Terms & Conditions
HIGH SCHOOL HUSTLE — $100K SUMMER COMPETITION
Effective Date:
June 1, 2025
Document Purpose:
This document sets forth the official rules, eligibility requirements, compliance standards, and legal responsibilities governing participation in the High School Hustle $100K Summer Competition. All participants must read, understand, and agree to the following terms in order to compete and qualify for any award consideration.
Parties Involved:
This competition is administered by Sagamore Institute, Inc. and is subject to review by legal counsel.
Document Status:
This is a binding set of Terms and Conditions applicable to all registered participants and teams as of the Effective Date. Amendments may be made in accordance with the terms outlined herein.
ARTICLE I
Overview and Purpose
1.1. The High School Hustle $100k Summer Competition, a grand total of $100,000 to the ten (10) highest-performing student-led hustles with the most revenue in the State of Indiana.
1.2. Each winning individual or team shall receive Ten Thousand Dollars ($10,000 USD), disbursed via check.
1.3. This competition is not a game of chance and does not involve any form of gambling or lottery. Winners are selected based solely on verified performance metrics.
1.4. High School Hustle is a program of the Sagamore Institute, Inc., an Indiana nonprofit corporation (“Sagamore”). Sagamore is an organization classified under sections 501(c)(3) and 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the Internal Revenue Code (the “Code”) as amended. High School Hustle’s purpose is to empower high school students by connecting them with mentors to build successful hustles, to foster entrepreneurship and leadership skills, in alignment with the tax-exempt purposes of Sagamore Institute, Inc. as defined under Section 501(c)(3) of the Code.
ARTICLE II
Eligibility
2.1. Participation and registration is open to current Indiana residents enrolled in high school (grades 9–12), including public, private, online, charter, and homeschool institutions.
2.2. High school students graduating in the 2024–2025 academic year (i.e., seniors) are eligible.
2.3. Only student-initiated, student-managed hustles are eligible for award consideration.
(a) The hustle must originate from the student, not be a preexisting business owned or operated by a parent, guardian, or other adult.
(b) Students must be the primary decision-makers, operators, and executors of all services or products sold.
(c) Revenue-producing work must be completed primarily by the student(s), with limited adult assistance only in supporting roles.
2.4. A “hustle” is defined as a revenue-generating business or activity that is:
(a) Led and operated by one or more Indiana high school students;
(b) Created, managed, and executed primarily by the student(s); and
(c) Capable of evolving or expanding over the summer, provided all work remains student-executed and student-led.
2.5. Students may get help from others, including adults, to assist with parts of their hustle (e.g., driving, lifting, etc.). However, the hustle must stay student-controlled and student-run. Revenue from a parent’s or family business doesn’t count unless the student runs a clearly separate hustle within that business and makes their own decisions about services and pricing.
2.6. Verification of Student Ownership and Operation
To ensure that all hustles remain student-led, High School Hustle reserves the right to request verification from participants. Students who exceed $5,000 in verified revenue may be required to provide additional documentation to confirm leadership, origin, and execution of their hustle.
(a) Upon exceeding $5,000 in verified revenue, students must provide a short description of the origin and structure of their hustle through the High School Hustle Dashboard.
(b) If the hustle is registered as a formal business entity (e.g., LLC), HSH may request documentation to confirm the student’s leadership role. In cases where the student is under 18 and the entity is registered in a parent or guardian’s name for legal purposes, HSH may accept additional supporting evidence — such as student-led marketing materials, client interactions, or operational decisions — to confirm that the student is actively leading the business.
(c) HSH may review publicly available materials such as social media pages, websites, or customer-facing content to verify that the hustle is primarily student-run.
(d) Students or teams may also be asked to complete a brief interview, submit an attestation form, or provide client references to confirm the hustle is student-led.
Failure to provide sufficient evidence of student leadership may result in disqualification. Final decisions regarding eligibility are at the sole and absolute discretion of High School Hustle.
2.7. Misrepresentation of leadership, origin, or control of a hustle may result in disqualification, even after awards have been distributed.
2.8. Final judgment on eligibility rests solely with High School Hustle.
ARTICLE III
Team Formation
3.1. A team is defined as any hustle involving more than one (1) student. All team members must:
(a) Be Indiana high school students;
(b) Be officially registered via the High School Hustle Dashboard (www.hshdashboard.org);
(c) Finalize team membership no later than June 14, 2025.
3.2. Registration instructions:
(a) Create a hustle via the “Hustle” tab in the dashboard;
(b) Use the “Add Members” function to register additional participants.
