Deadline: May 1, 2017 | Nominate here
Eligibility: The Disobedience Award is open to any living person or group who is or has engaged in acts of responsible, principled, ethical disobedience to authority, with the goal of benefitting society.
Prize: USD 250K cash prize award

Disobedience Award 2017

The Media Lab Disobedience Award seeks to highlight effective, responsible, ethical disobedience across disciplines (scientific research, civil rights, freedom of speech, human rights, and the freedom to innovate, for example).

Disobedience Award objectives are to build awareness and support of disobedience-robust work being done around the world, and to promote role models for younger people. With this award, The Media Lab will honor work that impacts society in positive ways, and is consistent with a set of key principles, including non-violence, creativity, courage, and responsibility for one’s actions.

The award will go to a living person or group engaged in extraordinary disobedience for the benefit of society. The Media Lab is seeking both expected and unexpected nominees.

Nomination and Selection Process

A screening committee composed of a small and diverse group of individuals in the MIT Media Lab network of activists, scientists, designers, and engineers will review the nominations and select the award recipient.

There are two ways you can participate in this process: by nominating a person or group, or by enlisting your social circle in the nomination process. You’ll have the chance to be rewarded for both actions, since both are crucial:

• If you are the first person to nominate the Disobedience Award winner, you will fly to Boston to attend the award ceremony on Monday, July 21 at the MIT Media Lab.
• If you recruit others to make nominations, and one of them is the first person to nominate the Disobedience Award winner, we will also fly you to attend the award ceremony in July.

The key principle behind the award is positive social impact

It is a global award, open to all fields, such as science, politics, civics, law, journalism, medicine, human rights, and innovation. The award does not endorse acts of violence, terrorism, or reckless or dangerous behavior.

For more opportunities, check our opportunities sections and subscribe to our weekly newsletters.