TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Document Title:

Official Terms and Conditions  —  High School Hustle 2026 Summer Competition

Effective Date:

June 1, 2026

Administered by:

High School Hustle

A project of Sagamore Institute, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization

Federal Tax ID (EIN): 20-1161578

Indianapolis, Indiana

Document Purpose:

This document sets forth the official rules, eligibility requirements, compliance standards, and legal responsibilities governing participation in the High School Hustle 2026 Summer Competition, including the nationwide Crawford Coats Hustle Award, the Beat the Summer Job program, and the supplemental regional competitions described herein. 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.

How to read this document:

Text highlighted in yellow indicates content that is new or revised compared to the 2025 Summer Competition Terms and Conditions.

ARTICLE I  —  Overview and Purpose

1.1  The High School Hustle 2026 Summer Competition awards a grand total of One Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($150,000 USD) nationwide to high school students who launch and grow real, revenue-generating hustles across the United States between June 1, 2026 and August 1, 2026.

1.2  The nationwide 2026 prize structure is as follows:

(a)  Crawford Coats Hustle Award (the program's Grand Prize)  —  $100,000 total. Awarded as Five Thousand Dollars ($5,000 USD) each to the twenty (20) highest-performing student-led hustles by verified revenue, disbursed via check.

(b)  Beat the Summer Job  —  $50,000 total. Awarded as Five Hundred Dollars ($500 USD) each to the first one hundred (100) student hustlers to reach $2,500 in verified sales during the competition window, disbursed via check.

1.3  In addition to the nationwide prize pool, High School Hustle is administering supplemental regional competitions for 2026 totaling Fifty-Five Thousand Dollars ($55,000 USD) in additional grants and awards within specific Indiana regions. See Article IX for full details.

1.4  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 submitted through the High School Hustle Dashboard, subject to the evaluation and assessment criteria set forth in these Terms.

1.5  High School Hustle is a project of Sagamore Institute, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit. The mission of High School Hustle is to empower high school students to build successful hustles and develop real-world entrepreneurship and leadership skills.

ARTICLE II  —  Eligibility

2.1  Participation is open to current United States residents enrolled in high school (grades 9-12), including public, private, online, charter, and homeschool institutions.

2.2  Students enrolled during the 2025-2026 academic year are eligible. Graduating seniors from the spring 2026 class remain eligible to compete throughout the full Summer Competition window.

2.3  Past winners are eligible to compete again. Students who previously won in the 2025 Summer Competition (or any prior High School Hustle competition) may participate in the 2026 Summer Competition. Prize amounts payable to past winners are subject to Section 8.8.

2.4  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.

2.5  A "hustle" is defined as a revenue-generating activity that is:

(a)  Led and operated by one or more United States 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.

2.6  Students may get help from others, including adults, to assist with parts of their hustle (e.g., driving, lifting, equipment loans). However, the hustle must remain student-controlled and student-run. Revenue from a parent's or family business does not count unless the student runs a clearly separate hustle within that business and makes their own decisions about services and pricing.

2.7  Verification of Student Ownership and Operation. To ensure all hustles remain student-led, High School Hustle reserves the right to request verification from any participant. 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 hustle.

(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.

2.8  Misrepresentation of leadership, origin, or control of a hustle may result in disqualification, even after awards have been distributed.

2.9  Final judgment on eligibility rests solely with High School Hustle.

2.10 Geographic Discretion. As 2026 is High School Hustle’s first nationwide year of operation from its Indiana base, HSH reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to limit, modify, defer, or decline awards to participants in states outside Indiana where compliance, payment, or operational complications arise.

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 United States 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, 2026.

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 hustle 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 are United States high school students and are registered through the dashboard.

ARTICLE IV  —  Revenue Guidelines

4.1  Revenue is judged based on total verified earnings received and paid between June 1 and August 1, 2026, 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  Audit and Tax Documentation. All Crawford Coats Hustle Award (Top 20 Grand Prize, $5,000 each) recipients, and any other prize recipient at or above the IRS reporting threshold of $600, may be subject to audit and must provide:

(a)  A completed IRS Form W-9 for each participating individual (or for a parent or legal guardian, if the recipient is a minor).

