Capstone Clash is back for year four!

Capstone Clash is NLC’s annual Instagram showdown where alumni compete for funding to power their capstone projects. Fellowship project or new passion initiative. Both qualify. Rally your network through three rounds of voting. Win $500. Runner-up takes $250.

After three years, Capstone Clash has awarded thousands to NLC alumni building change in their communities. In 2025, Skylar Davis (NLC Kentucky ’24) with Period Y’all took home the grand prize. Edgar Villasenor (NLC South TX Frontera ’24) with Southside Kayaking Adventures claimed second place.

Social change. Community empowerment. Creative problem-solving. Capstone Clash highlights the bold work NLC alumni are building. We celebrate every participant who stepped up, shared their vision, and made an impact.

Only NLC alumni who have completed the Fellowship are eligible to participate.

Applications are now open for the 2026 Capstone Clash and close Saturday, March 14th at 5:00 pm ET.

New Leaders Council Capstone Clash Contest

Official Rules

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY.  A PURCHASE OR PAYMENT OF ANY KIND WILL NOT INCREASE YOUR CHANCES OF WINNING.

1. Eligibility: The New Leaders Council Capstone Clash (the “Promotion”) is open only to legal residents of the fifty (50) United States and the District of Columbia who are at least eighteen (18) years old at the time of entry and have completed their New Leaders Council fellowship; current New Leaders Council fellows in the 2026 class, previous Capstone Clash Grand Prize winners, independent contractors of Sponsor, and past and present employees, Board Members and their immediate family (spouse, parents, siblings and children) and household members of such employees and Board Members are not eligible. The Promotion is subject to all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations and is void where prohibited. Participation constitutes participant’s full and unconditional agreement to these Official Rules. Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding in all matters related to the Promotion. Winning a prize is contingent upon fulfilling all requirements set forth herein.

2. Sponsor: New Leaders Council, 12 N Cheyenne Ave., Suite 317, Tulsa, OK 74103 and [email protected].

3. Timing: The Promotion begins on February 19, 2026 at 12:00 a.m. Eastern Time (“ET“), ends on April 4, 2026 at 11:59 p.m. ET (the “Promotion Period“), and includes an application period and three (3) rounds as set forth below. Instagram’s servers are the official time-keeping devices for the Promotion.

Application: The application period begins on February 19, 2026 at 12:00 a.m. ET and ends on March 14, 2026 at 5:00 PM ET. Applicants will be notified by March 15, 2026 via email confirming their entry. More information may be requested of applicants by Sponsor to determine eligibility. Submissions will be limited to the first 16 eligible applications.

Rounds: After successfully submitting a complete and accepted application, the Promotion progresses to four (4) rounds of voting (as defined in these Official Rules). Each round will begin and end on the following dates:

  • Pre-Round will be for narrowing down to 8 capstones (if necessary): Voting Period March 16, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET to March 17, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET
  • Round 1 will be limited to 8 capstones: Voting Period March 18, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET to March 20, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET
  • Round 2 for top 4 submissions from Round 1: Voting Period March 25, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET to March 27, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET. 
  • Round 3 for top 2 submissions from Round 2: Voting Period April 1, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET to April 3, 2026 12:00 p.m. ET. 

4. How to Enter: During Application in the Promotion Period, complete the form made available by Sponsor in the link available here: https://form.jotform.com/260471339735158 and provide the following information: participant’s legal name, NLC Chapter, NLC Graduation Year, Email, Phone, Capstone Project Name, head shot, project logo (optional), 30 second video in the file formats accepted by Sponsor’s application describing participant’s capstone (vertical) and answer the following questions about their capstone project:

  • Is this a capstone project from your fellowship year or a new project?
  • What skills were used from NLC to develop/further this project?
  • Briefly describe your capstone project.
  • What is the current status of your project?
    • Development
    • Implementation
    • Redesign
  • What would you do with the prize money if awarded?

No purchase necessary. 

In addition, participant’s entry and any other content included (the “Submission”) must meet the following requirements:

  • Submission must be your original content;
  • Submission must only include entrant and if other individuals are in the Submission, they shall not be identifiable;
  • Submission should not feature any content that represents a political campaign to run for office, GOTV campaign for a specific election or seat, or project;
  • Submission must not disparage Sponsor or any other person or party;
  • Submission must not contain material that is inappropriate, offensive, indecent, obscene,  tortious, defamatory, slanderous or libelous;
  • Submission must not contain material that promotes bigotry, racism, hatred or harm against any group or individual or promotes discrimination based on race, gender, religion, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, or age; and
  • Submission must not contain material that is unlawful, in violation of, or contrary to the laws or regulations in any state where your Submission is created.

Submissions will appear in the Rounds by entry submission date.

Top two finalists for Round 3 may participate in an Instagram Live during on March 31, 2026 at 8:00 p.m. ET hosted by Sponsor.

