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When the outcome of an event becomes known, the market is resolved. Resolution determines which outcome won, allowing holders of winning tokens to redeem them for $1 each. Losing tokens become worthless. Polymarket uses two Resolution Sources, UMA for prediction markets and Chainlink TWAP for up-down markets.

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UMA-Resolved Markets

Prediction markets use the UMA Optimistic Oracle for decentralized, permissionless resolution.

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Resolution Rules

Every market has pre-defined resolution rules that specify:
  • Resolution source — Where the outcome will be determined from (e.g., official announcements, specific websites)
  • End date — When the market is eligible for resolution
  • Edge cases — How ambiguous situations should be handled
Always read the resolution rules before trading. The market title describes the question, but the rules define how it resolves.
1

Proposal

Anyone can propose a resolution by:
  1. Selecting the winning outcome
  2. Posting a bond (typically $750 pUSD)
  3. Submitting the proposal to the UMA Oracle
If the proposal is correct and undisputed, the proposer receives their bond back plus a reward.
If you propose incorrectly or too early, you lose your entire bond. Only propose if you’re confident in the outcome and understand the process.
2

Challenge Period

After a proposal, there’s a 2-hour challenge period where anyone can dispute the outcome.
  • If no dispute: The proposal is accepted and the market resolves
  • If disputed: A new proposal round begins. If the second proposal is also disputed, the resolution escalates to UMA’s DVM (Data Verification Mechanism) for a token holder vote.
There are three possible resolution flows:
  1. No dispute — Propose then Resolve (fastest, ~2 hours)
  2. One dispute — Propose, Challenge, second Propose, Resolve (second proposal accepted)
  3. Two disputes — Propose, Challenge, second Propose, second Challenge, Resolve via DVM vote
3

Dispute - If Challenged

To dispute a proposal:
  1. Post a counter-bond (same amount as proposer, typically $750)
  2. The dispute triggers a new proposal round, or if already in the second round, a debate period
During the 24-48 hour debate period, evidence can be submitted in UMA’s Discord channels (#evidence-rationale and #voting-discussion).
4

UMA Vote

After the debate period, UMA token holders vote on the correct outcome. The voting process takes approximately 48 hours.

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Clarifications

In rare cases, unforeseen circumstances require clarification of the rules after trading begins. Polymarket may issue an “Additional context” update that proposers and voters should consider during resolution. Clarifications:
  • Cannot change the fundamental intent of the question
  • Are published onchain via the bulletin board contract
  • Should be considered by UMA voters when resolving disputes
If you believe a clarification is needed, request it in the Polymarket Discord #market-review channel.

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Resolution Timeline

Undisputed resolution: ~2 hours after proposal Disputed resolution: 4-6 days total See Resolution Contracts for UMA contract addresses. Each market specifies an asset pair, a start time, and a duration. For example, a market may ask whether BTC/USD moves Up or Down during a specific one-hour window. The TWAP at the start sets the price to beat. When the duration ends, the TWAP at that time sets the final price. Both values come from the same Chainlink TWAP stream. A time-weighted average price (TWAP) represents an asset’s average price over a defined lookback window.

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How Resolution Works

The market resolves Up when the final price is equal to or greater than the price to beat, and Down when it is lower. Because the inputs and comparison are fixed, the same observations always produce the same result without UMA’s proposal-and-dispute process.

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After Resolution

Once a market resolves:
  • Trading stops — You can no longer buy or sell tokens for this market
  • Winning tokens become redeemable for $1.00 each
  • Losing tokens become worthless ($0.00)

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