> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.aqua.network/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.aqua.network/voting-and-rewards/sdex-rewards.md).

# SDEX rewards

Stellar DEX (SDEX) rewards are earned by placing buy and sell offers on the order books of markets in the reward zone, using SDEX interfaces such as [StellarX](https://www.stellarx.com/) and [StellarTerm](https://stellarterm.com/). For AMM pool rewards, see [AMM Rewards](/voting-and-rewards/aquarius-amm-rewards.md).

{% hint style="info" %}
To receive rewards, your wallet must hold a trustline to AQUA — without it, rewards cannot be credited.
{% endhint %}

### How the algorithm weighs offers

The reward engine measures **liquidity provided, not volume traded**. Every hour, each offer you held on the order book accrues a weighted contribution:

* **Volume** — the size of the offer.
* **Time on the book** — an offer that sits the full hour counts fully; one that appears briefly counts proportionally.
* **Proximity to the spread** — weight falls off sharply as an offer moves away from the best price, so competitive quotes earn far more than distant ones.
* **Fulfillment** — offers that get filled (fully or partially) count more than offers that never trade.

Your hourly reward is your share of the market's total weighted contribution, paid from that market's slice of the daily allocation. This weighting model was adopted from the community-designed [SDEX v2 algorithm](/archive/archive/sdex-v2-proposal-and-algorithm.md), built to reward real market making and leave wash trading unpaid: recycling volume between your own accounts scores poorly on time and spread weight, while patient competitive quoting scores well.

### Eligibility and boosts

Markets qualify through [liquidity voting](/voting-and-rewards/aquarius-voting.md): at least 0.5% of votes with both assets whitelisted in the Asset Registry. Rewards are distributed automatically every hour — see the [reward cycle](/voting-and-rewards/reward-cycle.md) for exact timing. Holding ICE [boosts your SDEX rewards](/aqua-and-ice/ice-boosts-how-to-maximize-lp-rewards.md) up to x2.5, the same as for AMM rewards.

### Additional resources

* [Active market pairs for rewards](https://aqua.network/rewards)