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  • HI-5 Grand Challenge -> Overview

    ​US$6,000,000 profit share prizes.​
    ​A Future Worth Building.

    This is an invitation to students, indie teams, and creative rebels to build the world’s first Humane Intelligence™.
    Challenge launches February 2026 -> Register now!
    Join the Rebellion against Average

    Create. Code. Own the future.

The design is done. 
​Now it’s time to build it.

AI is at a crossroads. 
​
One path leads to centralised control. Trillion-dollar black boxes built on extracted data and closed decisions. 
​
The other path leads here.


mypaloma™ is a Humane Intelligence™ designed by the people, for the people.


But a shift this fundamental can’t come from a single company.


It must be built from the ground up, by a global collective.


That means you.


How it works

Your Path to earning US$1,000,000. And more.

STEP 1
Choose your category

Choose one or more challenge categories (yes, you can participate in multiple categories!), where you want to make your mark: 

Storyteller, Simulation, Protocol, Mobile or Desktop Apps. 

See more info on categories →

STEP 2
Register and join the HI-5 challenge

Sign up on Discord in the official HI-5 Challenge Hub.

 You can enter as an individual to find a team, or register your own team of 3+ people. 

Participation is open to students, independent creators or developers, and small businesses of up to 10 employees.

Sign up on Discourse →

STEP 3
Build, submit, and earn your stake

Film, design or develop your solution for the category you’ve chosen. When it’s ready, you submit it for judging.

If your team wins a category, you secure a US$1,000,000 profit-sharing agreement with mypaloma™, while keeping 100% ownership of your intellectual property.

Sign up on Discourse →

And here’s the twist: you can fund your community, too.

Does your community need a new skate park or playground?
Would you love an addition to your local school or university? 
Or do your local health services need an upgrade?

Not only can you earn a profit-share prize for yourself, your team can also unlock a Community Bounty of up to US$1,000,000 for a nominated Community Project.

Rally the troops and get your community involved.
->Read more in the Terms and Conditions


Six categories. Six pillars of a new ecosystem.

Each category rewards purpose, imagination, and engineering excellence with US$1 million profit-share prize.

1. Storyteller

Capture the human drama by embedding in dev teams. Show the world how the future is built.

Find out more

4. Mobile Apps

Create user-first accessible mobile gateways to Humane Intelligence™


Find out more

2. Simulation 

Visualize the swarm: a living network of decentralized intelligence. 


Find out more

5. Desktop Apps

Design powerful, multi-modal interfaces for the ‘beefier’ AI tasks.


Find out more

3. Protocol

Build the secure, high-performance nervous system of mypaloma.

Find out more

6. Bonus Category

For game-changers: US$200,000 awards for demonstrated excellence in collaboration and innovation

Find out more

If you’ve ever wanted to prove that small teams can out-think empires: The stage is YOURS.

Dive Deeper & Join the Challenge

The Drumbeat: How the Movement Unfolds

PHASE 1
January 2026. Registrations open, global teams unite
PHASE 2
February 2026. 
​Challenge specifications are released, prototypes emerge.
PHASE 3
The Merger Twist: 
​Are we friends or foes?
PHASE 4
May, June, July & October 2026. The Global Showcase, live judging, spotlight.
PHASE 5
 November 2026. 
​The Finale and global Launch: mypaloma goes public.

Each phase amplifies the next, a movement growing in real time.

Duration: An 10-month global initiative (February 2026 – November 2026). 


Visual timeline →

After the Challenge Everyone Wins

When the lights go down, nobody walks away empty-handed.

The HI-5 Grand Challenge is built on an open-source foundation, a system where transparency, 

collaboration, and trust are part of the architecture.

Every team leaves with 100% ownership of their IP and the chance to shape the foundation of 

Humane Intelligence™ through open source.

Your code stays yours — your impact becomes part of something bigger.

Every line of code. Every story you tell, moves the movement forward.

The movement doesn’t just reward builders: it can also return value to real communities.


Start Building Your Legacy

Sponsors & Contributors: join the movement, fund the future 


The HI-5 Grand Challenge isn’t powered by venture capital - it's powered by conviction.

We’re inviting mission-aligned individuals, organisaions and brands to stand with us and back an intelligence that respects people, culture, and our planet. 

If your brand believes technology should enhance people humanity, this is your invitation.

Let’s rewrite what corporate responsibility looks like.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I register and does it cost anything?

There is no formal registration process. And moreover: participation is free of charge.

Joining the mypaloma community acts as your registration and entry point into the HI-5 Grand Challenge.

Here’s how it works:

  • Sign up to the official community/forum

  • Connect with other participants and teams

  • Begin building and collaborating

Teams are formally vetted only when submitting their work for the semi-finals.

It is your responsibility to:

This approach keeps the challenge open, inclusive, and community-driven.

How do I register and does it cost anything?

There is no formal registration process. And moreover: participation is free of charge.

Joining the mypaloma community acts as your registration and entry point into the HI-5 Grand Challenge.

Here’s how it works:

  • Sign up to the official community/forum

  • Connect with other participants and teams

  • Begin building and collaborating

Teams are formally vetted only when submitting their work for the semi-finals.

It is your responsibility to:

This approach keeps the challenge open, inclusive, and community-driven.

Why is this challenge different from other AI competitions?

Because it:

  • Rewards collaboration, not secrecy

  • Values human story as much as technical output

  • Preserves participant ownership

  • Is building a living ecosystem, not a demo

You’re not just competing — you’re helping shape a new model for building technology.