(b)  Any additional documentation reasonably requested by High School Hustle or Sagamore Institute to confirm eligibility, identity, and compliance with applicable law.

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  High School Hustle and Sagamore Institute are not responsible for the tax obligations of any award recipient. All cash awards are classified as taxable income to the recipient. Recipients are solely responsible for reporting and paying any federal, state, or local tax owed on award amounts received.

6.2  Award reporting thresholds:

(a)  Crawford Coats Hustle Award ($5,000 per recipient) exceeds the federal $600 IRS reporting threshold. Each recipient (or the parent or legal guardian of a recipient who is a minor) will receive an IRS Form 1099-MISC and must complete and return a Form W-9 prior to award disbursement. Recipients are responsible for reporting this amount on their federal and state tax returns.

(b)  Danville HS Top 10 ($1,000 per recipient) exceeds the federal $600 IRS reporting threshold. The same Form 1099-MISC and Form W-9 process described in (a) applies.

(c)  Beat the Summer Job ($500 per recipient) falls below the federal $600 IRS reporting threshold; no Form 1099-MISC is expected to be issued at the federal level. State reporting rules vary, and recipients remain responsible for reporting any income earned on applicable tax returns.

(d)  Inner City Beat the Summer Job ($500 per recipient) falls below the federal $600 IRS reporting threshold; the same treatment described in (c) applies.

6.3  Items distributed under the Hustle Stack (Starter Grants and Builder Grants) and the Inner City Starter Grant program are physical goods, not cash. Recipients should consult a licensed tax professional regarding any reporting obligations under applicable law.

6.4  Sagamore Institute and High School Hustle do not provide tax or legal advice. All recipients and their parents or guardians are strongly encouraged to consult a licensed tax or legal professional regarding the tax treatment of any award received under this program.

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 (Prize Structure)

8.1  Crawford Coats Hustle Award (the program's Grand Prize). Each of the twenty (20) highest-performing verified hustles nationwide shall receive a Five Thousand Dollar ($5,000 USD) prize, disbursed by check. The total Crawford Coats Hustle Award prize pool for 2026 is One Hundred Thousand Dollars ($100,000 USD).

(a)  Winners are determined based on verified revenue submitted through the dashboard between June 1 and August 1, 2026, subject to the evaluation and assessment process described in Article XVI.

(b)  Receipt verification, attestation review, and review of spirit-of-competition factors set forth in Article IV apply to all Crawford Coats Top 20 finalists prior to award disbursement.

8.2  Beat the Summer Job. The first one hundred (100) student hustlers nationwide to reach $2,500 in verified sales during the competition window shall each receive Five Hundred Dollars ($500 USD), disbursed by check. The total Beat the Summer Job prize pool for 2026 is Fifty Thousand Dollars ($50,000 USD).

(a)  Beat the Summer Job qualifying order is determined by the date and time at which a student's revenue is verified by the High School Hustle team, not by the date submitted.

(b)  Each Beat the Summer Job qualification is subject to the same receipt verification and documentation review applied to Crawford Coats Hustle Award finalists.

8.3  Crawford Coats / Beat the Summer Job Forfeiture Rule. A student who is selected for the Crawford Coats Hustle Award (Top 20 Grand Prize, $5,000) forfeits any Beat the Summer Job $500 slot they would otherwise have qualified for. The forfeited slot rolls down to the next eligible hustler who reached $2,500 in verified sales but is not in the Crawford Coats Top 20. A single student may not collect both the Crawford Coats Hustle Award and the Beat the Summer Job award.

8.4  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.

8.5  Awards are made directly to the individual student registrants listed on the High School Hustle Dashboard.

(a)  Awards will not be issued to business entities (e.g., LLCs, corporations, or partnerships), even if the hustle is legally registered.

