The Hinternet Essay Prize
Reviving a venerable tradition from the Enlightenment era, The Hinternet is launching an essay prize contest. The inaugural competition asks:
“How might current and emerging technologies best be mobilized to secure perpetual peace?”
The winner will receive $10,000 USD.
The contest invites bold, independent, and engaging ideas from specialists and non-specialists alike. While acknowledging the historical connection between technological progress and warfare, the contest seeks proposals that explore how such advancements might instead contribute to lasting peace without excessive compromises to human freedom.
Submissions are due by September 1, 2025, with the winner announced in October. Essays may be anywhere between 2,000 and 10,000 words. You must remove all identifying information from the essay document itself (within reason), to facilitate blind judging. Please see full submission guidelines below.
Please contact editor@the-hinternet.com for more information.
Essay Contest Guidelines
1. Eligibility
The competition is open to all ages and nationalities.
Entrants must submit new and original work that has not been previously published or submitted elsewhere.
Essays submitted must be the work of a single author, and any contributions from AI or LLMs must be disclosed.
2. Submission Guidelines
Essays must be written in English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Romanian, Russian, Polish, or Turkish
Essays may be of any length between 2,000 and 10,000 words.
The essay document itself must not contain any directly identifying information (within reason), to facilitate blind judging. Please only add your name and email address to the submission form.
Entries must be submitted by September 1, 2025 at 11:59 p.m. ET. Submissions received after this time will not considered.
3. Judging and Selection
Essays will be evaluated by a panel of judges selected by The Hinternet Editorial Board, to be announced in mid-July, 2025.
Judging criteria include originality, clarity of argument, depth of insight, and quality of writing.
The decision of the judges is final. Feedback on individual submissions will not be provided.
4. Copyright and Publication
Entrants retain copyright of their work.
By entering the competition, entrants grant The Hinternet a non-exclusive license to publish and promote the submitted work, with full credit to the author.
5. Disqualification
Entries that do not adhere to the rules, or that are plagiarized, will be disqualified.
Late submissions will not be considered.
6. Data Protection
Personal information submitted will be used solely for the purpose of administering the competition and will not be shared with third parties.
7. Agreement to Terms
By submitting an entry, participants agree to be bound by these Terms and Conditions