How many young people actually delay the real world? Hard to say, but we do know that thousands have been inspired to submit adventure proposals for the annual Delay-the-Real-World Fellowship contest. Every year, one lucky winner walks away with thousands of dollars to carry out his or her anti-cubicle dream.

The first year, we received over 1,300 proposals. Thanks to the sponsorship of both Perseus Books and the Moon Guides, the amount of the fellowship has doubled, from $2,500 to $5,000.

The greatest backer of the fellowship, though, is Peter Costanzo, “the web guy” at Perseus. Every summer, Peter gets us together for the “winner dinner” in New York City. You can’t see Peter in these photos, because he took all four of them. Peter also designed the official website of Delaying the Real World.

To read more about past fellowship winners Alex, Daniela, Andrew, or Josh (and their respective projects in Ecuador, Cambodia, South America, and the USA) click here. To read about the latest fellowship winner, visit www.delayingtherealworld.com.