Space Races are a significant step towards decentralizing the art of curation. The traditional method of onboarding artists to SuperRare is a centralized application process in which curators at SuperRare Labs determine which artists to whitelist for minting. Originally, the application process wasn’t meant to gate keep, but instead was simply meant to ensure that NFTs being minted on the platform were works of art. But as SuperRare exploded in popularity and developed a reputation as a home for high quality single edition artworks, the question of the application process and decentralization became more complex. Space Races introduced a balanced solution. But what exactly is a Space Race, and how does it work? How do you participate?
Space Races are facilitated by the SuperRare DAO–not by SuperRare Labs. Prospective Space operators submit proposals for SuperRare Spaces, which are independently operated galleries that exist within the SuperRare network that curate art, promote art and artists, and sell art on the SuperRare marketplace. Space operators curate and sell art by any artist, even if they were not whitelisted on the marketplace by the SuperRare Labs curation team. Then, DAO members, or those who hold $RARE tokens, vote on which Spaces they believe deserve a place in the SuperRare network.
The process has a few more steps in between the proposal and the vote. The initial application period is open for two weeks. After proposals are submitted at forum.superrare.com, community editors spend two weeks working with prospective Space operators, reviewing and revising proposals to ensure they meet creative standards. Then, the SuperRare DAO Council will audit and publish the selected applications for each Space Race so the community can review them before voting. The official snapshot poll with qualifying racers will be scheduled for two weeks after the close of applications, and only after that will $RARE holders vote using a token based quadratic voting system.
During each Space Race, multiple winners are usually picked–up to ten Spaces can be approved for onboarding a month–and if a prospective Space loses its bid, it can always try again next time.
A good way to start is joining the SuperRare DAO Discord server. There, you can engage in the community and learn about the DAO before deciding if you want to get involved.