# Bribes & Delegation

In Aquarius, market votes can be incentivized with **bribes** — extra rewards offered by projects, or by the protocol itself on highly traded markets, to attract ICE votes to specific pools.

When you delegate your **upvoteICE** to a delegate:

* **Bribes always flow back to you, the delegator**, never to the delegate.
* Your earnings depend on how your delegate chooses to vote.

There are **no bribes or rewards** connected to **governICE** delegation. Governance votes are about protocol decisions, not direct incentives.

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### Why Delegation Helps

Bribes are not static — they change **week by week**. To maximize rewards on your own, you would need to check markets regularly and update votes on time. Delegation solves this by letting an active delegate handle these updates for you.

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### Delegate Strategies and Impact

Different delegates may follow different approaches:

* **Bribe-focused** – aiming to maximize short-term rewards by voting on markets with the highest bribes.
* **Ecosystem-focused** – prioritizing long-term protocol health or liquidity depth, which may not always align with the top bribe markets.
* **Inactive delegates** – if a delegate does not use the delegated ICE, no bribes are earned.

As a delegator, your bribe income can vary widely depending on the delegate’s voting style. Review their activity and choose the delegate whose priorities align with yours.

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