# Nominator Guides

Nominators are individuals who participate in the staking process by staking CTC (the native utility token of Creditcoin) and selecting validators to support.

By participating in the staking process, nominators contribute to the security and operation of the network. Nominators also earn a share of CTC staking rewards, based on the validator(s) they choose nominate. Nominators can select validators based on various factors such as recent payout history, total stake, commission rates, and the validator's own stake.

To incentivise good behaviour, nominators are at risk of losing staked CTC through ‘slashing’ if their nominated validators misbehave. To avoid the risk of losing staked funds through slashing, it is important for nominators to carefully choose validators that adhere to network rules and behave honestly.

{% hint style="info" %}
Refer to the [Staking Rewards](https://docs.creditcoin.org/staking/staking-rewards) and [Slashing](https://docs.creditcoin.org/staking/slashing) sections to know more about how nominators are compensated for staking and the associated risks.
{% endhint %}

Depending on the amount of CTC available for staking, investors can choose between two staking methods:

* **Nominating Without Staking Pools:** for investors with at least 19,500 CTC willing to actively participate in [selecting validators](https://docs.creditcoin.org/nominator-guides/nominating-without-staking-pools).
* **Joining a Staking Pool:** with no minimum stake requirement, investors can delegate their voting power to a pool operator and earn rewards in return.

### Guides <a href="#guides" id="guides"></a>

* [Nominate Without Staking Pools](https://docs.creditcoin.org/nominator-guides/nominating-without-staking-pools)
* [Nominate With Staking Pools](https://docs.creditcoin.org/nominator-guides/nominating-with-staking-pools)
* [Claiming rewards](https://docs.creditcoin.org/nominator-guides/claiming-rewards)


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