(b)  If a hustle includes multiple team members, cash prizes will be divided equally among the registered students, regardless of hours contributed or revenue attributed to each member.

8.6  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.

8.7  All Summer Competition cash winners will be revealed and paid at the High School Hustle Award Ceremony, held at the end of August 2026.

8.8 Past Winner Prize Limitation. High School Hustle reserves the right, in its sole and absolute discretion, to limit the prize amount payable to any student who previously won in the 2025 Summer Competition or any prior High School Hustle competition. If a past winner places in a prize-eligible slot in the 2026 Summer Competition (including but not limited to the Crawford Coats Hustle Award Top 20 and Beat the Summer Job first 100), High School Hustle may, in its sole discretion, pay any amount between fifty percent (50%) and one hundred percent (100%) of the full prize applicable to that slot. The forfeited portion may, at High School Hustle's discretion, roll down to the next eligible hustler who is not a past winner.

ARTICLE IX  —  Regional Competitions

In addition to the $150,000 nationwide prize pool described in Articles I and VIII, High School Hustle is administering Fifty-Five Thousand Dollars ($55,000 USD) in supplemental regional competitions for 2026. Unless expressly stated otherwise below, regional prizes are not stackable with the nationwide Crawford Coats Hustle Award (Top 20 Grand Prize, $5,000 each) and Beat the Summer Job (first 100 to $2,500 in sales, $500 each), meaning a nationwide winner from a qualifying region may also receive regional grants and awards.

9.1  Northeast Indiana Grants  —  $30,000. An additional $30,000 in grants is available exclusively to high school students residing in or attending high school within the Northeast Indiana region.

(a)  Eligibility, distribution criteria, and timing of these grants will be administered locally in partnership with regional partners.

(b)  Specific terms and grant categories will be published on the High School Hustle Dashboard prior to launch.

(c)  Northeast Indiana grants are stackable with the nationwide Crawford Coats Hustle Award, Beat the Summer Job, and Hustle Stack awards.

9.2  Danville HS Top 10  —  $10,000. An additional $10,000 cash prize pool is available exclusively to Danville HS, Indiana high school students.

(a)  The top ten (10) Danville HS hustlers by verified revenue during the competition window (June 1 - August 1, 2026) will each receive One Thousand Dollars ($1,000 USD), disbursed by check.

(b)  Eligibility is limited to students attending a Danville HS high school during the competition window.

(c)  Danville HS Top 10 prizes are not stackable with the Crawford Coats Hustle Award and Beat the Summer Job awards.

(d) Danville HS Top 10 finalists are subject to the same evaluation, receipt verification, and attestation review as Crawford Coats Hustle Award finalists.

9.3  Inner City Competition (Indianapolis Public Schools)  —  $15,000. An additional $15,000 prize pool is available exclusively to students enrolled at an Indianapolis Public Schools (IPS) institution. The Inner City pool consists of two components:

(a)  Inner City Beat the Summer Job  —  $10,000. The first twenty (20) IPS student hustlers to reach $2,500 in verified sales during the competition window shall each receive Five Hundred Dollars ($500 USD), disbursed by check.

(b)  Inner City Starter Grants  —  $5,000. A $5,000 pool of starter grants is available to IPS student hustlers on a first-come, first-served basis. Each grant is capped at $100 and is disbursed as Amazon-sourced items (not cash). These grants are intended to remove barriers for less-resourced students starting their first hustle.

(c)  IPS eligibility is verified through enrollment confirmation.

(d)  Inner City prizes are stackable with the Crawford Coats Hustle Award and Beat the Summer Job, except that a student who qualifies for the nationwide Beat the Summer Job and is also a Crawford Coats Hustle Award (Top 20) winner remains subject to the Section 8.3 forfeiture rule with respect to the nationwide $500 slot. The Inner City Beat the Summer Job $500 is separate and is not forfeited.

