Today, on the fourth Bitcoin halving day, the Human Rights Foundation (HRF) announced the Finney Freedom Prize, honoring the achievements of Hal Finney, one of Bitcoin’s first public champions.
Today, HRF is launching the Finney Freedom Prize to honor Hal Finney, a champion of privacy, open source software, and electronic cash.
The 1 BTC Award celebrates those who do the most for Bitcoin and freedom during each halving era.
Inspire more Hals✌️https://t.co/Zv6MagooUW pic.twitter.com/X4EqMEeIoM
— Alex Gladstein 🌋 ⚡ (@gladstein) April 19, 2024
The prize will be awarded to the individual or organization that has done the most for Bitcoin and human rights during each halving era, with the recipient receiving a prize of 1 BTC.
“We wanted to inspire people to use Bitcoin to advance human rights. To help more people achieve economic liberation around the world, we thought one way to do this would be to create an award that could last through the early life cycle of Bitcoin. ” Alex Gladstein, Chief Strategy Officer at the Human Rights Foundation, told Bitcoin Magazine.
“The halving is a very important day. “This is something everyone can celebrate, regardless of country, situation or status, and it is a great time to announce a Bitcoin-related award,” he added.
According to Gladstein, the 2009-2012 winner is Hal Finney himself, and his 1 BTC prize will go to “an important cause for Hal’s family.”
HRF, in collaboration with the Finney family, will appoint a seven-member “Genesis Committee” to select the 2012-2016, 2016-2020 and 2020-2024 recipients. From 2024 to 2028, a new committee will be formed to select winners.
Up to two winners can be selected from each era. If two winners are selected, each winner will receive 50 million satoshi (half of a Bitcoin).
To be eligible for an award, an individual or organization must excel in the following areas:
- Educating people about Bitcoin
- It shows how people can use Bitcoin to become their own bank and exercise their financial freedom.
- Notable contributions to the Bitcoin codebase
- Helps make Bitcoin more accessible to the general public, especially those living under authoritarian regimes.
- Follow in Hal’s footsteps as an advocate for digital privacy.
A total of 33 Finney Freedom awards will be awarded, one for each Bitcoin halving era. Prizes will be awarded until the 2130s, when the last Bitcoin block is expected to be mined. Award funds are publicly available here.
So can you think of the Finney Freedom Prize as Bitcoin’s Nobel Prize?
“As much as the Nobel Peace Prize or the Nobel Prize in Economics inspires people,” Gladstein told Bitcoin Magazine. “We hope people will be inspired like Hal to think beyond themselves and expand this tool to make it accessible to more people.”