I hacked the Dutch government T-shirt

Name: I hacked the Dutch government T-shirt
Brand: NCSC

The Dutch National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) sends this shirt to researchers once a vulnerability they reported in central-government systems has been fixed. Black tee, two lines of white text across the chest: "I hacked the Dutch government and all I got was this lousy t-shirt". On the sleeve is a white vertical bar with the crest and "National Cyber Security Centre / Ministry of Justice and Security". You can't buy it. It ships with a letter from NCSC-NL. Variants: a white version with dark text, a hoodie for repeat reporters, and since 2022 a yearly "I am on the [year] Wall of Fame of NCSC" hoodie for the jury's picks.

Generated render Report

Object details

Category: Apparel
Material: Cotton
Year: 2013
Design: Screen-printed text, sleeve print
Colour: Black, white
Origin: Official merch

Sources & image credits

ReferenceNCSC Wall of Fame 2025: official blogNationaal Cyber Security Centrum

ReferenceReport a vulnerability (CVD): NCSCNationaal Cyber Security Centrum

ReferenceHacker Frank (15) wilde maar één ding: dat ‘lousy’ T-shirt verdienenNRC

Social postNCSC reward T-shirt: recipient post@RuneRaido on X

Render referenceAtomgoods AI studio · product reference: @RuneRaido and @__jeewan_ on X

What stands out

Self-mockery works because the reward is honest about being small. One sentence turned a government thank-you into one of the most coveted shirts in security.

For your next brief

What could you give the people who help you for free that they'd wear because of the story, not the logo?