DESCRIPTION
To create a better world, we need to first imagine it - and the work required to get there. The Protopian Fiction Contest invites you to share your vision of people working toward liberatory futures, meeting obstacles, and making real change.
In 2026, our inaugural year, the contest focuses on two strands of potential positive change:
Public AI: 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.
Collective Self-Governance: 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.
Submission for entries will open on May 1, 2026.