$5,000.00 USD will be awarded to the winner. $1,000.000 USD will be awarded to three runner-up papers, one of which could be the final winner.

About the Prize:

Humanity+, a 501(c)3 non-profit educational organization is sponsoring the Blockchain essay prize for papers that cover the topic of “Mutual Benefits of Blockchain and Transhumanism”.

Blockchain: a distributed leger technology that are appearing in a variety of commercial applications. Blockchain provides evidence of what is going on within and between transactions. Blockchain is a way to structure data by using blocks of transactions that gives participants—competitors or cohorts—a type of open source platform to share a digital leger across a digital network without a central authority. By this, no one person or group has the power to manipulate the records and the block calculators are candid and keeps records honest. Many of the world’s top financial institutions are apply this tech-methodology and it is moving into other commercial applications.

Transhumanism: a worldview that aims to improve the human condition through ethical use of technology and evidence-based science. Such condition includes health, well-being, human rights and necessities, and environmental concerns. Transhumanism is the study of the ramifications, promises, and potential dangers of technologies that will enable humans to overcome fundamental human limitations, and the related study of the ethical matters involved in developing such technologies. The emerging, exponential technologies include artificial intelligence, nanotechnology, genetics, mitigating disease, human enhancement, human-computer integration and a directive toward radical life extension and space exploration.

The theme of the Prize is to explore the mutual benefits of blockchain methods, uses, and applications for the mutual benefit of humanity’s future, including attempting to answer the question of what it means to be human. For this essay, we are looking for imaginative foresight, a deep dive into core issues of humanity, solutions to problems we face, etc. We want to allow authors enough creativity and range to address the theme.

Essays will be judge by a panel of six members of Humanity+, two full members, two advisors, and two Board members.

Details of the Blockchain Essay Prize:

GENERAL INFORMATION

Entries are welcome from authors anywhere in the world. There is no cost to enter an Essay. Essays are limited to one essay per author.

HOW TO ENTER

Submitting entries to essay@humanityplus.org is Entries should be either PDFs or Word documents. Entries must have a title page, sources cited in text and referenced and all tables, figures must be numbered. The author’s name must not appear in the document or in the name of the digital file because judging is conducted blind. The full name should only include the title of the Essay. Entrants will receive automatic confirmation of receipt to the email address used when entering.

TERMS AND CONDITIONS

Essays must be written in English. Essays must be original works authored by original author or authors. Essays must not infringe on copyright protection of another author or publication. Essays that are deemed to be plagiarism will be disqualified.

ELIGIBILITY DECLARATION

All authors must agree to the following declaration:

I declare that this essay is the author(s) own work. Portions of the essay may have been previously published, but 75% is original writing. This essay will not be published elsewhere until the announcement of the Final Winner, on October 19, 2018.

PRIZES

Three runner-up essays receive $1,000.00 each and will be announced at the Humanity+ @ Beijing, China Conference opening reception on July 14, 2018. Final selection of the Winning Essay receives $5,000.00 and will be announced at the TransVision 2018 Conference in Madrid, Spain on October 19, 2018.

JUDGING PROCESS

Seven Judges will be selected by the Board: three from Humanity+ full members, two Board members, and two Advisory members. Each Judge will have one vote.