The Protopian Fiction Prize
Write the story of humanity's future.
To create a better world, we need to first imagine it—and the work required to get there.
The Protopian Prize is a fiction contest inviting you to share your vision of people working toward liberatory futures, meeting obstacles, and making real change. “Protopian”—a word coined by Kevin Kelly, one of our contest's judges—means an achievable, optimistic future characterized by continuous, incremental progress rather than revolutionary leaps or a static, perfect state. Protopian stories imagine a future that is neither flawless nor catastrophic, but instead workably better than today. It’s about plausible progress rather than perfection or collapse.
In 2026, our inaugural year, we will present prizes in two categories:
Imagine AI development, policy, and tools, built for—and following basic principles of— public benefit. Stories might address ethical training, sustainable maintenance, creator-friendly implementation, collective rather than corporate ownership, and/or new uses that complement rather than replace human strengths.
Imagine institutions, tools, and organizational methods that expand and enhance public autonomy and shared control over societal futures. Stories might address inclusive community-building, decision-making processes, better delivery of public goods, and/or new techniques for combating disinformation, surveillance, and authoritarian constraints.
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EVENT SCHEDULE
9am - 10am
Registration & Welcome
10am - 12pm
Opening Ceremony & Keynote Address
Main Auditorium
12pm - 1pm
Lunch Break & Networking
1pm - 5pm
Panel Discussions & Author Q&A
Literary Salon
7pm - 12am
Award Gala & Celebration
The Grand Hall
OUR PARTNERS
Join the Celebration
November 15, 2023
123 Utopia Avenue, New York City