2026-07-10 –, Creativity Dome
The Protopian Prize is a new fiction contest inviting artists, storytellers, and dreamers to share their vision of people working toward liberatory futures, meeting obstacles, and making real change - hosted by Metagov and the Public AI Network.
This workshop will consist mostly of focused, quiet writing time sprinkled with opportunities for sharing ideas, getting feedback, and engaging with Protopian-inspired story prompts. Visit ProtopianPrize.com for more information about the prize.
The Protopian Prize is a new fiction contest inviting artists, storytellers, and dreamers to share their vision of people working toward liberatory futures, meeting obstacles, and making real change - hosted by Metagov and the Public AI Network. Visit ProtopianPrize.com for more information about the prize.
“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, we will present prizes in two categories: 1) Public AI: Imagine AI development, policy, and tools, built for—and following basic principles of— public benefit. 2) Democratic Futures: Imagine institutions, tools, and organizational methods that expand and enhance public autonomy and shared control over societal futures.
The contest is open for submissions May 1st - July 31st. We are seeking previously unpublished short stories of 500 - 6,000 words. Winners from will receive $5,000 for each category and the opportunity to have your story read by an incredible panel of judges including Ruthanna Emrys, Gideon Lichfield, Kevin Kelly, Annalee Newitz, Arati Prabhakar, Karl Schroeder, Ida Yoshinaga, Hannu Rajaniemi, and Deji Olukotun.
This workshop will consist mostly of focused, quiet writing time sprinkled with opportunities for sharing ideas, getting feedback, and engaging with Protopian-inspired story prompts.
Val is a freelance researcher and project manager specializing in community co-design and collective governance for emerging technologies including AI and the decentralized web. She is currently working on the planning committee for The Protopian Prize Fiction Contest hosted by Metagov and The Public AI Network. She also works on a collective savings tool for independent workers called The Cookie Jar Collective at the Center for Cultural Innovation. Val is also a yoga teacher, and will be leading yoga classes in the mornings during DWeb Camp.