Entry Limit: You may submit only one entry.  Multiple entrants are not permitted to share the same email. Any attempt by any entrant to obtain more than the stated number of entries by using multiple/different identities, registrations and logins, or any other methods will void that entrant’s entries and that entrant may be disqualified. Use of any automated system to participate is prohibited and will result in disqualification.  In the event of a dispute as to any registration, the authorized account holder of the email used to register will be deemed to be the entrant. The “authorized account holder” is the natural person assigned an email address by an Internet access provider, online service provider or other organization responsible for assigning email addresses used to create the Social Account. Each potential winner may be required to show proof of being the authorized account holder.

5. Sponsor’s Use of Content: By submitting your Submission as directed in this Promotion, each entrant agrees to Sponsor’s Terms and Conditions of the newleaderscouncil.org website as well as these Official Rules.  All Submissions will be considered for placements throughout Sponsor’s social media accounts and website and tangible properties (like paper materials promoting Sponsor)(together “properties”). No participants are guaranteed a placement on these properties. Participants at all time own the right to their submission and provide Sponsor a royalty free license in perpetuity to publish and perform the submissions on Sponsor’s properties. 

6. Prize Drawings: Sponsor will select the potential Promotion winners from all eligible entries received during the Application period based on the following criteria: in order of time of submission, non-political, non-partisan capstone, full completion of required information on form, not to exceed sixteen capstones. Each potential winner will either be notified by Sponsor via email. If a potential winner of any prize cannot be contacted, fails to provide the requested information within the required time period, or the prize is returned as undeliverable, the potential winner forfeits the prize. Receiving a prize is contingent upon compliance with these Official Rules. In the event that a potential winner is disqualified for any reason, Sponsor will award the applicable prize to first to the runner up in Round 3, and if ineligible, then to the next highest scoring participant in Round 2, and if ineligible, again to the next highest scoring participant in Round 2. Only three (3) alternate drawings will be held, after which the prize will remain un-awarded.

The winner will solely be chosen among eligible participants and the highest number of unique comments (i.e. one comment per Instagram account) to the Instagram Post (“votes”) posted for a participant in each round for the ultimate selection of the grand prize winner in the final Round 3. Instagram accounts can vote on multiple submissions, but may only have one vote per submission in a round. The highest number of votes in Round 3 will be eligible to be the grand prize winner. If there is a tie in any round, all top 4 scoring submissions will succeed to Round 2; and all top 2 scoring submissions will succeed to Round 3. If there is a tie in Round 3, another round of voting will be run for 48 hours; if there is a tie in this last round, both winners will receive an equal share of the grand prize.

7. Prize: One (1) grand prize of $500 is eligible to win in this Promotion, payable only to the individual who entered and won the prize via direct deposit using Sponsor’s designated tools. One (1) runner up prize of $250 is eligible to win in this Promotion, payable only to the second-place individual who entered and won the prize via direct deposit using Sponsor’s designated tools. Proof of use of the Prize with Winner’s capstone project may be requested by Sponsor within the year winner is awarded the prize.  Prize is non-transferable, and no substitution will be made except as provided herein at the Sponsor’s sole discretion. Sponsor reserves the right to substitute a prize for one of equal or greater value if the designated prize should become unavailable for any reason. Winners are responsible for all taxes and fees associated with prize receipt and/or use.  Odds of winning a prize depend on the number of eligible entries received during the Promotion Period.  Prizes will be fulfilled approximately 8-10 weeks after the conclusion of the Promotion Period.  Prize Limit: one (1) prize per winner of the Promotion of $500, one (1) prize winner of the Promotion of $250.

8. Release: By receipt of any prize or submitting a submission to the Promotion, participants and winners agree to release and hold harmless Sponsor, Facebook, Instagram, and their respective subsidiaries, affiliates, suppliers, distributors, advertising/promotion agencies, and prize suppliers, and each of their respective parent companies and each such company’s officers, directors, employees and agents (collectively, the “Released Parties”) from and against any claim or cause of action, including, but not limited to, personal injury, death, or damage to or loss of property, arising out of participation in the Promotion or receipt or use or misuse of any prize.

9. General Conditions: Sponsor reserves the right to cancel, suspend and/or modify the Promotion, or any part of it, if any fraud, technical failures, human error or any other factor impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Promotion, as determined by Sponsor in its sole discretion.  In such event, Sponsor, in its sole discretion, may elect to hold a random drawing from among all eligible entries received up to the date of discontinuance for any or all of the prizes offered herein.  Sponsor reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to disqualify any individual it finds to be tampering with the entry process or the operation of the Promotion or to be acting in violation of the Official Rules of this or any other promotion or in an unsportsmanlike or disruptive manner.  Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Promotion may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Sponsor reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.  Sponsor’s failure to enforce any term of these Official Rules shall not constitute a waiver of that provision.

10. Participants Personal Information: Information collected from entrants will be used only for the purposes of this Promotion. You may request deletion of your information used for this Promotion by contacting the Sponsor.

11.  Winner List: For a winner list, email or send a letter to Sponsor.  The winner list will be posted on Sponsor’s Instagram account after winner confirmation is complete.