Backtests 2.0: Strategy Race — Launching a Contest with a $1,000 Prize Pool
Veles launches “Backtests 2.0: Strategy Race” — a contest where users compete not in luck, but in the quality of their trading strategies.
Over the past year, the market has become much faster and more complex. Simple template configurations are no longer enough: the speed of hypothesis testing, the flexibility of bot customization, and the ability to quickly find working configurations for a specific market are becoming increasingly important.
That is why we are taking Backtests 2.0 to the next level and adding flexible indicators — tools that allow you to explore the market, compare approaches, and optimize strategies significantly faster.
The main idea of the contest is to find the most effective strategy configuration through backtesting. It’s not just about getting the maximum return, but building a stable system with reasonable drawdown and clear logic.
Prizes and Rewards
The contest is held separately across five assets: BTC, ETH, SOL, Gold, and HYPE.
Each asset features individual prize places:
- 🥇 1st Place — $100
- 🥈 2nd Place — $50
- 🥉 3rd Place — $25
Additionally, we will raffle off 3 more prizes of $50 each among users who publish content about the contest on social media using the hashtag #bestbacktest and tagging Veles Finance.
The total prize pool of the contest is $1,025.
How to Participate
The mechanics of the contest are centered around finding the best trading configuration.
Users can run an unlimited number of backtests, change indicators, filters, grid parameters, and entry/exit settings, test various combinations of conditions, and resubmit their results throughout the entire contest.
The user’s best current result for each asset will be counted toward the competition.
To participate, you need to:
- Run a backtest using Backtests 2.0
- Copy the link to the result
- Publish it in the community with the hashtag
#bestbacktest
Identical backtesting conditions are fixed for all participants:
- Deposit — 1,000 USDT
- Leverage — x2
- Historical Period — from June 11, 2025 to June 11, 2026
- Maximum Drawdown — no more than half of the deposit
Winners are determined not only by profit but also by the strategy’s efficiency relative to risk. This approach prevents a race for overly aggressive settings and shifts the focus entirely toward strategy quality.
The contest kicks off on June 11, 2026, and will run for two weeks.
A leaderboard featuring participants and their backtest results will be published during the event. Once the contest concludes, we will conduct a dedicated breakdown of the best configurations for each asset.
Why Backtests 2.0 Is a New Level of Strategy Testing
Most traders face the exact same problem: testing hypotheses takes way too much time.
Settings have to be changed manually, tests take a long time to run, and comparing results turns into a whole separate chore. Because of this, many users either test too few options or start trading with unverified configurations altogether.
Backtests 2.0 solves this issue completely.
Now, a user can literally run dozens of different configurations in a matter of minutes, quickly compare the outcomes, and find a working strategy for a specific market much faster.
In essence, this is a transition from slow, manual setting tweaks to full-fledged, high-level strategy testing.
Now, users can do more than just verify a single hypothesis; they can systematically explore the market, compare different approaches, search for optimal configurations, and make data-driven decisions rather than relying on random attempts.
The speed of strategy testing is becoming a distinct competitive advantage in trading.
Flexible Indicators: The Next Step in Strategy Creation
Fast backtesting is only one part of the puzzle.
It is equally important to be able to flexibly assemble your own strategy logic rather than being limited to ready-made templates.
This is precisely why Flexible Indicators are arriving at Veles. It is a full-featured constructor of conditions where you define exactly how and by what logic the bot should operate.
Users can create much more complex and varied bot configurations, combine conditions, and build custom trading scenarios tailored to specific market environments.
Flexible Indicators allow you to:
- Combine any available indicators with one another
- Create custom entry and exit conditions
- Set custom timeframes with steps starting from 1 minute
- Utilize “OR” logic between groups of conditions
Strategies that were previously impossible to implement using standard templates can now be built directly inside Veles.
FAQ
1. How many backtests can I run?
You can run an unlimited number of backtests and resubmit your results throughout the entire contest. Your best active result will make it onto the leaderboard.
2. Can I participate with multiple assets at the same time?
Yes, you can test strategies on BTC, ETH, SOL, Gold, and HYPE simultaneously.
3. Can I use any settings I want?
Yes. You are allowed to modify indicators, filters, grids, martingale settings, and other strategy parameters within the available functionality.
4. Why is drawdown limited?
The contest is focused on finding sustainable, robust trading configurations rather than promoting high-risk strategies.
5. What happens if one user wins multiple prize places?
A user cannot claim multiple prize places simultaneously. In this scenario, their highest result will be counted, and the remaining rewards will pass to the next participants down the leaderboard.
6. Are there any restrictions on participation?
Yes.
A single user cannot win multiple prize places simultaneously. If a participant occupies multiple positions, only their highest result counts, and the other rewards pass to the next participants in the table.
The organizers also reserve the right to disqualify results in the event of bugs, exploits, technical anomalies, or attempts to manipulate the contest mechanics.
The competition is built around finding real and sustainable trading configurations, so any attempts to bypass the mechanics will not be considered.
7. How do I submit my result to the contest?
You need to run a backtest via Backtests 2.0, copy the link to the result, and publish it in the community with the hashtag #bestbacktest.
8. Will Backtests 2.0 remain free?
No. Currently, Backtests 2.0 is available for free on a temporary basis. In the future, this feature will become part of Veles’ paid subscription tiers.