Taproot activated on Bitcoin at block 709,632 in November 2021. It introduced a new address format — P2TR (Pay-to-Taproot), encoded as Bech32m and starting with bc1p — along with improvements to Bitcoin's scripting capabilities through Schnorr signatures and the MAST (Merklized Alternative Script Tree) structure. The practical outcome for ordinary Bitcoin users is a new address format that offers slightly better privacy properties for complex scripts and marginally lower transaction fees for certain transaction types. For Bitok Arena competition specifically, bc1p Taproot addresses work as entry addresses — they receive BTC and appear on the leaderboard.
The recommended format for Bitok Arena entries is Native SegWit (bc1q), which is the older Bech32 format. Both bc1q and bc1p are fully functional for competition entries. The recommendation for bc1q comes from broader exchange support — as of late 2025, virtually all major exchanges support bc1q withdrawals, while bc1p Taproot support is still absent or limited on some platforms. If your primary sending path from an exchange produces a bc1q source address and the Bitok Arena master wallet is a bc1q address, the entire path is in a consistent, well-supported format.
Taproot introduced bc1p addresses with improved scripting and marginal fee advantages. Both bc1q and bc1p work for Bitok Arena entries. The practical difference for most competitors is which format their wallet and exchange support — bc1q has broader support, bc1p is fully valid where supported.
What Taproot Actually Changed
Taproot's primary technical contribution is the integration of Schnorr signatures into Bitcoin. Schnorr signatures enable key aggregation — multiple participants in a multisignature transaction can produce a single signature that is indistinguishable from a single-party signature, improving privacy and reducing transaction size. For ordinary single-signature Bitcoin transactions — the type used in Bitok Arena entries — Taproot provides no practical difference from Native SegWit beyond marginally lower transaction sizes in some configurations.
The MAST component of Taproot enables complex scripts to reveal only the executed spending path rather than all possible spending conditions. This matters significantly for advanced use cases — Lightning channel closures, DLC contracts, complex multisig arrangements — where revealing all spending conditions in a simple transaction was previously unavoidable. For a standard Bitok Arena entry (a simple P2WPKH or P2TR send to the master wallet), the MAST improvement has no practical effect.
For a Bitok Arena competitor, the format question is primarily about what their wallet and exchange produce. A wallet that generates bc1p addresses by default will produce bc1p entries to the master wallet — fully valid. A wallet that generates bc1q addresses produces bc1q entries — also fully valid. The master wallet itself accepts both formats. The only practical concern is whether the exchange the participant uses to fund their wallet supports the sending format — and for bc1p, that support is not universal across all exchanges as of late 2025.
Checking Format Before Sending
Before initiating a Bitok Arena entry transaction from an exchange, verify the destination address format in the exchange's withdrawal form. The Bitok Arena master wallet address for the current round will begin with either bc1q or bc1p — check the platform's current round page for the exact address. If the exchange's withdrawal form shows the address as valid when entered and the network is set to Bitcoin mainnet, the transaction can proceed. If the exchange shows an error on the bc1p format specifically, it does not support Taproot addresses — in this case, use a self-custody wallet that accepts the bc1p address to receive the funds first, then send from that wallet to the master wallet.
The intermediate wallet step adds one on-chain transaction and confirmation wait, but it resolves any exchange bc1p compatibility issue. The self-custody wallet (Sparrow, BlueWallet, Trezor with Taproot support) can receive from the exchange's bc1q or legacy output and send to the bc1p master wallet without format issues. The key verification is that the master wallet address receives the correct amount in a confirmed transaction — visible in any block explorer after the send.
Taproot adoption has been gradual across the Bitcoin ecosystem. As of late 2025, Taproot addresses represent a minority of all Bitcoin transactions but are growing in share as wallets and exchanges update their support. For Bitok Arena participants, the format question is a one-time check: what does your current wallet generate, what does your exchange support, and does the sending path reach the master wallet in a confirmed transaction. Once that path is verified, the format question is resolved for future rounds using the same wallet and exchange combination.
The Format That Arrives Is the Format That Competes
Bitok Arena records leaderboard entries by the sending address — the address that signed the outgoing transaction to the master wallet. Whether that address is bc1q or bc1p, the entry is recorded against it and the prize (if earned) goes to it. The format does not affect the competitive result. What affects the competitive result is the BTC amount committed and the position on the leaderboard at round close. Format is infrastructure; competition is what happens after the transaction confirms.
Both bc1q and bc1p addresses generate transactions that settle on the Bitcoin mainnet. Both are verifiable in the same block explorers. Both appear on the Bitok Arena leaderboard the same way — as addresses with committed BTC. The format question is worth answering once before the first send and then following the same verified path for subsequent rounds.
Taproot brought bc1p addresses to Bitcoin with genuine technical improvements for complex scripts. For a straightforward Bitok Arena entry, bc1p and bc1q are functionally equivalent — both arrive at the master wallet, both appear on the leaderboard, both receive prizes if top-three. The difference is exchange support for the sending step. Verify once and use the path that works.
The round is live. The master wallet accepts both formats. Verify the address format on the current round page, confirm your exchange supports the sending format, and broadcast the entry. The leaderboard records the position in the format that sent it.
bc1p or bc1q — both land on the leaderboard. Check the master wallet format on the current round page, confirm your exchange accepts it, send from your wallet. The Taproot question is answered in one block explorer lookup. The round is open for whichever format your path produces.