Is there a minimum age to participate?

No, there is no minimum age requirement.

However, if you are under 18 years of age:

  • You must have explicit consent from a parent or legal guardian

  • You must be accompanied by a parent or guardian at all times during the challenge 

This ensures a safe, supportive, and responsible environment for younger participants.

Is this a hackathon?

No. The HI-5 Grand Challenge is:

  • Longer-form

  • More collaborative

  • Focused on real-world systems

  • Designed to reward sustainability, not speed alone

Think global co-creation, not a weekend sprint.

I’m a developer. Do I need to design everything from scratch?

No. You’re not expected to build everything alone or reinvent the wheel.

The HI-5 Challenge rewards:

  • Smart architecture

  • Clean integration

  • Thoughtful design choices

You can:

  • Use existing open-source tools and libraries

  • Collaborate with other teams (especially for the protocol and storytellers)

  • Focus on one strong category rather than everything

What matters most is how your solution fits the Humane Intelligence principles, not how much code you personally write.

Can I use AI tools while building?

Yes. AI is allowed and expected.

However:

  • You remain responsible for understanding and validating your system

  • Shallow or copy-pasted AI output will be obvious to judges

  • Thoughtful use of AI as an accelerator is encouraged

The challenge rewards human judgment and AI leverage, not blind automation.

Do I need to understand all the theory behind Humane Intelligence?

No. But you should understand the part you’re building.

You don’t need to master the full philosophy on day one.
What judges look for is:

  • Clear reasoning behind your design choices

  • Alignment with decentralisation, plurality, and human value

  • Evidence you understand why your solution works

I’m a creative. How can I take part in the HI-5 Grand Challenge?

Creatives are essential, not optional.

You can participate by:

  • Joining or forming a Storyteller (Marketing & Broadcast) team

  • Partnering with technical teams to document their journey

  • Producing video, social content, writing, design, animation, or strategy

There is a $1,000,000 prize pool specifically for storytelling and human narrative.

If you can explain complex ideas simply, emotionally, or visually: you belong here.

Do I need to know anything about AI or coding to join?

No.

Your role is to:

  • Capture the human story

  • Make the journey understandable and compelling

  • Help the public and judges feel what’s being built

Some of the strongest teams pair developers with creatives early on. You'll learn more as you go...

How do I find or join a team?

The good news is: you can start looking for a team or build your team starting NOW.

All you need to do, is sign up to Discourse(our mypaloma Forum). 

  • All teams appear in the Collaboration Hub

  • You can browse teams by category, skills, and needs

  • You can reach out directly to your local network, schools, universities or talent boards and propose collaboration or joining

Many teams form after the HI-5 Grand Challenge launches, not before. That’s expected. More time is an advantage... Beat the rush and get started early!

Can I be part of multiple teams?

No. Each person can be a member of one team only for the HI-5 Grand Challenge. 


This ensures fairness, clear collaboration, and shared ownership of submissions.

Can my team join multiple categories?

Yes. Your team can:

  • Compete in more than one category

  • Build one solution that spans multiple categories

  • Collaborate across teams and categories

Just remember:

  • Each category has its own judging criteria

  • Focus and execution matter more than breadth

When does the HI-5 Grand Challenge start?

The Challenge launches in early 2026, with categories opening in stages:

  • Simulation & Storyteller first (February 2026)

  • Mobile, Desktop, and Protocol shortly after (March 2026)

Exact dates are published in the HI-5 Grand Challenge Terms & Conditions and announced publicly.

How long does the challenge run?

The full challenge runs for approximately 10 months, from:

  • Registration → Building → Judging → Public release

Each category has:

  • A defined build window

  • A submission deadline

  • A shortlisting phase

  • A finalist showcase

You don’t need to be active for the entire 10 months unless you choose to be.

Who owns the intellectual property (IP)?

You do. Always.

  • Teams retain 100% ownership of their code and creations

  • All submissions use a Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-SA) licence during the challenge

  • mypaloma™ does not take ownership of your work

This is core to the project’s ethics.

If I don’t win my category, can I still use my app or project?

Yes, absolutely. If you don’t win:

  • You still own your IP

  • You can continue developing your app independently

  • You can deploy it outside the mypaloma ecosystem

If you do want to integrate with mypaloma later:

  • You can partner with mypaloma under clear, opt-in commercial terms

Losing a category does not mean losing your work.

If I win, am I giving my work away?

No. Winning teams:

  • Retain ownership of their IP

  • Receive long-term profit-share rewards

  • Collaborate on integration into the mypaloma ecosystem

The model is positive-sum, not extractive.

How do we nominate a Community Project?

No. It depends on how much the crowdfunding campaign raises above the mypaloma organisational amount, and whether the Community Project/Beneficiary meet the requirements.

Example: your team nominates a local school or charity, rallies the community around it, and shares your Storyteller tracking link in the lead-up to the campaign. If the campaign exceeds the mypaloma organisational amount, surplus funds flow into the Community Bounty (up to US$1,000,000 per winning Community Project).

Is the Community Bounty guaranteed?

No. The Community Bounty depends on how much the crowdfunding raises and whether the requirements are met.

Is the Community Bounty part of the prize pool?

No. Community Bounties are separate from prizes and are handled under their own rules. See T&Cs.

The only thing scarier than AI, is AI without you.

Join the Challenge. Shape the Future.

The countdown has started and the teams are already forming.

Registration is free but the impact is priceless.

Join the HI-5 Grand Challenge