Prizes

Introduction

The prize money is only paid out after the conditions are satisfied. The amount of research and development effort that goes into winning a prize can be many times the size of the prize, so prizes can be amazingly efficient ways to accomplish development goals. Prizes also help develop a community and get publicity for a cause.

Criteria for a good prize

Peter Diamandis discusses:

• How to Design an X PRIZE
• Attributes of an X PRIZE
• What constitutes an X PRIZE

Design goals

• inexpensive -- Can it be constructed for under X dollars?
• seaworthy -- Can it stay out at sea indefinitely (no or rare docking)?
• longevity -- Will it last at least X years?
• semi-stationary -- Can it stay semi-stationary without human intervention?
• spacious -- Does it provide at least X sq feet of living space?
• wave-resistant -- Does it bob no more than X when waves are height Y?
• multi-purpose -- Can it be easily re-purposed to house all of the same businesses as exist on land (dentist office, grocery stores, etc.)?
• modular -- Can it be easily combined with other seasteads to form a larger structure? Does it tile?
• safe -- Can it tolerate waves of height X without excessive damage?
• comfortable -- Is it at least as comfortable as an average house on land (warm, dry, spacious, stable)
• easily constructed -- Can a single person with a pickup struck and readily available tools build it?

Non-design goals

Perhaps we should also think about explicitly what are _not_design criteria:

• size - no max on size
• weight - doesn't matter how much it weighs (although individual parts must be transportable by pickup)
• speed - doesn't have to move more than 5 mph
• build-speed - doesn't matter how long it takes to build
• does not have to be energy or food self-sufficient; food and fuel re-supplies are allowed. (Although perhaps we should make this a criteria for the prize, even though seasteads would not need to be self-sufficient).

Example Prizes

• Single Family Seastead - Full Size
• Single Family Seastead - Model
• Ephemerisle Contest

Socio-Economic, Political, and Legal
Legal · Defense · Money