Applications are currently closed. Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when applications open, and to learn about other opportunities.
The initial application takes 30-45 minutes (we encourage you to not spend longer), including 2 free-response questions and a set of puzzles.
We encourage rough answers and bullet points—we want to see how you think, not how well you write!
No, it's 100% free to apply. Our program is 100% free, too.
No. Our program helps you generate ideas and connects you with other motivated young people working on important global issues.
We look for applicants who demonstrate:
Application overview: Initial application → Semi-finalist → Finalist → Interview → Fellow
More detail:
Applicants are eligible if they, at the start of the program:
All over the world. You are eligible to apply regardless of your location.
The Fellowship is a 8-week part-time program. The next cohort is yet to be scheduled. Subscribe to our newsletter to hear when applications open.
The program requires a minimum commitment of 5 hours per week, which can be completed on a flexible schedule that works for you.
Our program features:
Our optional interdisciplinary curriculum–spanning mathematics, machine learning, biology, economics, and philosophy–helps you apply academic concepts to real-world problems.
However, participants often say they learn the most from completing a research project with feedback from facilitators, mentors, and other fellows.
Since our founding in 2022, we’ve awarded more than $400,000 in scholarships and prizes to talented young people and other programs and competitions that support them. The largest funder of our work has been Open Philanthropy. No funder makes decisions about our curriculum, selection of fellows, judging of projects, or anything else that we do.
We are still planning our July 2025 cohort. Our summer cohorts have historically accepted between 100 and 150 fellows.
Recipients must use the scholarship for the purposes of education and personal development. This means, for example, purchasing textbooks, courses, technology, tuition, tutoring, or supplementing unpaid internships.
The scholarship is not contingent on attending university.
View our Scholarship Terms and Conditions
The fellowship will be entirely in English. You don't need to be a native English speaker; however, it is important you be able to converse with other fellows and facilitators in English.
The $30,000 in scholarships includes one $15,000, two $5,000, and five $1,000 awards. Prizes are awarded based on progress made, impact potential, and presentation quality. Details in our Scholarship Terms & Conditions.
We’ll announce our results date later when applications open. Subscribe to our newsletter to hear when applications open.
Yes! When you apply, you can indicate all future cohorts you’re interested in and eligible for. You will then be automatically considered for future cohorts you select.
Subscribe to the newsletter to hear when applications open, and to learn about other opportunities.
Unfortunately not. We receive thousands of applications, and aren’t able to provide individualised feedback.
Unfortunately not, the decisions we make are final. However, you will be automatically reconsidered for future cohorts you select on your application. If anything changes, you can edit and resubmit your application.
It’s up to you!
We welcome projects on any topic that could make a substantial difference in the world.
Previous participants have explored a diverse range of research topics, such as:
We reserve the right to not support any project we think would have a negative impact on the world.
Absolutely! Many of our previous winners completed their projects in groups (and many others did on their own).
Many aspects of our program are designed to help you find someone to work with who shares your interests, such as group events, 1-on-1 introductory calls, and our fellow database.
Great!
You're welcome to work on your existing project. While our program focuses on exploration, we can still help with implementation and connect you with a supportive community.
No, but you can let us know you might be interested in the future.
You can submit an expression of interest or email our founder Peter (peter@non-trivial.org) with your CV/LinkedIn and why you might be interested.
Feedback is crucial to helping us improve – especially critical feedback.
To give us feedback, you can:
Please contact us so we can help you.
Note: We receive a high volume of inquiries and don't have the capacity to reply to every message. However, we read every message and greatly appreciate hearing about issues with the website, application, and programs.
