirement, the amount is rolled into the top prize tier of the general prize pool.
◦ If two or more Eagles are equally the best Eagles and meet the rank requirement, the amount is equally distributed between them.
Capped vs. Uncapped Rewards ◦ In most cases, Eagle Rewards are uncapped. However, a cap may apply for extremely large contests (e.g., $1M+ pots).
Exclusions and Notes
The Eagle Rewards (Guaranteed and Pool) do not count towards the standard CodeHawks leaderboard rankings.
Eagles cannot serve as Paid Judges for contests they participate in or lead, ensuring fairness and no special privileges during the judging phase.