3.3. Teams may not combine independent hustles or previously separate ventures mid-competition. For example, a student operating a babysitting hustle may not merge with another student running a detailing business to form a single submission. However, hiring contractors or teammates to support a single, original hustle is allowed and encouraged, provided the hustle remains student-led and all work is transparently reported.
3.4. Students who help out regularly on a hustle can be listed as team members, as long as they’re Indiana high school students and are registered through the dashboard.
ARTICLE IV
Revenue Guidelines
4.1. Revenue will be judged based on total verified earnings received and paid between June 1 and August 1, 2025, as submitted through the High School Hustle Dashboard.
(a) Earnings are only counted if payment was received during the competition window, even if the work was performed prior to June 1.
(b) Work performed during the competition window but paid after August 1 will not be included in revenue calculations.
4.2. Permissible activities include:
(a) Hustles that evolve, scale, or add services over time;
(b) Multiple services under a single hustle, as long as they are student-led and student-executed;
(c) Transactions with family or friends, provided payment reflects fair market value for actual services performed.
4.3. Prohibited activities include:
(a) Passive investment income (e.g., earnings from stocks, crypto, dividends);
(b) Pass-throughs or arbitrage (e.g., reselling items without a clear student-added service or customization);
(c) Gambling, raffles, or lottery-based fundraising;
(d) Revenue from activities that violate local, state, or federal laws;
(e) Fabricated invoices or payments, including staged transactions or sham purchases.
4.4. Funding and Support Limitations:
(a) Students may receive startup capital or loans from family or others, but only earned revenue (i.e., payment for services or goods) counts toward competition totals.
(b) A family member hiring the student for a legitimate service (e.g., a $1,000 landscaping job) is allowed, so long as it is a real service, fairly priced, and documentation is provided.
(c) Direct funding from a family member (e.g., a $1M “investment” or donation without services rendered) does not count as revenue.
4.5. Revenue reporting requirements:
(a) All earnings must be tracked and submitted job-by-job via the High School Hustle Dashboard;
(b) Each transaction must be supported by documentation such as an invoice, receipt, or payment record (e.g., Venmo, PayPal, Cash App);
(c) Bank screenshots are not accepted.
(d) Incomplete or unverifiable entries will be excluded from the revenue total.
4.6. Revenue will not be adjusted based on team size.
Larger teams may naturally produce more revenue due to scale. The total revenue of the hustle will be judged regardless of how many students are involved.
4.7. High School Hustle reserves the sole and absolute discretion to determine what constitutes an acceptable hustle, eligible revenue, and compliant documentation.
4.8. Any activity that appears to be manipulated for the purposes of inflating revenue (e.g., substantially overvalued transactions with close contacts, work performed for delayed compensation, or artificial bundling of transactions) may be disqualified at the discretion of High School Hustle or Sagamore Institute.
ARTICLE V
Documentation and Verification
5.1. Acceptable documentation includes:
(a) Invoices, receipts, or payment confirmations (e.g., Venmo, PayPal, Cash App);
(b) Written descriptions of services or jobs completed, including client names and service dates;
(c) Photos, client reviews, or other supplemental documentation that can confirm the nature and legitimacy of the hustle.
5.2. Bank account screenshots will not be accepted.
Fabricated, altered, or misleading documentation will result in immediate disqualification.
5.3. To verify that a hustle is student-initiated, student-led, and student-executed, participants may be required to submit additional materials, including but not limited to:
(a) A brief written attestation describing the student’s role in launching, managing, and executing the hustle;
(b) A breakdown of responsibilities for each team member (if applicable);
(c) Client references or testimonials (if applicable);
(d) Photos or videos of the hustle in action.
High School Hustle reserves the right to request interviews or conduct random checks to confirm authenticity.
5.4. Winning entries may be subject to audit. Top 10 recipients must provide:
(a) A completed IRS Form W-9 for each participating individual;
(b) Proof of quarterly estimated tax filings, in compliance with IRS and Indiana state regulations.
5.5. Participants must redact or remove any personally identifiable information (PII) from submitted documents that involve third parties, including but not limited to customer names, emails, phone numbers, or payment information. Documents submitted without redaction may be excluded from review.
ARTICLE VI
Tax and Legal Responsibilities
6.1. Awards are classified as taxable income. Recipients are solely responsible for:
(a) Filing quarterly estimated tax returns;
(b) Complying with all applicable IRS and Indiana state tax regulations.
6.2. Sagamore Institute does not provide tax or legal advice and recommends consulting a licensed professional.
ARTICLE VII
Parental Consent
7.1. All participants under the age of eighteen (18) are required to obtain verified parental or guardian consent in order to access the High School Hustle Dashboard, log revenue, or compete for any awards.
