MANILA - Campus gaming organization AcadArena will relaunch its merit scholarship program for students from senior high school to college, with a new category given in cryptocurrency.

• Esports: New program to be introduced at schools blends gaming, education

In the relaunch, the gaming organization said it will be funding itself after securing a P176 million ($3.5million) investment.

AcadArena previously said the funds were secured through the support of high-profile investors consisting of gaming and technology executives such as Twitch co-founder Kevin Lin, Crunchyroll co-founder Kun Gao, among others.

• Merit scholarship para sa esports college athletes ilulunsad ng grupo
• These under-30 esports execs raised P176M to give scholarships to aspiring pro gamers

“True to our #NotJustPlay values, we want scholarships for gamers to be as normal and as frequent as joining a tournament,” Kevin Hoang, Co-CEO of AcadArena said.

The scholarship program, titled AcadArena Scholarships & Aid, will retain categories for leaders, athletes, women, families and add a category for senior high schoolers, it said.

AcadArena also launched the "Goons Full Ride Scholarship" category, which it said was "the first of its kind" in the Philippines.

• CHED: Scholarship applications suspended for incoming freshmen

The full scholarship will be given in the form of USD Coin (USDC)- which AcadArena describes as a cryptocurrency whose value is directly pegged to the US dollar.

• Visa moves to allow payment settlements using cryptocurrency

"Student gamers just need to create and link their Ronin Wallet in order to receive the award if chosen," AcadArena said.

• Why crypto creators want to stay anonymous

The group said it will award the scholarships every three months with shortlisted applicants announced monthly.

"This way students who submit early can decide if they want to improve their application or hope they’ll make it in the next shortlist," AcadArena said.

A total of P700,000 worth of USDC scholars will be funded, AcadArena said.

Brands such as Rumble Royale, Twitch Student and MetaGoons are part of the relaunched program, it s.aid

More information about the scholarships can be found on their website.