Lessons and going forward

Hey Fellow AlphaNovans,

As we come to the close of the May 2026 Competition, I want to thank every one of you who participated. The response has been incredible, and we've learned an enormous amount.

First, the good news: there were some genuinely excellent signals submitted. While none of the individual signals are quite viable as standalone trading strategies once realistic transaction costs are applied, that's completely fine. The real strength comes from diversification. A collection of good, partially independent signals can become something far more powerful than any one signal alone.

Now for a more serious topic.

During the competition we identified a number of cases where individuals created and operated multiple accounts. Some of these cases were flagged by vigilant members of the community, while others were detected through our own investigations. We want to thank everyone who helped maintain the integrity of the competition.

Operating multiple accounts is a serious issue because our competitions are intentionally designed to balance two competing goals:

• We allow participants to remain anonymous.
• We limit the number of submissions per scientist.

Those two features only work if every participant plays by the rules.

Where we have established that multiple accounts were operated by the same individual or through collusion, those accounts have been disqualified. We believe this is only the beginning, and we intend to significantly strengthen our integrity procedures going forward.

Looking Ahead

Our next competitions will move to a continuous bi-weekly format.

Rather than one large payout at the end of a competition, prizes will be awarded every two weeks, with signals then entering a one-month live simulation period. The total prize allocation remains substantial—up to USD 50,000 over the programme—but rewards will be distributed continuously throughout the year.

Strengthening Competition Integrity

Unfortunately, stronger competitions require stronger safeguards.

For groups of accounts that appear likely to be operated by the same individual, we intend to introduce a conditional Know Your Scientist (KYS) process. This process would only be triggered where there is significant evidence suggesting multiple-account abuse.

The process may include:

• Verification of the participant's identity through submission of personal identification.
• A group video call where appropriate, followed by individual one-on-one interviews.
• For accounts that are both highly suspicious and in line for significant prize money, a refundable verification deposit of up to 10% of the expected payout before prizes are released. The deposit would be forfeited only if the participant refuses to complete the verification process or is found to have breached the competition rules.

We appreciate that these measures are more stringent than before, and we'd much rather not have to introduce them. However, protecting honest participants—and ensuring that prize money goes to those who earn it fairly—has to remain our highest priority.

The overwhelming majority of our community competes honestly, and we're incredibly grateful for that. Our goal isn't to make life harder for genuine scientists; it's to make cheating so difficult that it simply isn't worth attempting.

Thank you again to everyone who participated. We're excited about the next phase of AlphaNova competitions, and we think the bi-weekly format will make them even more engaging, rewarding, and scientifically interesting.

See you in the next contest.

— Nonius

ps. do not fuck with Nonius. thanks.