At Cantina, we aim to maximize opportunities for high-performing security researchers wherever possible. The web3 world is growing exponentially, and we believe your rewards for securing it should be doing the same. That’s why we’re excited to introduce the Cantina Fellowship Program — a unique opportunity designed to recognize and reward those who choose Cantina as their home. This program is divided into three levels: Apprentice, Resident, and Fellow.

Applications will be evaluated by the Cantina Team and will determine eligibility for exclusive benefits and fixed compensation for competition participation.

We know you’re excited to learn more, so let’s dive straight into the details.

Apprentice: The Launchpad of Excellence

Apprentices are the rising stars in the security research world. To become an Apprentice, you can either:

• Be instantly eligible: If you have earned $1,000 - $10,000 USD in rewards on Cantina.
• Apply: Demonstrate proficiency via a short application reviewed by the Cantina team.

Benefits for Apprentices:

• Bonus Payouts: Apprentices receive a guaranteed bonus payout of $250 per competition when they rank in the top 50% of users in a competition’s leaderboard.
• Exclusive Access: Gain entry to private competitions, reviews, and bounties.

For example, let’s say there’s a Cantina Apprentice named John. He submits a medium finding in a competition, which puts him 21st on the leaderboard — yay! His reward is $200, but with his Apprentice bonus, the total amount he gets to take home becomes $450. Pretty good, right?

Resident: Stepping Up the Game

Residents are those who have proven their skills and dedication. To qualify, you can:

• Be instantly eligible: By having the ASR (Associate Security Researcher) or SR (Security Researcher) designation on Spearbit, or having earned $10,000 - $100,000 USD in rewards on Cantina.
• Apply: Demonstrate proficiency at least at the ASR or SR level via a short application reviewed by the Cantina team.

Benefits for Residents:

• Guaranteed Payouts: Residents earn a bonus of between $1,000 - $2,500 per competition when they rank in the top 25% of users in a competition’s leaderboard.
• Exclusive Access: Enjoy the perks of private competitions, reviews, and bounties.

Using a different example this time, John’s researcher friend Sarah submits a valid high finding in a competition and places 10th. For her efforts, she’s rewarded with $2,000, but with her previously agreed Resident bonus, her reward becomes $4,000!

Fellow: Leading the Charge

Fellows are the elite of the elite. As with the other two levels, there are two avenues to eligibility:

• Instant eligibility: Have the LSR (Lead Security Researcher) designation on Spearbit, or have earned over $100,000 USD in rewards on Cantina.
• Apply: Demonstrate proficiency at least at the LSR level via a short application reviewed by the Cantina team.

Benefits for Fellows:

• Guaranteed Payouts & opportunity to share in the upside of Cantina’s growth: Fellows earn a bonus of $2,500 - $10,000 per competition when they rank in the top 5% of users on a competition's leaderboard, plus the opportunity to share in the upside of Cantina’s growth.
• Exclusive Access: Gain entry to top-tier competitions, reviews, and bounties.

John and Sarah have another friend, Bob, who is a long-time player in web3 security. He finds a high-severity issue, submits it in a competition, places 3rd, and earns $4,500 in return. With his Fellow bonus, Bob’s total reward becomes $10,500!

Qualification Requirements

As part of opting in to the Cantina Fellowship Program, you’ll need to:

1. Add “Security Researcher @cantinaxyz” to your X bio.
2. Remove mention of other Web3 security competition platforms except for Cantina
3. Link your Cantina profile to your X account.
4. Sign an exclusivity agreement with Cantina.
5. Compete earnestly in competitions, by achieving the percentile requirements outlined above for your level.

How to opt-in to the Cantina Fellowship Program

When you log into your Cantina profile, you’ll be greeted with a Fellowship Program banner at the top of your dashboard. Based on previous performance in Cantina competitions and/or your work with Spearbit, you’ll see what level within the program you’re eligible for. When you click ‘apply now’, you’ll be prompted to opt-in using your Cantina profile so we can confirm you’ve met the qualification requirements. From there, a member of the Cantina team will reach out to you with next steps. For Residents and Fellows, the discussion with the Cantina team will include a negotiation of bonus payout amounts based on demonstrated experience and skill.

For those who don’t automatically meet the admission requirements, you can still apply via this banner. Follow the prompts to provide the Cantina team with information you think will support your application, and if successful, a member of the Cantina team will reach out to you with next steps.

Wrapping up

At Cantina, we believe this program will be key in achieving the goal of rewarding security researchers accordingly for their efforts in the web3 community: now it’s up to you to take on the challenge.

If you’re ready to up your rewards and become part of this exclusive community, log into your Cantina profile and follow the prompts on screen.

For full terms and conditions of the program, please visit this page.