Tradeify Grand Cup 2: The Outlaws — Competition Guide

Grand Cup 2 is our biggest tournament yet — a bracket-driven simulated trading competition with $1,000,000 in guaranteed prizes and payouts to the top 1,000 traders.

Unlike the original Grand Cup's open free-for-all, Grand Cup 2 introduces a head-to-head knockout format: qualify in Stage 1, then go one-on-one against another trader each day until only one Champion remains. We've also added 24 Outlaws — featured traders dropped directly into the bracket with bounties of $5,000 or more on their heads. Eliminate one, and the bounty is yours, even if you don't make it to the later rounds.

Duration: Sunday, May 17 (market open) — Friday, May 22 (market close). All times ET.

Account Details:

How It Works:

Duration: Tuesday, May 26 (market open, evening) — Tuesday, June 9 (market close). All times ET.

Field: 1,024 traders total — 1,000 Stage 1 qualifiers + 24 Outlaws.

A duel, not a leaderboard.

Stage 2 is built like a duel — two traders, one trading day, one shot to outscore your opponent before the bell. Each matchup runs a full Tradeify trading day: opening at 6:00 PM EST and closing at 5:00 PM EST the following day.

You and your opponent trade independently on identical fresh $50,000 simulated accounts — no trailing drawdown, no resets, max position size of 1 Mini OR 10 Micros — but you're being scored against each other.

The twist: balances only reveal four times during the session.

Unlike the qualifier, where the leaderboard refreshes continuously, Stage 2 matchup standings are published at four checkpoints during the trading day. Between checkpoints, you're flying blind on your opponent's position. You can see your own trades and P/L on the platform at all times — but the head-to-head standing only moves four times before the close.

This is what makes Grand Cup 2 feel like a duel: no shadowing, no last-second reactions to your opponent's P/L curve. Pick your spots, hold your line, and see who comes out ahead at the next reveal.

Account Details:

Match Format:

To qualify for advancement in any matchup, traders must:

❌ Failure to meet these requirements = automatic disqualification. Your opponent advances by default.

24 featured traders, hand-picked by Tradeify, enter directly into Stage 2 with a target on their backs.

Bounty: any trader who eliminates an Outlaw in their head-to-head matchup earns a bounty of $5,000 or more — in addition to any standard prize they earn for their final placement. Most Outlaws carry the base $5,000 bounty, but a select few ride with higher rewards on their heads. Each Outlaw's exact bounty will be visible on the bracket.

Special Rule — If an Outlaw Wins the Tournament: $200,000 to the winning Outlaw, all other prizes are cut in half.

Free Entry — Open to Everyone:

⚠️ Resets are ONLY available during the Qualifier (Stage 1). No resets allowed once the head-to-head bracket begins.

Total Prize Pool: $1,000,000 across the top 1,000 traders.

🏆 Winners receive 100% of their prize payout — no splits, no deductions.

The winner takes $200,000. The remaining $800,000 is split evenly across the 10 elimination rounds ($80,000 per round), distributed equally among traders eliminated in that round.

How Grand Cup 2 payouts work depends on what you earned.

Outlaw bounty earnings are added to your dashboard automatically the moment you eliminate an Outlaw. You can request the bounty payout on demand — no need to wait for the tournament to end.

Placement prize money (Champion, Runner-up, Semifinalists, and every elimination tier down through Day 1) is paid out after the competition concludes — not on demand. The standard 90/10 Sim Funded profit split does not apply to Grand Cup; placement winners receive 100% of their prize payout.

When earnings are payable, request the payout from your Tradeify dashboard. You'll complete KYC (Tradeify identity verification plus Rise verification) before your first payout. Funds are sent via Rise (primary) or Plane (alternative).

All times ET.

For Qualifiers, only the products explicitly listed in our Supported Trading Products & Assets article are eligible. If a contract isn't on that list, it cannot be traded in Grand Cup 2. Never assume a micro version of a standard contract exists — check the article.
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For Head to Head stage the only available products are: NQ, ES, GC and CL (and their micro versions)

Q: What is Tradeify Grand Cup 2: The Outlaws? A: A simulated trading tournament with $1,000,000 in guaranteed prizes. Traders compete in a 5-day Qualifier, then the top 1,000 advance to a head-to-head bracket where they're matched one-on-one daily until a Champion is crowned.

Q: Is entry really free? A: Yes. Entry is free for everyone in non-restricted countries — no active account or purchase required.

Q: Which countries are restricted? A: See the current list here: Restricted Countries.

Q: Can I enter multiple times? A: No. Each person can only have one entry.

Q: Can I withdraw from the competition? A: Yes. Submit a support request and we'll fail your account. Any reset fees you've already paid are non-refundable.

Q: Can a family member in the same household also participate? A: No — only one entry per household is permitted. Compliance actively monitors for duplicate household registrations. If we detect more than one account tied to the same household, both accounts will be disqualified, regardless of which one registered first.

Q: What broker am I allowed to use? A: Tradovate / Tradesea.

Q: Do I need to pay for live data? A: No. Real-time market data is provided by Tradeify.

Q: Which instruments can I trade? A: Only instruments explicitly listed in our Supported Trading Products & Assets article. If a contract isn't on that list, it cannot be traded — including micro versions that may exist on CME but aren't Tradeify-supported (e.g., Micro Silver SIL is not supported).

