Fundamental Uncertainty $2,000 Essay Contest
Fundamental Uncertainty, my book about why it’s so hard to know the truth, came out in print May 15th. In honor of its release, I’m running an essay contest between now and August 1st with a $2,000 prize pool. First prize is $1,000, with $500 for each of two runners-up.
To enter, write an original essay between 500 and 5,000 words that reviews, responds to, critiques, extends, or otherwise engages with the themes of Fundamental Uncertainty. Essays should reference the book by name and include a link to fundamentaluncertainty.com. Publish your essay somewhere public, like on Substack, LessWrong, Medium, or your personal blog. Comment on this blog post (either the version on uncertainupdates.com or lesswrong.com) before 11:59 pm, August 1st, anywhere on Earth, with a link to your post to enter. Limit one entry per person, no purchase necessary, void where prohibited.
I’ll read the essays and decide which ones I think are best, with winners to be announced on or about August 15th. While there’s no formal scoring rubric, I’ll be considering factors like clarity of writing, quality of thinking, originality, depth of engagement, and how much the essay made me think. Some examples of essays I’d be excited to see include:
An ACX-style book review that distills the book’s main ideas for a wider audience.
Applications of the book’s thesis to new domains (like the sections of Chapter 8 are).
An exploration of related ideas and how they connect back to the book’s themes.
A literature review that connects the ideas in the book with ideas from other sources.
A critique that convinces me the book’s thesis or one of its central arguments is wrong.
I look forward to reading your submissions! Full contest rules follow.
Fundamental Uncertainty Essay Contest — Official Rules
NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Purchase of the book Fundamental Uncertainty in any format is not required to enter or win. A purchase will not improve your chances of winning. Full text of the book may be read online at https://fundamentaluncertainty.com/.
1. Sponsor
This contest (the “Contest”) is sponsored by Gordon Seidoh Worley (the “Sponsor”), an individual residing in San Francisco, California, USA. Contact: gworley3@gmail.com.
2. Eligibility
The Contest is open to individuals who, as of the date of entry, are:
At least 18 years of age (or the age of majority in their jurisdiction of residence, whichever is greater); and
Legal residents of any country except residents of Quebec, Canada, and residents of any jurisdiction where this Contest is void or prohibited by law.
The following persons are not eligible to enter: the Sponsor; the Sponsor’s spouse, parents, siblings, children, and their respective spouses; and any other members of the Sponsor’s household. Void where prohibited.
3. Contest Period
The Contest begins on May 20, 2026 and ends at 11:59 pm on August 1, 2026, anywhere on Earth (the “Submission Deadline”). Entries received after the Submission Deadline will not be considered. Winners will be announced on or about August 15, 2026.
4. How to Enter
To enter, an entrant must:
Write an original essay responding to, reviewing, critiquing, extending, or otherwise engaging with the book Fundamental Uncertainty by Gordon Seidoh Worley. Essays may include book reviews, critiques, explorations of related ideas, deep dives into specific arguments in the book, or other responses related to the book.
Publish the essay on a publicly accessible web page (personal blog, Substack, LessWrong, Medium, or similar). The essay must remain publicly accessible in full (no part of the essay may be behind a paywall, login, or other access restriction) at the URL provided throughout the judging period.
Post a comment on the Contest announcement post (titled “Fundamental Uncertainty $2,000 Essay Contest”) at either uncertainupdates.com or lesswrong.com containing a link to the publicly hosted essay.
Word count: Essays must be between 500 and 5,000 words, excluding footnotes, citations, and bibliography.
Originality: Essays must be the entrant’s own original work created for this Contest. Essays previously published before the announcement of this Contest are not eligible. Posting the essay on the entrant’s own blog or similar platform as part of the submission process is permitted and expected.
Version judged: The version of the essay publicly available at the URL provided at the time of the Submission Deadline is the version that will be judged. Entrants should not substantively revise the essay after the Submission Deadline.
AI-assisted writing: Use of AI tools in the drafting, editing, or composition of entries is permitted without restriction. Disclosure of AI use is not required but is welcomed.
One entry per person. Co-authored entries are not accepted.
