Now that you’ve started earning Decrypt Tokens (congrats, by the way) it’s time to take the next step and get your hands on your very first Decrypt NFT, or non-fungible token. 

You’ve probably spotted our journalists writing stories about NFTs, as they’ve become very popular in recent months. But you may still be wondering what they are, what they are for, and why Decrypt is giving you the chance to get your hands on them. So we’ve put together this simple explainer to help get you up to speed.  

In this guide, we’re going to walk you through the basics of what NFTs are, how they work, and how to swap your Decrypt Tokens for Decrypt NFTs. 

By the end of this piece, you’ll know everything you need to get your hands on these limited edition artworks. And if you still have questions, we have people on hand to help you out on our Discord server. 

What are NFTs?

NFTs or non-fungible tokens are blockchain-based tokens that represent deeds to a variety of digital collectibles. Those deeds could be for things like art, music, or even sports highlight videos. Decrypt’s NFT are limited edition artworks specially commissioned for you. 


Upon first inspection, an NFT artwork may look like a mere image or GIF, but behind the scenes, this image is digitally coded onto the blockchain. That makes the image verifiably unique, and allows for logging information like creation date, artist identity, and anything else the creator wants bound to that image. The artwork will always carry that information, no matter who owns the NFT. 

This prevents pieces from being copied, and provides a detailed history of where that NFT has been, and what it was sold for. In future, it could be used for other things, too. Because the NFT is unique, it can be used as a key to unlock other features, or allow you to gain access to other events. We’re working on building those features out, so stay tuned. 

Alternatively, as the owner of an NFT you can sell it or swap it for another on NFT marketplaces like OpenSea. 


If you’d like to see how people have been using NFTs, here are some links to articles highlighting what’s possible. 

Why is Decrypt creating its own NFTs? 

Decrypt’s mission has always been to help make understanding the Web3 world simpler. In the beginning we created learn guides on the biggest projects in the space, then we started telling stories about the people and ideas that were changing this world. 

Now we’re creating products that allow you to explore some of the key concepts in the crypto world in a simple, safe way: collecting tokens, creating wallets, and earning NFTs! 

Below we’ll explain the steps for how to get started.

Step 1: Create your own wallet

In order to hold tokens, or NFTs, you need a wallet for them to live in. These wallets are unique addresses that hold your assets, but also allow you to acquire new ones. We have a deep-dive on wallets if you’d like to know more. 

Creating a wallet


To get this digital address, you need to create a crypto wallet. A wallet enables you to perform transactions (like give & receive assets) as well as hold them.

There are many types of wallets, and they support transactions on different blockchain networks, but for the sake of simplicity, we’re suggesting you use MetaMask, since it's a widely used, reliable wallet that works on the same network we are minting on (Ethereum). It's also free!

To use MetaMask, all you need to do is head on over to the company’s website, and download either the desktop or mobile version of the software.

After signing up, you should be set with a wallet that has an address, where we will be sending you the NFT.

This is what a connected Metamask wallet should look like if all went smoothly. Your address is the series of numbers and letters below the “Account 1” heading:

You’ve now completed step 1 in getting your hands on one of our NFTs.

Step 2: Start the process for claiming an NFT 

Now that you have a wallet, you’re ready to start the process for getting hold of your NFT. As you’re already aware, the NFTs on the Decrypt Rewards Store can only be swapped when you’ve earned enough tokens. 

Until that point, you won’t be able to swap your tokens for NFTs.

If you have earned enough tokens, you’re ready to redeem.

Head to the Decrypt Rewards page  

Inside the Decrypt app, navigate to the Rewards Page. Here you’ll find the NFTs and the artists that created them. 

If you see one you like, hit the Redeem button on that NFT, and as long as there are NFTs left to earn, you should receive an email explaining what to do next. 

Open claim link email 

Check your inbox, it should contain a message on the next steps for claiming your NFT. 

Connecting the wallet

Once you’ve created your wallet, and started the process for claiming an NFT, you’ll need to head over to Treum (one of our partners) and their Claim page. A link to this will be sent to you in an email once you’ve decided you want to swap your Decrypt Tokens for an NFT.  

Once you visit the site using the link in the email, you’ll be invited to “connect a wallet”, the following options of connecting a wallet should appear.

Simply click the MetaMask tab and fill out your details. If you’re signed in to your Metamask wallet on the same browser, it should do it for you automatically. 

If you’re using a different wallet and you know your address, add that in where appropriate. 

What’s important here is that whatever wallet you use, it needs to be one that can access the Ethereum mainnet.

Claiming the NFT

After connecting the wallet, the address will appear in the grey box that should match the wallet you signed in with. 

When you claim the item, the NFT will be transferred to that wallet address. Once complete you should see a screen that looks something like this:

You’re nearly there! 

Ensuring the claim was successful

You’ll know everything went smoothly, when you’ll see the address for the NFT held in your wallet. Woo, you made it! 

You can now see your NFT in a number of different ways. 

On OpenSea  

In our public OpenSea collection page, where you will see all the NFTs we’ve gifted. 

On a blockchain explorer

Head on over to any Ethereum blockchain explorer (like https://etherscan.io/).
Here you can search for your wallet address - just copy and paste your public key into the search function -  and see recent actions (called ‘transactions’). You’ll see that the NFT has been transferred to you!

Ok, what do I do with the NFT now?

You’re now an NFT art collector! 

NFTs, like many other crypto assets, rise and fall in value, depending on how much the community values those particular assets.  

As the owner of an NFT, you have a number of options. You can hold on to it, and maybe its value might go up over time. 

You can sell it to others in the community on platforms like OpenSea. Here’s a guide on how to use the platform. 

Or you can hold on to it and wait and see how Decrypt will create new functionality inside your artwork that could unlock a whole host of new features! 

Welcome to the Web3 world. 

If you have more questions, head on over to our Discord server where you can find a whole host of resources and experts on hand.