The crypto market moves towards the mainstream: PANews announces 22 annual awards.

In 2024, the crypto market welcomed a landmark moment. Bitcoin and Ethereum spot ETFs were approved for listing, successfully entering the traditional financial sector; Bitcoin's price soared after its halving; crypto practitioners played an important role in the U.S. elections; the liquidity of stablecoins and on-chain activities continued to grow; meme coins rapidly emerged; the combination of AI and crypto became a new hot topic. These developments laid the foundation for a new crypto cycle.

In this context, PANews held the PARTY AWARD 2025 selection event with the theme "Becoming Mainstream" to recognize Web3 projects, teams, and individuals that are driving the industry into the mainstream spotlight. After more than a month of soliciting, voting, and judging, a total of 141 projects/companies and 10 individuals emerged, winning 22 authoritative annual awards.

The selection results are as follows:

Annual Outstanding Contribution Award

• Bitcoin
• Base
• Solana

Annual Innovation Award

ai16z, Ethena, Fractal Bitcoin, GMGNAi, GOAT, Hyperliquid, Mind Network, Polymarket, Pump.fun, Virtuals Protocol

Annual Application Award

Annual Best DeFi

Aave, Ethena, Hyperliquid, Jito, Jupiter, Pendle, Raydium, Sky, THENA, Uniswap

Annual Best Web3 Game

Big Time, Blocklords, Illuvium, Off the Grid, Shrapnel

Annual Best Web3 Social

Farcaster, Lens Protocol, Mask Network, Telegram, UXLINK

Annual Best RWA

MANTRA, Ondo Finance, Plume Network, Propy, Usual

Annual Best DePIN

DBunker, Grass, io.net, Privasea, Pundi X

Annual Best AI + Web3 Integration

ai16z, DIN, Virtuals Protocol, MEET48, Pundi AI

Most Popular NFT of the Year

Azuki, Bitcoin Puppets, Doodles, Milady Maker, Pudgy Penguins

Best Infrastructure of the Year

Annual Best L1

BNB Chain, Ethereum, Solana, Sui, Tron

Annual Best L2

Arbitrum, Base, Mint Blockchain, Optimism, zkSync

Annual Best Tool

BlockPI, CoinGlass, CryptoHunt, DeGame, GMGNAi, Kaito AI, Masbate, OKX Wallet, RootData, ZAN CLOUD

Most Promising Projects

Bitcoin ecosystem

Babylon, Bitlayer, Fractal Bitcoin, Merlin Chain, Nervos

Ethereum ecosystem

Arbitrum, EigenLayer, Ethena, Farcaster, Polymarket, Pudgy Penguins, Sky, Uniswap, Wormhole, zkSync

Ton ecology

Catizen, DOGS, Hamster Kombat, Notcoin, Tomo Wallet

Solana ecosystem

Jupiter, Meteora, Pump.fun, Pyth Network, Raydium

Most Popular MEME of the Year

AIXBT, BOME, CHILLGUY, DOGE, GOAT, MOODENG, Neiro, PEPE, PNUT, PUPS

Most Influential KOL of the Year

Ansem, Biteye, dingaling, LaserCat397.eth, Murad, Phyrex, 0xSun, 0xWizard, Killing Wolf WolfyXBT, Embers

The Most Influential Web3 Conference of the Year

Bitcoin2024, BREAK POINT 2024, Devcon 2024, Hong Kong Web3 Festival, TOKEN 2049

Best Investment Institutions of the Year

a16z, Alliance, Binance Labs Fund, Dragonfly, Hack VC, HTX Ventures, OKX Ventures, Pantera Capital, Paradigm, SevenX Ventures

Best Exchange of the Year

a trading platform, Bitget, Bybit, Gate, HashKey Exchange, HTX, a trading platform, Upbit

PANews Best Column

Arthur Hayes, NingNing, 0xGreythorn, Mint Ventures, On-chain View, Biteye, Sleeping in the Rain, Yue Xiaoyu, WOO, Vitalik Buterin

2024 is seen as a key turning point in the encryption field. The entry of Wall Street giants, Bitcoin halving, gradual clarification of regulatory frameworks, traditional institutions opening up to crypto asset allocation, the influence of the U.S. elections, and continuously maturing technology are bringing new growth opportunities to the industry, prompting the market to present a more diversified narrative. With the interwoven development of these factors, cryptocurrencies are expected to gain a clearer definition and broader recognition in the global financial system by 2025. This selection aims to showcase emerging trends and development potential in the industry, encouraging more pioneers and innovators to participate in the long-term construction of the crypto ecosystem.