<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Aptos’ quest to set itself apart has taken a new turn as the company announced a grant program which will award $20 million to “support artists and creatives of all mediums” who are willing to use the blockchain to realize their vision.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">The </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">Andreessen Horowitz-backed blockchain has made a name for itself thanks to a developer-friendly programming language, which </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">was originally created by tech giant Meta’s Novi team. But </span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.theblock.co/post/215645/aptos-avery-ching-fighting-blockchain-fatigue">competition</a> among blockchains and scaling solutions remains thick. Rival chains and established players like Ethereum, Solana, Polygon and Cosmos each provide strong alternatives to <a href="https://aptoslabs.com/">Aptos</a>.</span><span style="font-weight: 400;"><br /> </span></p> <p>The grants coming from the Aptos Foundation are the latest effort<span style="font-weight: 400;"> aimed at increasing the number of people and projects engaging with and building on Aptos’ chain. Aptos has been </span><a href="https://www.theblock.co/post/184241/aptos-and-google-cloud-unveil-partnership-plan-for-accelerator-program"><span style="font-weight: 400;">doubling down</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on investments and partnerships to achieve the expansion of a brand which aspires to serve billions of people. Recently, Aptos Labs invested in a popular Indian social media app </span><a href="https://www.theblock.co/post/209550/aptos-labs-backs-web3-tiktok-rival-chingari"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Chingari</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, a rival to TikTok that will use Aptos’ blockchain. <br /> <br /> </span><span style="font-weight: 400;">For the $20 million artists grant program, those who wish to apply can do so on the Aptos Foundation website. If successful, Aptos said it will provide both funding and “access to the infrastructure” needed to “make the most” of the company’s ecosystem.<br /> <br /> Aptos said it has already given $3 million to artists and creators keen to craft web3 projects using its chain.</span></p> <p>(Corrects to clarify the grants are coming from the Aptos Foundation.)</p><br /><span class="copyright"><p>© 2023 The Block Crypto, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This article is provided for informational purposes only. It is not offered or intended to be used as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice.</p> </span>