Q: Are there different rules between Stage 1 and Stage 2? A: Position size limits are the same in both stages: 1 Mini OR 10 Micros (cannot be combined). The key differences are around account behavior. Stage 1 (Qualifier) uses a $50,000 simulated account with a $2,500 trailing drawdown, and resets are available. Stage 2 (Head-to-Head) uses a fresh $50,000 simulated account each day with no drawdown, and no resets are available once the bracket begins.

Q: Does my balance carry over between days in Stage 2? A: No. Each head-to-head matchup starts on a fresh $50,000 account.

Q: Can I trade minis and micros at the same time in Stage 1? A: No. The limit is 1 Mini OR 10 Micros — they cannot be combined.

Q: What's the max position size, and what happens if I exceed it? A: The max position size is 1 Mini OR 10 Micros — these cannot be combined under any circumstances. The rule applies in both Stage 1 and Stage 2.

At the end of each trading day, we review all Grand Cup accounts for max allocation breaches. Any account that exceeded the limit at any point during the session — including by combining minis and micros — will be marked as failed before the next session begins, removing it from the leaderboard (Stage 1) or forfeiting that day's matchup (Stage 2).

Q: How do I reset my account? A: From your Grand Cup 2 dashboard. Resets cost $29 and are limited to 3 per trader, Qualifier only.

Q: Can I still reset during the head-to-head bracket? A: No. Once Stage 2 begins, no resets are available.

Q: How often do the leaderboard and bracket update? A: Both run on roughly a 15-minute cadence — they are not real-time. Your Stage 1 leaderboard ranking and Stage 2 bracket status (advances, eliminations, account failures) typically reflect within 15 minutes of the underlying event. This is separate from the Stage 2 in-matchup checkpoints, where your opponent's balance only reveals at four set times during the trading day (see the Head-to-Head Format FAQ).

Q: Can I use bots or automated/algorithmic trading? A: The same rules that apply to your regular Tradeify accounts apply during Grand Cup 2. Personal bots are allowed under specific conditions — no high-frequency trading, the bot must be solely for your own use, and it cannot be shared across other firms or traders. For full details, see Guidelines for Traders.

Q: How are matchups decided? A: Day 1 matchups are drawn at random across the full 1,024-trader field — Stage 1 ranking does not influence seeding. From Day 2 onward, matchups follow the standard bracket: each winner advances to face the winner of the adjacent slot. Brackets are locked once Day 1 is drawn, so there's no re-bracketing after that point.

Q: Will I know who I'm facing in advance? A: Yes. Brackets are public, so you can see your upcoming matchup (and the full field) at any time.

Q: When do balance updates happen during a matchup?

A: Four times per session, at 9:00 PM, 8:00 AM, 12:00 PM, and 3:00 PM EST. You can always see your own account balance and positions on your trading platform — the four checkpoints control what's visible on the public bracket / leaderboard.

Opponent balances on the bracket also reflect realized profit only — closed trades. Unrealized P&L from open positions is never shown. Your opponent could be up $100,000 or down $10,000 on open positions and you won't see it until those trades close and the next checkpoint runs. Your unrealized swings aren't visible to them either.

Q: Can I see my opponent's trades or P/L in real time? A: No. You only see your opponent's standing at the four checkpoints during the trading day. This is intentional — the head-to-head format is designed so neither trader can react to the other's moves in real time.

Q: What if I'm winning at the second checkpoint? Should I stop trading? A: That's your call — but remember the participation requirement (3+ trades, each held longer than 10 seconds) and that your opponent can still close the gap before the 5:00 PM EST bell. Final standing is what counts; checkpoint standings are just snapshots.

Q: What are the participation requirements for each matchup? A: To qualify for advancement, you must execute at least 3 trades, and each trade must be held for more than 10 seconds. Failure to meet either requirement means automatic disqualification, and your opponent advances.

Q: What if I have a higher ending balance but didn't meet the participation requirement? A: You're disqualified. Participation is a hard requirement, not a tiebreaker — both conditions (3+ trades, each held longer than 10 seconds) must be met regardless of how the matchup is going.

Example: Trader A ends the day at $55,000 with only 2 qualifying trades. Trader B ends at $44,000 with 3 qualifying trades. Trader B advances; Trader A is disqualified, even though Trader A had the higher balance.

Q: What happens if both traders in a matchup fail the participation requirements? A: Both are disqualified. The trader they would have faced in the next round gets a bye and advances automatically.

Q: What happens if both traders end the day with the same balance? A: The trader with the better win rate within that day's matchup advances.

Q: Can I be matched against an Outlaw on Day 1? A: Yes. Day 1 matchups are drawn at random across the full 1,024-trader field, so any qualifier could face an Outlaw in the first round.

Q: Can I trade Silver during head to head stage? A: No. Only NQ, ES, GC and CL and their micro versions are allowed during head to head.

Q: Who are the Outlaws? A: 24 featured traders hand-picked by Tradeify, entering directly into Stage 2 with a target on their backs.

Q: How do I claim an Outlaw bounty? A: Eliminate an Outlaw in your head-to-head matchup. The bounty is added to your earnings automatically — and you can request the payout on demand from your dashboard, no need to wait for the tournament to end.