No entry fee. Submission is free.
5. Prizes
Grand Prize (1): US$1,000
Runners-Up (2): US$500 each
Total prize pool: US$2,000.
Prizes will be paid in US dollars via the winner’s choice of Venmo, Zelle, personal check (US winners), or international wire transfer (non-US winners). Any transfer fees charged by the winner’s bank or service are the winner’s responsibility.
The Sponsor reserves the right not to award any or all prizes if, in the Sponsor’s sole judgment, an insufficient number of qualifying entries of adequate quality are received.
Prizes are not transferable. No substitution of prizes except by the Sponsor, who reserves the right to substitute a prize of equal or greater value if the advertised prize becomes unavailable.
6. Taxes
Prizes are taxable income. Winners are solely responsible for all applicable federal, state, local, and foreign taxes, and for reporting prize winnings to the relevant tax authorities. US winners may be required to provide a completed IRS Form W-9 before receiving payment; non-US winners may be required to provide a completed IRS Form W-8BEN. Failure to provide required tax documentation within 14 days of request may result in forfeiture of the prize.
7. Judging
The Sponsor will serve as the sole judge of the Contest. The Sponsor may consider factors including but not limited to: quality of thinking, originality, clarity of writing, depth of engagement with the book’s ideas, and whatever else the Sponsor finds compelling or interesting. Judging is at the Sponsor’s sole and absolute discretion. The Sponsor may, but is not required to, share additional guidance about what the Sponsor is looking for during the Contest Period; any such guidance is informational only and does not bind the Sponsor.
The Sponsor’s decisions are final and binding in all respects.
8. Winner Notification
Winners will be notified by reply to their submission comment and/or by contact information they provide. Winners must respond with payment information (and tax documentation, if requested) within 14 days of notification. Failure to respond within 14 days may result in forfeiture of the prize, in which case the Sponsor may select an alternate winner or elect not to award that prize.
Winners’ names (as provided by the entrant) and links to winning essays will be announced publicly on the Sponsor’s website, blog, and social media.
9. Rights in Submitted Essays
Entrants retain all rights to their essays. By entering, each entrant grants the Sponsor a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to:
Quote excerpts from the essay (with attribution to the entrant) in promotional materials for the book Fundamental Uncertainty, including on the Sponsor’s website, blog, social media, and similar channels; and
Link to the publicly hosted essay, such as from the Sponsor’s website, blog, or social media.
This license does not give the Sponsor the right to republish the essay in full or to use the essay for any purpose other than promotion of the book and announcement of Contest results.
10. Disqualification
The Sponsor reserves the right to disqualify any entry, at the Sponsor’s sole discretion, including but not limited to entries that: fail to meet the requirements in Section 4; contain plagiarized material; violate the rights of any third party; are illegal, harmful, or abusive; or are submitted in bad faith. The Sponsor may also reject any entry for any other reason the Sponsor deems appropriate.
11. General Conditions
By entering, each entrant agrees to be bound by these Official Rules and by the decisions of the Sponsor, which are final and binding in all matters relating to the Contest.
Limitation of liability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, the Sponsor is not responsible for: technical failures; lost, late, or misdirected entries; inability to access the submission post; or any injury, loss, or damage of any kind arising from participation in the Contest or acceptance of a prize. By accepting a prize, winners agree to release the Sponsor from any and all liability related to the Contest or the prize.
Governing law. This Contest is governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to its conflict-of-laws principles. Any dispute arising out of or relating to the Contest shall be resolved in the state or federal courts located in San Francisco, California.
Severability. If any provision of these Official Rules is held to be invalid or unenforceable, the remaining provisions will remain in full force and effect.
Modification or termination. The Sponsor reserves the right to modify, suspend, or terminate the Contest at any time for any reason, including but not limited to circumstances that corrupt or affect the administration, security, fairness, integrity, or proper conduct of the Contest. Any material changes will be communicated by updating these Official Rules at the URL where they are published.
Privacy. The Sponsor will use information provided by entrants only for the purposes of administering the Contest and announcing results. The Sponsor will not sell or share entrant information with third parties except as required by law.
Void where prohibited.