Sheffield students are being offered Amazon vouchers for their sperm

Just don’t do it on campus ok?


Fliers are being handed out around campus seeking male volunteers to donate their sperm in return for a £75 Amazon voucher.

This isn’t the typical fliering we’re used to, and eyebrows are being raised at the way gents are being paid for donating their semen.

A leaflet advertising the study.

For their generous donations, participants would be compensated with a £75 Amazon voucher. We ran the maths and the rate of return isn’t so great. £75 for a 12 week period works out at £6.25 a week or 3p an hour. Then again, if volunteers are only required to donate one sample of their secret sauce a week, depending on the eagerness of the participant, the equivalent rate of pay could be up to £375 per hour.

It is unclear at this point whether entertainment will be provided.

The study needs male volunteers aged between 18-30 who are available for 12 weeks between April and July  to consume Lycopene, the red pigment found in tomatoes and other red fruits, whilst donating samples of their secret sauce. Ultimately, the study intends to discover whether Lycopene has a positive effect on participants’ sperm.

In other studies, Lycopene has been suggested as a possible treatment option for male infertility. This is because the antioxidant properties of Lycopene counteract the damage inflicted on sperm caused by oxidative stress. In other words, chowing down on tomatoes could end up vitalising those little guys.