We are excited to announce the Alliance Essay Prize. In the run-up to the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen in December, we’ve decided to make climate change our first topic. In no more than 1,000 words, we are asking you to address the question: ‘As a philanthropist, how would you spend $10 million to combat global warming?’ We will be running the competition in association with the Environmental Funders Network.

We want to encourage the broadest possible range of ideas. Would you seek to put pressure on governments? Or to drive changes in public behaviour directly? Or to incentivize markets? Would you focus on challenging unsustainable consumption trends? Or on addressing questions of equity between richer and poorer countries?  Would you target your efforts towards particular countries or regions?  Or particular industry sectors?  Or particular technologies or institutions?

Whatever your plan, your essay must give some indication of how you would judge if you had been successful and in what timeframe you would do this. You should also indicate what you see as the main obstacles to the success of your plan. Bear in mind that the $10 million could be used over any period of time that you see fit. 

The prize is £1,000 and the winning essay will be publishedin the December issue of Alliance magazine and on the Alliance website. Other good essays will be published online, as we are keen to promote debate on this crucial issue. The deadline is 30 September. There will be an international panel of judges, which we will announce as soon as the names are confirmed.

Please pass this message on to anyone who you think might be interested in entering.

For more information
For further details of who is eligible and how to submit, go to http://www.alliancemagazine.org/en/content/alliance-essay-prize