9.4  All regional competitions are subject to the same eligibility, documentation, verification, and disqualification standards as the nationwide competition, except where expressly modified above. High School Hustle retains sole and absolute discretion over regional award decisions.

ARTICLE X  —  Disqualification

10.1  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.

10.2  Sagamore Institute reserves the right to suspend or permanently ban any participant for violation of these terms.

10.3  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 XI  —  Legal Disclaimer

11.1  By participating in this competition, all entrants agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions.

11.2  Sagamore Institute reserves the right to amend, clarify, or revoke any term, rule, or award at any time and without notice.

11.3  All program activities are governed by the laws of the State of Indiana and the United States of America.

11.4  High School Hustle is a project of Sagamore Institute, Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.

11.5 Should any part of this Agreement due to legal or other regulatory changes become unenforceable, the remaining provisions within this Agreement, not impacted by such change, shall remain in full force as originally written.

11.6 No representations, written or oral, other than those contained in this Agreement are authorized or binding upon Sagamore Instititue, Inc or High School Hustle.

ARTICLE XII  —  Legal Compliance

12.1  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.

12.2  Sagamore Institute reserves the right to disqualify any participant whose hustle is found to be in violation of applicable laws or regulations.

ARTICLE XIII  —  Data Privacy and Security

13.1  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 XIV  —  Amendments

14.1  Sagamore Institute reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to amend these Terms and Conditions at any time.

14.2  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 XV  —  Limitation of Liability

15.1  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.

15.2  Participants agree to defend, indemnify and hold harmless Sagamore Institute, Inc., its subsidiaries, affiliates, licensees and licensors, and each of their employees, contractors, agents, officers and directors, from and against any and all claims, damages, obligations, losses, liabilities, costs or debt, and expenses (including but not limited to attorney’s fees), resulting from or arising out of any breach by Participants of these Terms and Conditions or other liabilities arising out of use of the High School Dashboard or due to or arising out of your: (i) use of the High School Dashboard; (ii) violation of this Agreement or any law or regulation; or (iii) violation of any right of a third party.

ARTICLE XVI  —  Winner Selection, Publicity, and Data Use

16.1  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.

16.2  Winner Selection Timeline.

(a)  All revenue and documentation must be submitted via the dashboard by August 1, 2026, at 11:59 PM EST.

(b)  Finalists will be notified no later than August 15, 2026.

(c)  All Summer Competition winners will be publicly announced and paid at the Award Ceremony held at the end of August 2026.

16.3  Judging, Evaluation, and Verification.

(a)  Winners will be determined based on verified revenue submitted through the dashboard between June 1 and August 1, 2026.

(b)  All Crawford Coats Hustle Award (Top 20 Grand Prize) finalists are subject to additional evaluation and assessment beyond raw revenue totals, including but not limited to receipt verification, structured interviews, attestation review, third-party verification, and review of the spirit-of-competition factors set forth in Article IV. Final award decisions are made by the High School Hustle competition team in its sole and absolute discretion.

(c)  Beat the Summer Job winners are determined by the order in which the first one hundred (100) students reach $2,500 in verified sales, as confirmed by the High School Hustle team. Each Beat the Summer Job qualification is subject to the same receipt and documentation review applied to Crawford Coats Hustle Award finalists.

(d)  Final revenue tallies and award decisions will be reviewed and verified by the High School Hustle competition team.

(e)  In cases of close revenue totals or documentation concerns, High School Hustle staff may conduct interviews or request further verification.

16.4  Publicity and Winner Releases.

(a)  All cash prize 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.

(d) Physical attendance at the High School Hustle Award Ceremony at the end of August 2026 is a condition of receiving any cash prize awarded under this Competition. Winners who do not attend the Award Ceremony may forfeit their award at High School Hustle's sole and absolute discretion, with the forfeited slot rolling down to the next eligible hustler. Exceptions may be granted on a case-by-case basis at High School Hustle's sole and absolute discretion.

16.5  Data Collection and Use.

(a)  Personal and hustle 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.

— END OF TERMS AND CONDITIONS —