Norm Hardy Prize – Foresight Institute Secure AI Prize

Engage / Prizes / Norm Hardy Prize 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 Prize
 
 
 
 

 
 Secure AI
 
 
 
 

 
 Norm Hardy Prize
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 Deadline
 

 
 
 31 July 2026
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 Apply for the 2026 prize
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 

 The Problem

 Our society depends on the reliability and resilience of our infrastructure, which in turn depends on security. Unfortunately, our current software infrastructure is not only insecure, it is insecurable. No user interface can make an insecure system secure. We understand how to build systems whose foundations are vastly more secure, but we are likely to need new interaction designs so that people can use these secure systems securely.

 The Prize

 The Norm Hardy Prize is a $10,000 annual award for work that helps users make wise decisions. The Prize will recognize work that meets at least one of these criteria:

 
 Helps users understand, preferably tacitly, the security aspects of what they do

 Introduces workflows that make the secure way to do something the easy way

 Develops design principles for systems that are as easy or easier to use because of their security

 Explores ‘theory of mind’ with respect to how users interact with secure systems

 

 The long term goal of the Norm Hardy Prize is a set of design principles and tools that encourage developers to create interaction designs that make it easy for people to use secure systems securely.

 Submissions

 To be eligible for the $10k prize, please submit work which discusses at least one of these four criteria:

 
 Actual implementation of a system

 User studies of novel system

 Theory of mind of the user

 Sets of principles for user interaction design

 

 Submissions must include a description of the work and how it contributes to the stated goals of the Prize. They may include links to working prototypes that the judges can evaluate. Wire frames for new affordances will be accepted, but working prototypes are preferred. User studies that only evaluate existing systems are not eligible for the Prize. Work that proposes metrics for usable security must demonstrate that it can differentiate systems based on the ability of users to make good choices. Work on how users build mental models of the systems they use must demonstrate that these models can be translated into guidance for developers.

 

 For questions about the prize, please reach out to: [email protected] 

 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
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 In what kind of architecture can the deputy use each permission only for the purpose it was given, without being led to use them for other purposes?

 

 
 
 Norm Hardy

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 Winners
 

 
 
 Dr. Emami-Naeini, Dr. Cranor, and Dr. Agarwal are awarded the 2025 Norm Hardy Prize for their research addressing the lack of consumer understanding regarding data management in smart home devices. Their research has led to the development of a layered, easy-to-read cybersecurity label that hig

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