Contest for Writers on Contemporary Social Issues and a $ 100,000 Cash Prize from Nine Dots Prize

The Nine Dots Prize invites writers around the world to participate in a creative thinking competition that tackles contemporary societal issues. Participants must answer the 2021 question, "What does it mean to be young in an aging world?" In about 3000 words. 

The aim of the Prize is to promote, encourage, and engage innovative thinking to address problems facing the modern world. The name of the Prize references the nine dots puzzle – a lateral thinking puzzle that can only be solved by thinking outside the box.

Eligibility Criteria:

• All are welcome to submit: the only stipulation is that applicants must be 18 years of age or over. 
• Responses and the resulting book must be in English.
• Individuals can only submit one application (whether alone or with others). There is no limit to the number of applications from the author(s) engaged or employed by an individual institution or employer.
• Trustees of the Foundation, Board members of the Prize, or the family members of any of the foregoing, are not eligible to submit.

Competition Rules:

• By submitting a submission for the Prize, you agree that if you are awarded the Prize, you will submit a manuscript of between 25,000 and 40,000 words to Cambridge University Press by 2 January 2022. This will include delivering 60 percent of the book by October 2021 (including some full chapters) to ensure the book is reviewed, edited, and published on schedule. You will also participate in a seminar in October 2021 (or such other date as agreed) at CRASSH in Cambridge or virtually, which will discuss and consider the work in progress.
• By submitting a submission for the Prize, you agree to undertake a reasonable number of activities (for example, media appearances, contributions to the Nine Dots Prize website, other social media engagement, other written outputs or progress reports, etc.) as required to promote your own work and the Prize. The detail of these activities will be agreed upon between you and the Foundation and the terms stipulated in the grant agreement.
• By submitting a response, you agree that your response and the resulting book will consist of original work and will not infringe the intellectual property rights of any third party. If a third party’s material is used, you will obtain the necessary permissions from the copyright owner(s). You also agree that your response and the resulting book (including earlier extracts and versions) will not contain any material which is defamatory, private, confidential, or which will breach any laws in any jurisdiction. Any response or part of the book that is found to breach any law in any jurisdiction may be disqualified from the Prize or publication.
• The Prize seeks to reward original ideas but understands that you may have begun to explore ideas outlined in your response in previous publications. These may be referred to, or short excerpts included within the book, but your submission must be a new and original work in itself. If you do reuse previously-published material, you will be responsible for obtaining consent for any required permissions for the re-use of these, in accordance with the CUP publishing agreement(s).

Prize monies:

The winning entry will receive US$100,000 from the Foundation – payable in three stages: on the announcement of the winner, on delivery of the manuscript to CUP, and on publication of the book.

Book Publication:

The book will be published by CUP and made available open access online, and also published in a range of print and digital commercial formats, by CUP. CUP will also provide support and editorial assistance to the Prize winner. By submitting a response, you (and your co-entrants as applicable) are agreeing that, if awarded the Prize, the book will be published by CUP in various formats, and you will promptly enter into the necessary publishing agreement(s) with CUP or third parties for the publication in accordance with the Prize Rules. The CUP publishing agreement will set out the terms and conditions concerning the delivery of the book and its publication. It will also include provisions about intellectual property, and the royalties to be paid to you. You (and any co-authors as applicable) will retain ownership of the copyright in the final transcript of the book submitted to CUP but will grant an exclusive license/license to CUP for the commercial exploitation of the book in accordance with the publishing agreement(s).

About the Nine Dots Prize:

The Nine Dots Prize seeks to reward original thinking in response to contemporary societal issues. Each Prize cycle lasts two years, with a new question being announced every other October.

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