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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.

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1. Researcher Responsibilities

  • 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.

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2. Payment Structure

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 SizeResearcher Share (Approx)Performance Requirement
$500k+Standard Weekly rates capped at 20% of the public potTop 25% of LB
100k−100k - 500k10-15% of potTop 40% of LB
< $100kUp to 40% of potTop 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.

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3. Penalties for Underperformance

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.

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4. Minimum Findings Threshold

  • 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.

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5. Example Scenario

  • 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→36,000 → 28,800.

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6. Additional Notes

  • 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