🤝 Fellowship Steward Model
The steward is a Cantina-appointed, dedicated security researcher for a Cantina competition. They receive a fixed pay in addition to the competition rewards.
Last updated
The steward is a Cantina-appointed, dedicated security researcher for a Cantina competition. They receive a fixed pay in addition to the competition rewards.
Last updated
Competition participation: Researchers must dedicate their full and best efforts to the assigned competition.
Fix Review: Researchers are required to conduct one (1) day of fix review for each full week that the competition runs (e.g., a three-week competition requires three days of fix review), up to a maximum of four (4) days. The exact duration will be determined before the competition begins.
Leaderboard Performance: Researchers are expected to perform well on the leaderboard (top x% based on competition size).
Judging Assistance: Researchers may assist in judging submissions if required.
Researchers earn a percentage of the prize pot based on the size of the pot and their performance. The payment structure is tiered as follows:
Prize Pot Size
Researcher Share (Approx)
Performance Requirement
$500k+
Standard Weekly rates capped at 20% of the public pot
Top 25% of LB
$100k - $500k
10-15% of pot
Top 40% of LB
< $100k
Up to 40% of pot
Top 60% of LB
Final Discretion: All payments are subject to Cantina’s assessment. While this framework ensures fairness, adjustments may be made to reflect a researcher’s impact, competition complexity, or other valuable contributions.
To ensure accountability, penalties are imposed if researchers fail to meet expectations:
Leaderboard penalties: Payment is reduced by 20% for every 10% below the required percentile, subject to a floor: no payment will be issued if the researcher falls below the 70th percentile.
Fix Review Failure: If a researcher fails to complete the fix review, their payment is withheld until the issues are resolved.
Lost Opportunity: If a researcher incurs penalties in more than three competitions, they will be temporarily barred from future dedicated researcher engagements until the Cantina team reviews their performance.
All payment/penalty terms apply only if the competition has > 3 total H/M findings.
If total findings is ≤ 3, Cantina evaluates performance case-by-case.
Prize Pot: $300k
Researcher Share: 12% of pot = $36,000
Researcher Ranking: Top 40% of leaderboard
Total Payment: $36,000 (prize share)
If the researcher fails to meet the top 40% leaderboard requirement, their prize share is reduced by 20% for every 10% drop below the requirement. Ex. Top 50%: $36,000 → $28,800.
Mandatory Participation: Researchers must commit to the full duration of the competition and fulfill all responsibilities to receive payment.
If a Fellowship Steward is assigned to a competition and meets both of the program’s conditions, they will receive whichever amount is higher: the fellowship bonus or the fixed pool allocation.
Cantina reserves the right to change the above rules and review on case by cases basis