Organizer Information
The Existential Hope initiative is a foresight-focused platform exploring optimistic, actionable pathways for the future of artificial intelligence and society. It operates at the intersection of technology, speculative design, and public imagination, encouraging participants to critically and creatively engage with long-term futures.
In collaboration with its educational partners, the program integrates structured learning and creative worldbuilding to help participants imagine “AI done right” scenarios. The platform positions itself within broader discussions of responsible AI development, systems thinking, and future studies.
Title & Description
AI Futures Challenge 2026 – Worldbuilding Competition & Course-Based Open Call
The AI Futures Challenge 2026 is an international worldbuilding competition that invites participants to imagine a future where artificial intelligence contributes positively to society. Through a guided learning process and creative submission, participants are asked to design coherent, hopeful future worlds and articulate the steps required to reach them.
The program combines a short foundational course with a structured creative challenge. Participants first complete a self-paced introductory course on AI futures and worldbuilding, then develop and submit an original speculative world. Submissions are evaluated based on how convincingly they explore the interaction between technology, society, institutions, and human experience.
The challenge emphasizes grounded imagination: not utopian fantasy, but plausible, structured futures that demonstrate how AI could reshape sectors such as governance, education, labor, and culture in meaningful ways.
Selected works are featured in a public “World Gallery,” with top entries receiving monetary awards across multiple categories such as transformative technology, institutional design, and visual storytelling.
Categories
- Literature (worldbuilding narratives, speculative fiction writing)
- Writing (scenario design, structured future narratives)
- Digital (AI-assisted creative futures)
- Interdisciplinary Arts (combining technology, storytelling, and systems thinking)
- Illustration (optional visual world representation)
- New Media (AI-generated or hybrid media storytelling)
Eligibility
- Open internationally (worldwide participation)
- Minimum age: 16+
- Participants under 18 require parental/guardian permission
- Open to individuals and teams (no team size limit)
- No prior knowledge of AI or futurism required
- Suitable for students, creatives, writers, designers, and general participants
- Submissions must be original and newly created for this challenge
Program Benefits & Awards
Participants gain access to a structured learning + creation pathway and global visibility.
Educational Component
- Free self-paced course on AI futures and worldbuilding (approx. 1.5 hours)
Exhibition / Showcase
- Inclusion in the public World Gallery featuring selected submissions
- Global visibility across the program’s communication channels
Awards
- $5,000 — Best overall world
- $1,000 — Best visuals
- $1,000 — Best transformative technology
- $1,000 — Most inspiring vision
- $1,000 — Best transformed sector
- $1,000 — Best institution
Multiple awards can be granted to a single submission depending on category performance.
Application Fee
None
Application Requirements
- Online submission form
- World title
- 1–2 sentence vision statement
- Structured worldbuilding responses (technology, society, institutions, etc.)
- Optional media upload (image, illustration, AI-generated visuals)
- Optional short video (max 2 minutes via YouTube or Vimeo link)
- Confirmation of course completion (self-attested)
Additional optional elements:
- Team submission details
- Anonymous or credited participation selection
- Social links (optional)
How to Apply?
Online Application
Key Dates
- Application Deadline: 30 June 2026
- Winners Announcement: Mid-July 2026
- World Gallery Publication: Rolling (approximately within one week after submission)
- Course Access: Open prior to submission deadline
Location
Online
Additional Details
- AI tools are permitted in the creative process
- Submissions must be original and not previously published in major public contexts
- Participants retain full ownership of their work
- Organizers receive non-exclusive rights to showcase submissions in the World Gallery and promotional channels
- Judging criteria include: imagination, coherence, ambition grounded in reality, and optimism about the future
- Team submissions are allowed with no size restriction
- Winners may receive multiple awards across different categories