Official Rules & Terms
Last updated 2026. By submitting an application you agree to these Official Rules & Terms in full.
1. Sponsor
The Lessin Fellowship (the "Fellowship") is operated by Lessin Technology Company, LLC ("Sponsor," "we," "us," or "our"). References to "The Lessin Fellowship" on this site refer to this program as operated by Sponsor.
2. No Purchase Necessary; Eligibility
No purchase or payment of any kind is necessary to enter or win. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning. To be eligible you must, at the time of entry:
- Be enrolled full-time in a four-year university degree program in the United States
- Be the applicant behind (or team lead for) the submitted prank or performance art, with authority to submit it and to agree to these terms on behalf of any teammates
- Be at least 18 years old, or have the written consent of a parent or legal guardian
- Not be an employee, officer, or immediate family member of Sponsor, or a judge on the Fellowship's judging panel
Sponsor may request proof of enrollment and identity before paying any prize.
3. Entry Period & How to Enter
Applications are accepted on a rolling, ongoing basis via lessinfellowship.com/apply. Each entry must include a written description and a video of the prank or performance art. One entry per person or team per annual judging cycle; submitting on behalf of a team does not create any right or claim for teammates against Sponsor — the submitting applicant is solely responsible for any division of a prize among a team.
4. Judging Criteria & Selection Process
Entries are reviewed and winners selected by the Fellowship's judging panel (listed at lessinfellowship.com), in its sole and final discretion, based on: cleverness, merit, humor, and taste, and the overall quality of planning, execution, and storytelling shown in the submission. Decisions of the judging panel are final and not subject to appeal. Sponsor may, in its discretion, decline to award any or all prizes in a given year if no entry meets the judging panel's bar.
5. Prizes & Award Timing
| Grand Prize | $10,000 (one winner) |
| Runner-up | $5,000 (two winners) |
| Runner-up | $5,000 (two winners) |
All winners also receive the one-year Fellowship (grant, introductions, and access to a private speaker series) described on the homepage. Winners for each annual cycle will be announced and awarded no later than June 1st of that calendar year (the end of the academic school year). Prizes are non-transferable; no cash or prize substitution is permitted except at Sponsor's sole discretion, in which case Sponsor may substitute a prize of equal or greater value.
6. Taxes
All prizes are the sole responsibility of the winner, including any and all federal, state, and local taxes. Prizes of $600 or more will require the winner to complete and submit a Form W-9 before payment, and Sponsor will issue an IRS Form 1099 as required by law.
7. Submission License; Ownership; Publicity
By submitting an entry, you grant Sponsor a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to store, reproduce, and review your written description and video submission for the purposes of judging the Fellowship and administering the program. Per Section 10 below, Sponsor will not publish, share, or otherwise use your submission or your name, image, voice, or likeness for publicity or any other purpose without first asking your separate, explicit permission — including if you are selected as a winner. You retain all ownership of your submission; this license does not transfer ownership to Sponsor.
8. Release of Liability; Assumption of Risk
By submitting an entry, you represent that you have the legal right to submit it, that it does not infringe any third party's rights, and that it does not violate Section 9 below. You agree, to the fullest extent permitted by law, to release, defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Sponsor, Lessin Technology Company, LLC, its affiliates, and its and their respective officers, members, employees, and agents (including Sam Lessin individually and the judging panel) from and against any and all claims, injuries, losses, damages, liabilities, and expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising out of or related to: (a) your participation in the Fellowship; (b) your prank, stunt, or performance art and any acts, conduct, or events depicted in or related to your submission, whether or not disclosed to Sponsor; and (c) acceptance, possession, use, or misuse of any prize. The Fellowship is a grant program that reviews and rewards video submissions after the fact — it is not a permission, authorization, sponsorship, or endorsement of any act depicted, and Sponsor has no role in, and assumes no responsibility for, planning, supervising, or ensuring the safety of anything shown in a submission.
9. Disqualification; Compliance with Laws
The following make an entry ineligible and may result in disqualification at any stage, including after a prize has been announced: anything that seriously breaks the law in a way that causes real harm or real legal exposure; anything where anyone is physically hurt; and harassment, sexual harassment, or targeting anyone without their consent in a harmful way. Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entrant it believes, in its sole discretion, has violated these Official Rules, tampered with the application process, or engaged in conduct that is unlawful, unsportsmanlike, or intended to annoy, abuse, threaten, or harass any other person.
10. Confidentiality; Privacy
All submissions are kept confidential by default. Sponsor will not publish, share, or forward your video or description, or use your name, image, or likeness publicly, without separately asking for and receiving your permission first. Personal information you submit (name, email, phone, school) is used only to administer the Fellowship — to review your entry, contact you about your application, and, if you win, to pay your prize and arrange Fellowship benefits — and is not sold to third parties. Notwithstanding the foregoing, Sponsor is not a legal shield: if compelled by a valid subpoena, court order, or other legal process, Sponsor will comply and may be required to disclose your submission and personal information.
11. General Conditions
Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend, or modify the Fellowship, or these Official Rules, at any time, for any reason, including if the Fellowship is compromised by factors beyond Sponsor's reasonable control. The Fellowship is void where prohibited by law. Sponsor is not responsible for incomplete, lost, late, or misdirected entries, or for technical failures of any kind, including malfunctions of any network, hardware, or software.
12. Governing Law; Disputes
These Official Rules & Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-law principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to the Fellowship or these Official Rules & Terms will be resolved exclusively in the state or federal courts located in San Mateo County, California, and you consent to the personal jurisdiction of those courts.
13. Contact
Questions about these Official Rules & Terms: [email protected].
This page is a good-faith draft prepared to put real terms behind the Fellowship while a full outside-counsel legal review is in progress. It will be updated if that review recommends changes.