On September 15, 2022, we took an important step in the progression of the Ethereum roadmap in the shape of the Merge. Ethereum, the world’s largest programmable blockchain, transitioned to the Proof of Stake (PoS) consensus mechanism, reducing the network’s energy consumption by 99.99%, among other major implications.

Consensys celebrated this historic moment with Regenesis, a collection of art NFTs (non-fungible tokens) that were a testament to the capability of decentralized software development. The collection comprised two sets of NFTs. The first was a set of commemorative NFTs that Consensys presented to the Ethereum Core Developers (Core Devs), researchers, and client teams as a token of our gratitude for the work they put in to build an Ethereum that was more sustainable, more secure, and more scalable. 

The second set of NFTs in the collection was an open edition NFT of Regenesis that anyone with a web3 wallet could mint. Regenesis was forever tied to the birth of PoS Ethereum, as it holds one of the first NFTs that was minted on Block 1. The open edition NFT was also one of the most distributed NFT drops in the history of Ethereum, with 327,600 mints.

Now, as we are nearing another milestone in the Ethereum roadmap, the Shanghai/Capella upgrade, Consensys is back with another NFT collection. We are inviting web3 enthusiasts from all over the world to participate in this landmark technological achievement by claiming an NFT here.

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The Shanghai/Capella upgrade is a technological milestone on the Ethereum roadmap that will simultaneously upgrade the blockchain’s execution and consensus layers to enable staked ETH withdrawals. The activation of withdrawals will reduce barriers to entry for retail and institutional stakers—encouraging increased participation, and precipitating further decentralization and security of the Ethereum network. It will also put a spotlight on the competitiveness of staking-as-a-service offerings, performance, and fees—likely driving further innovation within the sector. To dive deeper into what the Shanghai/Capella upgrade means for stakers and the web3 ecosystem, read our Ultimate Guide to ETH Staking Withdrawals.   

Ethereum, Evolved: Shanghai

The latest NFT collection is called Ethereum, Evolved: Shanghai, and like Regenesis, it has two editions. The first, commemorative edition consists of an art NFT depicting the themes of liquidity and security. By removing the barriers to access staked ETH, liquidity in the system will increase and invite greater participation in staking globally, which will improve network security. To thank all the Core Devs and contributors, Consensys will airdrop these commemorative NFTs to the Ethereum Core Devs on April 13th, the day after the Shanghai / Capella Upgrade goes live. 

The second, open edition is an NFT depicting the theme of decentralization, a benefit of the Shanghai/Capella upgrade. By encouraging participation of larger numbers of validators, the Shanghai/Capella upgrade improves the network’s security by increasing decentralization. 

Alongside the Merge, the Shanghai/Capella upgrade is not just a moment for crypto insiders, it is a milestone in the history of the internet. This is an opportunity to own a piece of technological memorabilia that celebrates this breakthrough.

The NFT claim window will open on 12 April 2023 at 9pm EST. It will remain open for 72 hours. 
You will be able to mint the open edition for free (excluding gas fees) if you own a MetaMask wallet. If you don’t have a MetaMask wallet yet, visit MetaMask.io to download and install it and follow our guide to fund it.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Here’s everything you need to know about the NFT drop:

Is this NFT free?
Yes, this NFT is free; anyone can mint as many as possible via individual transactions. The only cost incurred will be from paying gas fees for every mint. These gas fees can vary significantly based on activity on Ethereum mainnet.

What is gas?
Essentially a transaction fee paid to secure the Ethereum network, gas is the unit of measure for how much computational work is required to process transactions and smart contracts. To learn more about gas, read this user guide.

How can I claim the NFT?

Connect your MetaMask wallet
On the day of the Shanghai/Capella Upgrade (April 12, 2023), a link to claim the NFT will be posted on the Shanghai/Capella hub, and this will lead you to the claim page where you will be asked to connect your MetaMask wallet.

Don’t have a MetaMask wallet?
You can easily download and install MetaMask and follow the instructions to get set up.

