Submit your essay to the AI-Cybersecurity Essay Prize Competition by January 2, 2025.

The AI-Cybersecurity Essay Prize Competition

Announcing the AI-Cybersecurity Essay Prize Competition

Max Smeets • 4 November 2024

Munich Security Conference (MSC) and Binding Hook proudly announce the AI-Cybersecurity Essay Prize Competition, inviting experts to explore the impact of Artificial Intelligence on cybersecurity. This competition seeks insightful analyses on the implications for Europe and recommendations for policymakers, with an opportunity for winners to be recognized at an international forum

Competition visual created by Martin Rästa

Vision

At the heart of the AI-Cybersecurity Essay Prize Competition is our aim to deepen understanding of AI’s role in cybersecurity. As cyber threats rapidly evolve, AI is at the forefront, shaping the next generation of cyber defenses and bringing new challenges and opportunities.

This competition invites researchers in cybersecurity and AI to put forward their perspectives on this crucial issue. A particular emphasis is placed on understanding the consequences for Europe, urging participants to delve into how these technological shifts affect European security and policy.

Winners will not only receive a monetary reward but also have their work published on Binding Hook, and be celebrated at the 2025 Munich Security Conference (February 14-16, 2025).

Essay Question

“How will Artificial Intelligence change cybersecurity, and what are the implications for Europe? Discuss potential strategies that policymakers can adopt to navigate these changes.”

Review Board

The review board is co-chaired by Kersti Kaljulaid, former President of the Republic of Estonia, and Shashank Joshi, Defence Editor at The Economist. It also includes the following experts: Heather Adkins, VP, Security Engineering & Head of Office of Cybersecurity Resilience at Google; Klaus Hommels, founder of Lakestar and Chair of the Board of Directors of the NATO Innovation Fund; Mikko Hyppönen, a security and privacy expert; Maria Markstedter, founder of Azeria Labs; Eva Maydell, Member of the European Parliament; and Max Smeets, Co-Director of ECCRI and Managing Editor of Binding Hook.

Awards

The prizes for the top essays are as follows:

1st Place: €10,000
Runner-Up: €5,000
3rd Place: €2,500
4th-5th Places: €1,000

The author of the winning essay will be invited to attend the 2025 Munich Security Conference (February 14-16, 2025), where they will be honored at the award ceremony. This presents a unique opportunity to stand in the global spotlight, engaging with leaders and innovators from various sectors and sharing insights on the pivotal role of AI in shaping the future of cybersecurity.

Submission Deadline

The deadline for essay submissions is 2 January 2025, 00:00 am CET. Read more about the competition and submit your essay here.

Max Smeets

Terms and Conditions for the AI-Cybersecurity Essay Prize Competition

Introduction

The AI-Cybersecurity Essay Prize Competition (the “Competition”) is organized by Virtual Routes (“Virtual Routes”) in partnership with the Munich Security Conference (“MSC”). It is sponsored by Google (the “Sponsor”). By entering the Competition, participants agree to these Terms and Conditions (T&Cs).

Eligibility

The Competition is open to individuals worldwide who are experts in the fields of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence (“AI”). Participants must ensure that their participation complies with local laws and regulations.

Submission Guidelines

Essays must address the question: “How will Artificial Intelligence change cybersecurity, and what are the implications for Europe? Discuss potential strategies that policymakers can adopt to navigate these changes.”

Submissions must be original, unpublished works between 800-1200 words, excluding footnotes but including hyperlinks for references.

Essays must be submitted by 2 January 2025, 00:00 am CET., through the official submission portal provided by Virtual Routes.

Only single-authored essays are accepted. Co-authored submissions will not be considered.

Participants are responsible for ensuring their submissions do not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of third parties.

Judging and Awards

Essays will be judged based on insightfulness, relevance, originality, clarity, and evidence by a review board comprising distinguished figures from academia, industry, and government.

The decision of the review board is final and binding in all matters related to the Competition.

Prizes are as follows: 1st Place: €10,000; Runner-Up: €5,000; 3rd Place: €2,500; 4th-5th Places: €1,000 each. The winner will also be invited to attend The Munich Security Conference

Intellectual Property Rights

The author retains ownership of the submitted essay.

By submitting the essay, the author grants Virtual Routes exclusive, royalty-free rights to use, reproduce, publish, distribute, and display the essay for purposes related to the Competition, including but not limited to educational, promotional, and research-related activities.

The author represents, warrants, and agrees that no essay submitted as part of the essay prize competition violates or infringes upon the rights of any third party, including copyright, trademark, privacy, publicity, or other personal or proprietary rights, breaches, or conflicts with any obligation, such as a confidentiality obligation, or contains libellous, defamatory, or otherwise unlawful material.

The author agrees that the organizers can use your name (or your pseudonym) and an image of you in association with your essay for purposes of publicity, promotion and any other activity related to the exercise of its rights under these Terms.

The organizers may remove any essay-related content from its platforms at any time and without explanation.

The organizers may block contributions from particular email or IP addresses without notice or explanation.

The organizers may enable advertising on its platforms and associated social media accounts, including in connection with the display of your essay. The organizers may also use your Material to promote its products and services.

The organizers may, at its sole discretion, categorise Material, whether by means of ranking according to popularity or by any other criteria.

Data Protection

Personal information collected in connection with the Competition will be processed in accordance with Virtual Routes’ Privacy Policy. Participants agree to the collection, processing, and storage of their personal data for the purposes of the Competition.

Liability and Indemnity

Virtual Routes, MSC, and the Sponsor will not be liable for any damages arising from participation in the Competition, except where prohibited by law.

Participants agree to indemnify Virtual Routes, MSC, and the Sponsor against any claims, damages, or losses resulting from a breach of these T&Cs.

General Conditions

Virtual Routes reserves the right to cancel, suspend, or modify the Competition or these T&Cs if fraud, technical failures, or any other factor beyond Virtual Routes’ reasonable control impairs the integrity or proper functioning of the Competition, as determined by Virtual Routes in its sole discretion.

Any attempt by any person to deliberately undermine the legitimate operation of the Competition may be a violation of criminal and civil law, and, should such an attempt be made, Virtual Routes reserves the right to seek damages from any such person to the fullest extent permitted by law.

Governing Law

These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of the United Kingdom, without regard to its conflict of law principles. Any dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms and Conditions, including any question regarding its existence, validity, or termination, shall be referred to and finally resolved by the courts of the United Kingdom. The participants agree to submit to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts located in the United Kingdom for the resolution of all disputes arising from or related to these Terms and Conditions or the Competition.