Proposed: A Global Transformation Call to Action Prize

NOTE: Brackets indicate content to be filled in later. As I review feedback, I may modify this proposal, which will be maintained at https://www.transformthesystem.org/call-to-action/. Feel free to share this proposal with any organization that may want to initiate it.

REQUEST FOR SUBMISSIONS

[We, identify sponsor and partners] invite individuals and teams of individuals to submit proposals for how to help transform our global social system, improve the quality of life, and protect the environment.

Cash awards totalling [$xxxx] will be granted to one or more submissions judged to hold the greatest potential for nurturing widespread effective action.

Proposals should be no more than 1500 words and emailed to [contact info] by no later than [deadline). Shortly thereafter we’ll post final submissions at [link].

Those who want feedback before submitting their Call to Action are welcome to post their drafts on the Web and inform us. We’ll post links to those drafts at [link].

We’ll widely publicize this project and invite individuals who register to comment on and rate the submissions. A diverse jury will discuss those evaluations and develop a draft recommendation concerning which submission(s) should receive the award(s).

A public, live-streamed conference will be convened in [location] on [date] to evaluate the jury’s recommendation. Shortly thereafter the jury will discuss the conference’s deliberations and make its final decision.

We’ll invite everyone to stay informed about developments by subscribing to a newsletter and/or discussing issues on an online bulletin board.

We welcome your participation and encourage you to spread the word.

--[Sponsor and partners]

NOTES ON PROCESS

This proposal envisions a diverse jury granting the prize(s) through a process of live deliberation, which could include participation via internet or conference calls. This deliberation could be preceded by online discussion, but live dialog is essential because it enhances decision-making.

The sponsor would select the jury, delegate that decision to a team, or establish a process for making that decision.

In addition to the usual criteria used to determine diversity, I suggest that those who select jury members should bear in mind age and whether or not potential members have college degrees.