The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) unveiled the Finney Freedom Prize on Bitcoin’s fourth halving day to celebrate the flagship crypto that is enabling greater financial freedom for the world.
The award aims to honor significant global achievements in Bitcoin and human rights and reflects Finney’s vision of using technology as a tool for liberation.
The inaugural Finney Freedom Prize was awarded posthumously to Hal Finney, in recognition of his pioneering work during Bitcoin’s first halving era from 2009 to 2012. Finney’s widow, Fran Finney, who accepted the prize on his behalf, chose to donate the prize to a charity and said:
“We believe this award will ensure Hal’s legacy continues and inspire future generations to explore and expand the use of Bitcoin as a tool for achieving personal and collective freedom.”
Finney, who succumbed to ALS in 2014, was a fierce advocate for civil liberties and a key figure in the early development of Bitcoin. He was the first person, after Bitcoin’s pseudonymous creator Satoshi Nakamoto, to operate the software and participate in Bitcoin transactions.
110 years of legacy
The Finney Freedom Prize will be awarded every four years on subsequent Bitcoin halving days, with a total of 28 prizes planned over the next 110 years. The initiative is supported by a 33 BTC fund established by HRF.
The laureates will be recognized for their contributions to Bitcoin and human rights within specific halving periods and will receive a cash prize of 1 Bitcoin (BTC), along with a physical award.
Nominations and selections for future laureates will be managed by the Genesis Committee, made up of notable figures from the Bitcoin community, including Farida Nabourema, Lisa Neigut, and Obi Nwosu, among others.
The committee will judge candidates based on their educational efforts about Bitcoin, contributions to its technology, promotion of decentralization, and efforts to improve Bitcoin accessibility, especially under oppressive regimes.
, allocating 1 BTC for each reward during the remaining halving events. Hal Finney’s Bitcoin will be donated to charity as directed by his widow, Fran Finney, who said: