The Nine Dots Prize has revealed the question it will pose as part of a global problem-solving competition, offering US$100,000 and a book deal with Cambridge University Press for the winning response to ‘Why has the rule of law become so fragile?’

The Prize will be judged by a Board of internationally recognised and distinguished academics, authors, journalists and thinkers and is chaired by Professor Simon Goldhill, Professor in Greek Literature and Culture and Fellow of King’s College, Cambridge, who said: “The Nine Dots Prize was founded to seek out inspired answers to the big issues of our times. The word ‘unprecedented’ is overused, but it does feel as if the years since our launch have been particularly full of dramatic events, challenges and changes across the globe. We always aim to set a question that reflects the world we’re living in currently but also has some longevity and looks to the future. We hope that this year’s question resonates with people all over the world and that, as a result, we see entries from more countries than ever before.” 

Last year’s winner, Trish Lorenz, responded to the question ‘What does it mean to be young in an ageing world?’ Her resulting book, Soro Soke: The Young Disruptors of an African Megacity, was praised by author Chibundu Onuzo, who said: “I wish this book existed when I was writing Welcome to Lagos. Trish Lorenz has done an excellent job of collating the hopes, dreams and frustrations of the young people of Lagos.”

“Winning the Nine Dots Prize is life changing,” said Trish Lorenz. “I’d been travelling and reporting out of sub-Saharan Africa for over a decade and was frustrated that in the global North, narratives around the continent and its young people are often one dimensional. The prize enabled me to research, write and publish a story that otherwise would not have been told. Winning also includes the experience of working at Cambridge University and with Cambridge University Press. Being exposed to the university’s world leading scholars, teachers and editors broadened my outlook on what it is possible to achieve. It has changed both how I work and the kinds of projects I’m considering for the future. The prize money is obviously incredible (and liberating) but it is the way the experience expands your horizons and capabilities – through the work involved in researching and delivering the book, the people you meet, the talks you attend and give – that I’ve found to be the biggest prize of all.”