Start your impactful research before college

Join the youngest researchers tackling the world’s most pressing problems. Online programs with mentorship, a $2,000 scholarship, and zero fees.

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45 min Application | Apply by Jan 12
August 25, 2024

Over half of university-admitted alums received top 10 or Ivy League offers

[1]

* 2024 survey: n=87 alums who had been accepted to a university. Based on Times Higher Education rankings.

Launch your impactful research career

1. Research Foundations

Choose your research direction

CERTIFICATE
2. Research Fellows

Start your impactful research

$2,000 Scholarship
3. Research Scholars

Work with a leading researcher

$10,000 Scholarship
NOn-Trivial Alums

At age 16, Aritro presented at the United Nations

Aritro's research was on environmental conservation and sustainable development. As a result, he was invited to speak at the Youth Parliament of the United Nations General Assembly in New York and was inspired to start a podcast on climate change, which led to him being recognized as a Rise Global Winner.

The community is unlike any other I've been in - insightful, interesting, and truly supportive.

Aritro, Non-Trivial ‘23
OUR COMMUNITY

Join a world-class community

Connect with hundreds of passionate fellows to help you improve and implement your ideas.

The Non-Trivial Fellowship is definitely the most useful thing I have done all year.

Non-Trivial is truly an inspiring and eye-opening program.

Non-Trivial was a great experience to learn new tools to create change.

The fellowship supported me through weekly guidance, provided me with resources, and connected me with collaborators.

I've learned how fun it is to have a cool, academic, independent project to work on.

I had meaningful discussions with friends whom I will cherish for life!

Non-Trivial is the place to be for teenagers who want to have an impact on the world.

An amazing opportunity to work on a project which could have a real impact in the world.

Apply now
EXAMPLE projects

Do research that makes a difference

Browse projects from Non-Trivial alums.

our partners

We support organizations for talented youth

Highlighted SPEAKERS

Learn from world-class experts

Portrait of Peter Singer

Peter Singer

One of the most influential living philosophers, often credited with sparking the modern animal rights movement.

Rachel Glennerster

Associate Professor of Economics and faculty director of the Market Shaping Accelerator.

Portrait of Yoshua Bengio

Yoshua Bengio

Turing Award winner and a leading expert in artificial intelligence, known for his pioneering work in deep learning.

Portrait of Matt Clifford

Matt Clifford

Co-founder of Entrepreneur First, the world’s leading startup talent investor and the Chair of ARIA.

Solve the first puzzle

Start your application

You and four others are in a race to develop valuable technology. Each of you submits a number. We add the numbers, subtract the total from 50 (representing potential harm from rushing), and multiply that result by your number to calculate your score.

Your goal is to maximize your score. What number do you submit?

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View example

We can write the problem like this:

Example: Alice submits 3. Bob submits 2. Claire submits 2. Darius submits 1. Elaine submits 0.

Result: Alice scores 126. Bob scores 84. Claire scores 84. Darius scores 42. Elaine scores 0.

This fellowship is an excellent catalyst for helping young people get beyond that stagnant idea phase toward real progress. I enjoyed being able to conduct literature reviews and research my subject with the guidance of the weekly worksheets.

Ariaana, 16, Non-Trivial ‘23
Project: A New Model for DNA Synthesis Screening
Prize: $15,000
FAQs

Frequently asked questions

Who is eligible for the Fellowship?

Applicants are eligible if they:
• Are aged 14-20
• Have not started university
• Are on earth

What do you look for?

We look for applicants who demonstrate:
Curiosity: The desire to understand how the world works.
• Critical thinking: The ability to think deeply and analytically about complex problems.
Drive to make a difference: The motivation to solve important problems.

How long does the application take?

The takes applicants about 45 minverage. We encourage rough answers and bullet points – we want to see how you think, not how well you write!

When should I apply?

Early deadline: Sunday, January 12th, 11:59pm Pacific Time (PT).

Regular deadline: Sunday, February 23rd, 2025.

Who is funding the Fellowship?

Since our founding in 2022, we’ve awarded more than $400,000 in scholarships and prizes to talented young people and other programs and competitions that support them. The largest funder of our work has been Open Philanthropy. No funder makes decisions about our curriculum, selection of fellows, judging of projects, or anything else that we do.

Do I have to pay to apply?

No, it's 100% free to apply. Our program is 100% free, too.

View all FAQs

Don't wait to
change the world

Start your impactful research this summer.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Apply now
August 25, 2024
No fees | Quick Application | Apply by Jan 12
$2,000 scholarship
Solve pressing problems
Online

Flexible Hours
expert MENTORSHIP
Ages 14-20
Application Process

Apply in under an hour

01

Quick questions about you

⏱️
20 minutes

List your impressive achievements and describe an unpopular belief you hold. Rough answers and bullet points are encouraged.

02

Solve tricky puzzles

⏱️
20 minutes

Test your problem-solving skills with our challenging game theory puzzles and brainteasers!

Thank you!
Your submission has been received!
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Get notified when applications open
August 25, 2024