Buy Ethereum and add it to your wallet
In order to pay the gas fee to mint your NFT, you will need to have ETH in your MetaMask wallet. You can easily buy Ethereum directly from MetaMask by following these instructions.

How long do I have to claim it?
The claim window will start on the day of the Shanghai/Capella Upgrade, on April 12th at 9pm EST, and will remain open for 72 hours. 

You reference multiple editions, are there other NFTs coming?

As part of Consensys’ celebration of the Shanghai/Capella Upgrade, we’ll airdrop the a commemorative edition to members of the Protocol Guild (aka the collective of 130 Ethereum core protocol contributors) as a small token of our appreciation for the years of decentralized coordination and effort making the Shanghai/Capella Upgrade a reality.

These limited edition NFTs were created specifically for this team and will include the team members’ names embedded in the metadata on some of the first blocks of the PoS Ethereum they helped create. 

How many open edition NFTs can I claim?
You may claim as many open edition NFTs as you want while the claim window is open, but can only mint one NFT at a time. 

What is the utility?
This collection is, first and foremost, a set of artistic works celebrating an important technological milestone that we believe will be looked back on as a watershed moment in web3’s evolution.

The open edition art explores the significance of the Shanghai/Capella Upgrade, and its activation of staked ETH withdrawals. As a piece of technological memorabilia, this NFT collection’s utility solely comes from proving that you were there to celebrate this key milestone in the history of web3.

Who made these NFTs?
Consensys partnered with artist Marcel Deneuve to design the pair of illustrations. 

What do they represent?
The pair of illustrations explore key themes of the Shanghai/Capella upgrade: decentralization, security, and liquidity.

Why should I care?
The Shanghai/Capella upgrade is a technological milestone on the Ethereum roadmap that will simultaneously upgrade the blockchain’s execution and consensus layers to enable staked ETH withdrawals. The activation of withdrawals will reduce barriers to entry for retail and institutional stakers—encouraging increased participation, and precipitating further decentralization and security of the Ethereum network. It will also put a spotlight on the competitiveness of staking-as-a-service offerings, performance, and fees—likely driving further innovation within the sector.

Alongside the Merge, the Shanghai/Capella upgrade is not just a moment for crypto insiders, it is a milestone in the history of the internet. This is an opportunity to own a piece of technological memorabilia proving that you were there to witness and celebrate this breakthrough.

Who is Consensys and what do they have to do with the Merge?
Founded in 2014, Consensys has cultivated a global presence, employing top entrepreneurs, computer scientists, protocol engineers, software developers, and web3 futurists. As one of the largest and most foundational entities in the blockchain technology space, Consensys’ worldwide Mesh of people, projects and companies is building the blockchain industry’s developer tools, decentralized applications, and solutions for enterprises and governments that are determined to harness the power of Ethereum.

Consensys believes deeply in the Ethereum project and has assembled a Protocols and R+D team to help drive core development work. Protocol engineers, client teams and applied researchers on four continents have contributed to Ethereum’s decentralized R&D led by the Ethereum Foundation.

Over the past two years these teams have quietly driven the roadmap for many of the Ethereum blockchain’s most significant elements: 

  • Proposing a Beacon Chain spec and formally verifying both the Eth2 spec and its corresponding Deposit Smart Contract

  • Designing Validator Withdrawal mechanisms

  • Helping to shape both EIP 1559 and the Engine API

  • Developing an institutional grade Eth2 staking client (Teku), execution layer client (Hyperledger Besu) and remote signer (Web3Signer) all while participating in critical testnets and regular implementers calls. 

The team has also helped enable the web3 community to participate in staking by:

  • Developing MetaMask, the leading web3 wallet empowering users to self-custody their crypto and manage their stakes

  • Building an ETH staking platform that offers a secure, reliable, and performant service

Our commitment to decentralization and Ethereum is bone deep and we will continue to contribute our people, products and resources to support its evolution. 

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