One year. $10,000.
Some pranks can't wait for permission.
The Lessin Fellowship funds the smartest, funniest, most audacious pranks and performance art by college students in America — then gives the winners a year to go even further.
Apply NowWhat it is
Every year, thousands of the smartest kids in the country spend four years being brilliant inside the lines. We think the best of them are also brilliant outside the lines — the ones who notice the rule nobody thought to defend, build the elaborate joke nobody saw coming, or stage the stunt that makes an entire campus (or an entire feed) stop and think "wait, how did they even pull that off."
The Lessin Fellowship is a one-year program that puts real money and real access behind that kind of mind. We're not asking anyone to drop out, break the law, or hurt anyone. We're asking for proof — on video — that you can plan something clever, execute it with precision, and make people laugh or gasp in the process.
The prize
All three winners also receive the full one-year Fellowship: a grant, direct introductions to leaders in tech and finance, and a private speaker series.
Why we're doing this
Genius hides in mischief
The sharpest instincts for systems, incentives, and human psychology often show up first as a prank, not a thesis. We'd rather fund that instinct early than wait for it to show up in a pitch deck a decade later.
The best builders bend rules on purpose
A great prank requires the same skills as a great startup: find the gap in the system, plan under constraints, execute flawlessly, and make people feel something. We're looking for people who already do this for fun.
We want proof, not promises
No essays about your "entrepreneurial journey." Show us the thing you actually did — on video — and let it speak for itself.
Who can apply
- Enrolled full-time in a four-year university program in the United States
- Behind a prank or piece of performance art — solo or with a team (one application per team)
- Able to submit a video and written description of what you did
What's off limits
We want creative, funny, and smart — not reckless. The following are automatically ineligible:
- Anything that breaks the law in a way that causes real harm or real legal exposure
- Anything where anyone gets physically hurt
- Harassment, sexual harassment, or anything targeting someone without their consent in a harmful way
All submissions are kept confidential by default — we review privately, and nothing is shared or published without your permission.