THE ADIR CHALLENGE IDEATION COMPETITION

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Background

Hateful rhetoric and discriminatory incidents rooted in racism, sexism, xenophobia and other prejudices are on the rise globally, often amplified by the use of modern technologies, raising an immediate need for innovative high-tech solutions. While hate targeting any group poses dangers to society, antisemitism has been escalating and intensifying. The widespread propagation of antisemitic rhetoric and behaviors in our schools, universities and at all levels of government is well documented. Though foundational responses are vital, they have proven insufficient to counter the growing sophistication and pervasiveness of the threat.

For example, in the U.S., The Anti-Defamation League's data reveals a significant surge in antisemitic incidents during the three months following the October 7 attack on Israel. The organization tracked a total of 3,283 anti-Jewish incidents between October 7 and January 7, averaging nearly 34 incidents per day after the October 7 assault. This marks a staggering 360% increase in antisemitic incidents compared to the same period in 2022.

The challenges in combating this rise in hate include a lack of proactive measures leveraging technology, insufficient coordination among global responses, and the limitations of existing solutions in adapting and scaling to the evolving nature of hate and discrimination. These gaps highlight the necessity for a disruptive shift towards more dynamic, technology-driven strategies that can outpace the spread of antisemitic and other prejudice. We find ourselves at a critical juncture for cultivating breakthrough ideas to disrupt cycles of oppression. 

At the same time, new technologies are evolving and maturing more rapidly than ever. Revolutionary advancements in artificial intelligence, big data, the internet of things, decentralized computing and others, are changing the world by the day. These technologies enable a whole new generation of products, services and paradigms in the high-tech industry. They hold a similar potential for disruption in every field, including the fight against hate.

Competitions have a long, rich history of catalyzing innovation across disciplines. Take the recent Vesuvius Challenge, where $1 million in prize money unlocked ancient secrets using AI, demonstrating competitions' immense power to spur breakthroughs. Unlike traditional funding models, competitions only pay for success, creating efficient incentives for unconventional thinking. This pull model draws ideas from the broader public rather than pushing developments through a closed system of investments and grants. 

The ADIR Challenge Foundation  

The ADIR Challenge Foundation (the “ADIR Foundation”) is a nonprofit charitable corporation established in response to current events, to develop dynamic initiatives using technology and collaboration to drive change. The ADIR Foundation’s principal activity in this regard is to develop and administer a worldwide innovation and technology challenge (the “ADIR Challenge”).

The goal of the ADIR Challenge is to foster an ecosystem of innovation, education, research and community building dedicated to combating hate. Participants in the ADIR Challenge, to be known as “Solvers,” will compete by creating innovative solutions to combat religious and other forms of hate and discrimination, with an initial focus on antisemitism.

The ADIR Challenge seeks to bridge the gaps in the fight against antisemitism, hate and discrimination by catalyzing a global movement that harnesses technology-based innovation to develop proactive solutions. The design is to produce winning ideas that can concretely operate top mitigate real-world hate. By tapping into the potential of disruptive technologies, the private sector and the enterprising spirit, the ADIR Challenge aims to foster a more systemic and coordinated approach. Through competitions, we aim to create a community that not only addresses the symptoms and complex root causes of hate and its enablers, but that creates effective means and sets a new standard for combating hate and discrimination. 

The Ideation Competition

This Ideation Competition is the first step in developing and shaping the Challenge. Think big on what a large-scale competition could incentivize to drive tech-based and scientific solutions that address real-world antisemitism issues. We welcome ideas on:

• Key antisemitism problem areas where science/tech could provide solutions.
• Potential innovation topics/themes for new solutions.
• How you would leverage your passion for science/tech to drive change.
• What competition categories, criteria, incentives could excite innovators.
• Creative competition formats, partnerships, and judging approaches.

The ADIR Foundation intends to award three $10,000 cash prizes to the individual (or group) in each of three categories who develops and presents, in the sole judgment of the ADIR Foundation, the best idea or ideas that (i) could be used in, or (ii) could be useful in the design of, a technology-driven competition to develop strategies capable of making a significant difference in the fight against antisemitism and hate (i.e. the ADIR Challenge competition). 

EACH of three winning entrants will receive (a) a $10,000 prize, and (b) automatically be qualified to compete for $1 million in the main ADIR Challenge competition.

Please see the Judging Criteria for more specifics about the judging and the selection criteria.

