You could be forgiven for having forgotten about the Linden Prize already, given that it's been four months since it was announced by Mitch Kapor. Nevertheless, we weren't entirely surprised to see Linden Lab reannounce it, this time with some actual details, terms and conditions.
The fundamentals of the prize seem to remain unchanged. It is US$10,000 worth of Linden Dollars for (as Kapor put it) 'superlative achievement exemplifying the mission "elevating the human condition" through using Second Life.'
The terms and conditions now make eligibility somewhat more precise.
- Work in Second Life that also achieves tangible, compelling results outside of Second Life.
- Distinctive, original work using Second Life that clearly demonstrates high quality, execution, function, aesthetics and technical sophistication.
- Work that has the capacity for inspiring and influencing future development, knowledge, creativity, and collaboration both inside and outside of Second Life.
All of the usual competition restrictions apply: judges and Linden Lab and their families are ineligible, of course.
One additional restriction is that, well, nobody wants to get sued over intellectual property, so "Projects without documented intellectual property and ownership, or using others' intellectual property without consent are ineligible."
That could be a significant barrier to projects that incorporate (ostensibly) freely-distributed objects and textures, as the provenance of many of them is sometimes in doubt. All too often you run across a ripped Half Life or Unreal Tournament texture (or indeed dozens or hundreds) in among packs of rather less-encumbered textures or find them lurking on redistributable objects. It certainly raises the bar for collaborative works. Did everyone create original work, or incorporate components whose origin is documented and guaranteed?
Another potential barrier is one of privacy. The Lab reserves the right to make a big media campaign out of finalists and the winner. Interviews, marketing events, award ceremonies, media interviews. The whole nine yards, as they say. The Linden Prize is an annual media opportunity for the Lab, and entrants are expected to do their part to participate.
We're not exactly sure who is eligible. There's the Second Life Relay for Life, of course -- an extra US$10,000 towards cancer research would not be an unwelcome addition. However the intellectual property documentation requirements might be a bit steep for this large-scale collaborative venture, which reportedly raised approximately US$200,000 for the American Cancer Society this year. There are just so many hands, and so much variously sourced content involved. Still, if they can pass the documentation requirements, there seems to be no reason that they wouldn't win every year.
There is also Global Kids on the Teen Second Life grid -- but ditto on the documentation requirements.
There are plenty of individuals that we think generate the right sorts of results, but that don't necessarily have a structure or fixed site within Second Life -- so we suppose that they're technically ineligible.
Changing the world, after all, starts with the individual and their own actions. Installations like Camp Darfur may be informative, but may not meet the requirement for "tangible, compelling results". You can inspire and inform, but unless individuals take action, there are no direct results.
Applications for entrants close on 15 January 2009, and the winner and finalists are expected to be announced no later than 30 April, 2009. All the terms and conditions, application forms and so forth are on Linden Lab's website.
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