7.2. During registration, students must enter a valid parent or guardian email address. A parent consent form will be automatically sent to that email address for digital signature.
7.3. Access to the High School Hustle Dashboard will remain restricted until the signed parent or guardian consent form is received and verified. Students will be automatically logged out and unable to proceed until this requirement is fulfilled.
7.4. Participants who are eighteen (18) years of age or older may self-certify and do not require parent or guardian consent.
ARTICLE VIII
Awards
8.1. Each of the Top 10 verified hustles shall receive a Ten Thousand Dollar ($10,000 USD) prize, disbursed by check.
(a) Awards are made directly to the individual student registrants listed on the High School Hustle Dashboard.
(b) Awards will not be issued to business entities (e.g., LLCs, corporations, or partnerships), even if the hustle is legally registered.
(c) If a hustle includes multiple team members, the prize will be divided equally among the registered students, regardless of hours contributed or revenue attributed to each member.
8.2. Award funds may be used for any lawful purpose, including but not limited to:
(a) Reinvestment in the hustle;
(b) Educational expenses or tuition;
(c) Personal savings or purchases.
8.3. Sagamore Institute reserves the right to request documentation on how award funds are utilized to ensure alignment with the organization’s mission and compliance with legal standards.
ARTICLE IX
Disqualification
9.1. Participants may be disqualified for:
(a) Submitting false or misleading documentation;
(b) Claiming unrelated or unearned income;
(c) Failing to meet verification or tax requirements.
9.2. Sagamore Institute reserves the right to suspend or permanently ban any participant for violation of these terms.
9.3. High School Hustle retains the right to disqualify any participant or entry that it determines, in its sole and absolute discretion, to have violated the spirit or intent of the competition.
ARTICLE X
Legal Disclaimer
10.1. By participating in this competition, all entrants agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.
10.2. Sagamore Institute reserves the right to amend, clarify, or revoke any term, rule, or award at any time and without notice.
10.3. All program activities are governed by the laws of the State of Indiana and the United States of America.
10.4. High School Hustle is a project of Sagamore Institute, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
ARTICLE XI
Legal Compliance
11.1. All participants and their guardians are responsible for ensuring that their activities comply with local, state, and federal laws, including but not limited to business licensing, taxation, and labor regulations.
11.2. Sagamore Institute reserves the right to disqualify any participant whose hustle is found to be in violation of applicable laws or regulations.
ARTICLE XII
Data Privacy and Security
12.1. Participant information collected through the High School Hustle Dashboard will be used solely for the purposes of administering the competition and will not be shared with third parties without consent, except as required by law.
ARTICLE XIII
Amendments
13.1. Sagamore Institute reserves the right to amend these Terms and Conditions at any time.
13.2. Participants will be notified of any significant changes through the contact information provided during registration. Continued participation after such amendments constitutes acceptance of the new terms.
ARTICLE XIV
Limitation of Liability
14.1. Sagamore Institute, its affiliates, and partners shall not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages arising out of or in connection with the competition.
14.2. Participants agree to indemnify and hold harmless Sagamore Institute from any claims arising from their participation in the competition.
ARTICLE XVI
Winner Selection, Publicity, and Data Use
15.1. Odds of Winning
(a) This is a merit-based competition. Odds of winning depend entirely on the number and quality of eligible submissions and the revenue generated by each hustle during the competition period.
(b) No element of chance, lottery, or random selection is involved.
15.2. Winner Selection Timeline
(a) All revenue and documentation must be submitted via the dashboard by August 1, 2025, at 11:59 PM EST.
(b) Finalists will be notified no later than August 15, 2025, and top winners will be publicly announced by August 31, 2025.
15.3. Judging and Verification
(a) Winners will be determined solely based on verified revenue submitted through the dashboard June 1 - August 1 2025.
(b) Final revenue tallies will be reviewed and verified by the High School Hustle competition team.
(c) In cases of close revenue totals or documentation concerns, High School Hustle staff may conduct interviews or request further verification.
15.4. Publicity and Winner Releases
(a) All Top 10 winners (and their parent or guardian if the student is under 18) will be required to sign a Winner and Publicity Release Form before any funds are disbursed.
(b) This form grants Sagamore Institute and High School Hustle the right to publicly share the student’s name, school, photo, and a summary of their hustle for marketing, donor reporting, and promotional purposes.
(c) Participation in publicity is a condition of receiving the award.
15.5. Data Collection and Use
(a) Personal and business information submitted through the High School Hustle Dashboard will be used solely for the purposes of administering the competition.
(b) No personal data will be sold or shared with third parties without consent, except as required by law.
(c) Aggregated, non-identifiable data (e.g., total earnings across all participants) may be used in reports or marketing materials.