How do I Win?

1. Prepare a submission including  a 2-minute video pitch that clearly explains the idea(s) and makes a compelling case for its inclusion in the ADIR Challenge and its potential impact in the fight against antisemitism and hate.
2. Submit your idea or ideas before April 30, 2024. 
3. Eligible submissions will be divided into three categories (each a “track”) and evaluated against the judging criteria to select 1 winner per track: 
   1. Track A: High school and below solvers student track (i.e. an individual or a group of individuals where the oldest individual in the group is at the date of submission in 12^th grade or below); 
   2. Track B:  College students solvers track (i.e. an individual or a group of individuals where the oldest individual in the group is 29 years of age or less; and, at the time of submission, the individual or each member of the group is actively enrolled in a college, university or other organization of higher learning); 
   3. Track C: General solvers track, i.e. an individual or a group of individuals where the individual or any member of the group of individuals is not included in either Track A or Track B.
4. Your submission, along with the other submissions, will be evaluated by a panel of judges and a recommendation for each Track will be made to the ADIR Foundation Board of Directors, which has the authority, in its sole discretion, to may make an award in each category.
5. One $10,000 prize may be awarded per track, for a total award pool of $30,000. 
6. In addition to the cash prize, each $10,000 prize winner will be pre-qualified to compete for the $1 million prize in the main ADIR Challenge competition.
7. If, in the sole judgment of the panel of judges or the ADIR Foundation Board of Directors, none of the  submissions in a track sufficiently meet the judging criteria to warrant receipt of the $10,000 award, the Board of  Directors may award one or more $500 consolation prizes to the submission(s) judged the best in that track.

• Age: If a participant (including any participant in a group) is under the age of 18, that
  participant’s parent/legal guardian must create a HeroX account to make the Competition submission on behalf of the participant or the group and communicate with the ADIR Foundation team. If more than one individual in a group is under the age of 18, one parent/legal guardian may represent the group provided that one parent/legal guardian for each individual under the age of 18 agrees in writing to these Competition Rules. The individual or the group should still be the primary creator of the submission and should describe that individual and each individual in the group in any “Author Bio(s)” section.
• Entries may be submitted either as an individual or as a team; however, an individual or a group may only submit ideas to one track, but can submit multiple ideas within that single track. If a submission is made on behalf of a team, the team must designate one individual or entity to whom any monetary prize will be paid. Any monetary prize will only be paid to that individual or entity and it will be the sole responsibility of that
  individual or entity to make any further distribution of any monetary prize. Before the award of any prize, the ADIR Foundation will require the individual or entity that is to receive the award to submit any additional information regarding that individual or entity that the ADIR Foundation is required to obtain in order to comply with applicable law.
• No individual who is included (or whose country of citizenship and (if different) residency) appears on any list maintained by the United States Treasury Department’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (the “OFAC List”) of prohibited persons, entities or prohibited or restricted jurisdictions is eligible to participate in this ADIR Ideation
  Challenge. By submitting an entry to participate in the ADIR Ideation Challenge, the individual (and/or each individual in a group) certifies that the individual is not individually included on any OFAC List and that individual’s country of citizenship and (if different) residency is not included on any OFAC List.
• Not eligible to participate in the ADIR Ideation Challenge are individuals or entities currently employed by or who individually, or whose employer, has a written contract with the ADIR Challenge Foundation, or who have immediate family members currently engaged with or employed by the ADIR Challenge Foundation or any of its contractors.
• Also not eligible to participate in the ADIR Ideation Challenge are individuals and entities that work directly with ADIR Ideation Competition judges in a professional/academic context and their immediate family members.

Submissions will be reviewed by a panel of judges selected by the ADIR Foundation, which will make recommendations for the award of prizes to the ADIR Foundation Board of Directors (the “Board of Directors” or the “Board”). Review and recommendations of submissions by the panel of judges will be made based on the Judging Criteria section above and the quality of the pitch video. Final decisions as to the selection of winners and the award of prizes shall be made by the Board, in its sole discretion. All submissions must comply with these Competition Rules and must be in keeping with the ADIR Foundation’s reputation and image. Any submission that does not meet this standard may be rejected in the sole discretion of the Board of Directors. In addition, the Board reserves the right, in its sole discretion, to award prizes, not to award prizes, and/or to cancel or modify this competition and any rules of this competition at any time.