The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 13/10/2026A question can follow you anywhere. Across streets, stations, libraries and everyday spaces, we’ve been carrying one thought with us: 221
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 09/10/2026The question is here! For the sixth cycle of the Nine Dots Prize, we’re asking: Who gains from saving nature? We’re looking for bold, original responses from across disciplines and the globe. The winner receives $100,000 and a book deal. Find out more: ninedotsprize.org 162
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 08/10/2026Tomorrow, the sixth Nine Dots Prize cycle begins. And with it, we reveal the question that will sit at the centre of our search for an original response. 24 hours to go... 030
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 02/10/2026One week to go. On Friday 9th October, we’ll reveal the question at the heart of the sixth Nine Dots Prize Cycle. One new question. $100,000. A book deal, and an invitation to think beyond the obvious. More to share next week! 012
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 18/09/2026Three thinkers. Three different fields. In our latest podcast episode, we sat down with three of our brilliant Board members, Dr Linda Yueh CBE, Professors J Jarpa Dawuni and Riccardo Rebonato to consider why questions are important and how the board selects its big questions and ideas. 111
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 09/09/2026One month to go! In one month, the next Nine Dots Prize cycle begins - and we’ll reveal the new question at its centre. A new question. A new search for the best original response. And a $100,000 prize and book deal for the winner. More soon. 030
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 07/09/2026This October, we’re marking ten years of the Nine Dots Prize! To celebrate, we’re bringing together board members and previous winners to look forward to the questions that we think will be of utmost relevance and importance over the next ten years. Book your tickets here: luma.com/lz1ipqnn 010
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 26/08/2026AI is advancing quickly, but speed is not always the same as understanding. For the first instalment of The Essay in…, we consider how essays can help us examine the ethical, intellectual and social questions surrounding artificial intelligence. 020
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 18/08/20262026 marks the Nine Dots Prize’s 10th anniversary! To celebrate this milestone, we’re hosting an in-person event at Cambridge bringing together our previous winners, and the 2024/25 winner Grace Huckins, as well as our board members. Book your tickets through this link: luma.com/lz1ipqnn 011
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 14/08/2026Every essay begins with a single sentence. Every argument begins with a single idea. 021
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 07/08/2026The questions that the Prize explore never belong to one discipline alone. Who decides what counts as knowledge? A question might lead a historian towards archives, or a publisher towards access and representation. What perspective will you bring to our next question? 010
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 16/07/2026Big idea: This time last year, scientists detected the biggest merger of two massive black holes, which caused scientists to re-evaluate current theories of how black holes form www.theguardian.com/science/2025... Some discoveries don’t just answer questions, they force us to ask entirely new ones 000
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 04/06/2026Today marks the start of the Weirding Sustainability Festival, a two-day event, exploring what global weirding means for researchers, creative practitioners, and citizens, and how reimagining our practices spark more radical and meaningful change? www.crassh.cam.ac.uk/events/50956/ 110
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 28/05/2026A question for all our followers: what is a book, essay or topic you’ve been wanting to read but haven’t found writings on? It may begin with you. 110
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 20/05/2026Writing Tip: Leave a draft for a few days and return to it at a later date, as a reader rather than a writer. Oftentimes, taking a step back to look at work with a fresh pair of eyes will illuminate what matters most in a piece. 010
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 30/01/2026Reading Recommendation: Why I Write By Joan Didion lithub.com/joan-didion-... 000
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 21/01/2026Writing is not measured only by its longevity, but also by its sincerity. A reminder that writing earnestly and led by your own curiosity is often where the most interesting work begins. 000
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 29/12/2025As we approach the new year, these quieter days offer space for thought and are a great opportunity to return to your half formed ideas and explore unfinished drafts. 010
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 24/12/2025Wishing all our followers a wonderful holiday season. Thank you to everyone who contributed their responses to this Prize cycle and to all the conversations and questions that have shaped this year. 010
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 26/11/2025Is there a piece of writing that has changed how you see something ordinary? A place, a habit or a belief? We love hearing more about which essays you are reading and how they shift your perspectives. 010
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 02/10/2025Our board members are experts in a range of subjects, from economics and ecology to political science and palaeontology. Our first winner, James Williams joined our board for this Prize cycle and brings his expertise as a writer and technology ethicist. 010
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 29/07/2025A reminder that you can write anywhere, even amid life’s everyday chaos. #writingtips 000
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 19/06/2025Congratulations to Annie Zaidi on the publication of her new book, The Comeback. Described as ‘warm and large-hearted’, this novel is a moving exploration of friendship, self-realisation, and the magic behind a small-town Indian theatre. 110
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 09/06/2025Chair of the Nine Dots Prize Board, Professor Simon Goldhill, comments on our 2024/25 winner: @crasshlive.bsky.social @universitypress.cambridge.org 021
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 04/06/2025🎧Listen to 2024/25 Nine Dots Prize winner, Grace Huckins on yesterday's BBC World Service Newshour, discussing the topic of their essay and what it means to be human in the age of AI. Link below: www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/... 031
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 03/06/2025Here’s what the the 2024/25 Nine Dots Prize winner Grace Huckins had to say about their essay and winning the prize: @crasshlive.bsky.social @cambridgeup.bsky.social 111
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 03/06/2025We are delighted to announce that the winner of the 2024/25 Nine Dots Prize is Stanford lecturer and science journalist Grace Huckins, for their “exceptional” response to the question ‘Is data failing us?’ @crasshlive.bsky.social @cambridgeup.bsky.social 2102
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 31/05/2025#OnThisDay American poet and essayist, Walt Whitman was born. 020
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 27/05/2025We are one week away from announcing our winner for 2024/25. Thank you again to all those who entered. We are excited to share more with you about the winning essay and the person behind it. Keep your eyes on this page 👀 010
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 20/05/2025We are just two weeks away from announcing the winner of The Nine Dots Prize 2024/25. Be sure to keep an eye out on our social pages for the winner announcement and sign up to our newsletter. ninedotsprize.org 023
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 15/05/2025We’ve had an incredible range of entries to the Prize this cycle, full of originality and out of the box thinking. We’re excited to share that the winner of this year’s prize will be announced on Tuesday 3rd June. Don’t miss the announcement, sign up to our newsletter today. 121
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 25/04/2025Having confidence in your creative ideas can be challenging. One original approach may be to imagine yourself as a three-year old, something our podcast guest @stellduffy.bsky.social has suggested. 120
The Nine Dots Prize @ninedotsprize.org · 15/04/2025If you could give one piece of advice to an aspiring writer or thinker, or possibly your younger self, what would it be? Here’s a useful tip from our podcast guest Lee Child: #writingtips #writingadvice #writing 020