Peter Diamandis Launches $3.5M Contest for Optimistic Sci-Fi

For decades, Star Trek has inspired audiences with a hopeful vision of the future — one where humanity and technology work side by side to solve problems and explore new frontiers. Now, entrepreneur and futurist Peter Diamandis wants to bring that same spirit back to modern storytelling.

The founder of XPRIZE Foundation has launched a new $3.5 million “Future Vision XPRIZE” competition aimed at encouraging filmmakers to create optimistic science-fiction stories about the future. Diamandis says today’s sci-fi entertainment too often focuses on disaster and fear rather than possibility.

Diamandis credits his own career to watching Star Trek as a child. The show’s positive view of the future motivated him to pursue innovation and technology throughout his life.

“Star Trek showed a world where humans and technology collaborated,” Diamandis said in an interview. “That vision pushed me to try to build that future in the real world.”

Moving away from dystopian sci-fi

According to Diamandis, much of today’s science-fiction media paints a darker picture. Popular stories frequently revolve around dangerous technologies, rogue AI, or collapsing societies.

Shows like Black Mirror and films such as The Terminator and Ex Machina often explore dystopian scenarios where technology turns against humanity. While these narratives can be entertaining, Diamandis believes they shape how people imagine the future — often in a negative way.

“If the only future we see is dark and dangerous, why would anyone want to build it?” he said.

A contest to imagine a better tomorrow

To change that narrative, Diamandis teamed up with several well-known names in tech and media. Supporters of the new prize include Rod Roddenberry, the son of Gene Roddenberry, the creator of Star Trek. Other backers include Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce, investor Cathie Wood of ARK Invest, and partners from Google.

The competition will invite filmmakers to submit a three-minute trailer showing their vision of a positive technological future. Submissions open March 9 and close August 15, with winners announced on September 25.

Diamandis expects hundreds — possibly thousands — of entries. Many of them will be published on YouTube, where viewers can watch and comment.

A panel led by Range Media Partners will select several finalists, who will receive funding to create 10-minute short films.

The path to a feature film

From those finalists, one project will win the grand prize. The winner receives $2.5 million in production funding plus a $100,000 cash prize to help develop a full-length movie. The project will also be featured on Republic, a crowdfunding platform where creators can potentially raise $5 million to $10 million for production.

The contest is also supported by donors such as Ben Horowitz of Andreessen Horowitz, Jed McCaleb, co-founder of Ripple, and actor-producer Seth Green.

AI tools welcome — but humans must lead

Participants are encouraged to use modern creative tools, including AI models from companies like OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google. However, Diamandis has made one thing clear: fully AI-generated films won’t win.

“I don’t want an AI-generated script and an AI-generated film without the human element,” he said. “The humanity behind the story matters.”

The contest is also supported by the 100 ZEROS initiative, a partnership between Google and Range Media Partners that helps filmmakers create technology-focused stories using tools like Google’s Veo video model and Flow creation platform.

Reimagining the future

Diamandis hopes the contest will inspire creators — and audiences — to rethink what the future could look like. Instead of fear and uncertainty, he wants people to imagine a world where innovation solves big challenges.

In his view, storytelling plays a powerful role in shaping reality. If people can see a positive future on screen, they might be more motivated to build it.

Ultimately, Diamandis hopes the Future Vision XPRIZE becomes a recurring competition that sparks a wave of optimistic science-fiction — the kind that once inspired generations through Star Trek.

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