What if AI could help us build a more resilient, inspiring, and flourishing world?
This course uses worldbuilding to explore hopeful futures—and the steps we can take to make them real.
Imagine a future where AI has gone right. Build that world. Win up to $5,000.
We’re looking for ambitious, grounded futures with AI, and the paths to build them. No expertise required, just curiosity and imagination.
Submissions close 30 June 2026.
How it works
Prizes
$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
All submissions will be featured in our World Gallery.
Rules
Who can enter Anyone aged 16 or older. Under 18s need parent or guardian permission.
Course requirement Complete the free Worldbuilding Hopeful Futures with AI course before submitting.
What to submit Use the submission form to answer open-ended questions and upload media. You can submit as an individual or as a team.
Use of AI AI tools are allowed.
Originality The world should be your own. Don’t submit work you’ve published elsewhere or work that’s substantially someone else’s.
Deadline 30 June 2026, 23:59 anywhere on earth (UTC-12).
Rights You keep them. By submitting, you let Existential Hope feature your world in the World Gallery and across our channels.
Payment International bank transfer. Tax documentation may be required depending on your country.
Review The Existential Hope team reviews. Winners announced mid-July 2026.
Questions? Email existentialhope@foresight.org
What we’re looking for
Imagination. Does your world show us something new? Does it stretch what feels possible?
Ambition grounded in reality. Does it reach for something big while staying tethered enough to today that you could trace a path there?
Coherence. Do the pieces (technology, society, daily life, conflict) fit together in a reasonable way?
Hopefulness. Is this a future worth building toward? Not perfect, but meaningfully good without feeling naive.
Why worldbuilding is a serious and powerful tool for planning our future
Build your own future step by step, guided by our AI avatar
How emerging technologies can reshape our world
Think in systems to build a realistic world
Weigh the tradeoffs of an AI-driven world
Use the same tools as professional futurists
Take action and help make your world real
Anthony Aguirre | Will AI Replace Us—or Help Us Thrive? | AI Futures Worldbuilding Course
Robert Lempert | How Can We Best Prepare for Unknown Futures? | AI Futures Worldbuilding Course
Helen Toner | Who Gets to Decide AI’s Future? | AI Futures Worldbuilding Course
Hannah Ritchie | Climate Tech & How AI Can Help Solve Big Problems | AI Futures Worldbuilding Course
Anousheh Ansari | Why Space Exploration Matters for Earth | AI Futures Worldbuilding Course
Anton Korinek | What Happens to Jobs in an AI Future? | AI Futures Worldbuilding Course
Christine Peterson | How Biotech and Nanotech Can Shape the Future | AI Futures Worldbuilding Course
Anders Sandberg | How Neurotech Could Change Our Lives | AI Futures Worldbuilding Course
Glen Weyl | Can We Use AI to Build a Fairer Society? | AI Futures Worldbuilding Course
Gary Ackerman | Red Teaming Our Future With AI | AI Futures Worldbuilding Course
Ada Palmer | The Storytelling Tools You Need for Worldbuilding | AI Futures Worldbuilding Course
Siri Helle | Psychology of Hope & Meaningful Futures | AI Futures Worldbuilding Course
The future isn’t something that just happens to you. These tools help you think clearly about what’s coming, picture the world you want, and find your role in building it.
There is no single entry point; feel free to start wherever is most relevant to you.
A collection of hopeful 2035 scenarios built by course participants.
