Everyone who submits an entry to the Competition through the submission form will be regarded as a Competition Entrant; however only those whose essays are deemed eligible and posted to the site will be regarded as "Essay Authors." Each eligible essay will be read and rated (scored between 1 and 10) by at least two Expert Readers (chosen by FQxI). FQxI Members and other Essay Authors will also have the ability to score essays. Essay Author Finalists will be those achieving the highest scores and/or those recommended by the Expert Readers. Essays can also be "liked" and commented on by the public.

For further clarity, see below for definitions of types of Competition participant:

• Competition Entrant: Anyone who enters the Competition by submitting an entry through the submission form.

• Essay Author: All Competition Entrants who receive a confirmation of eligibility from FQxI. Essay Authors have essays posted in the Competition. All Essay Authors will be anonymous, with names and bios withheld until the winners are announced.

• FQxI Members: Scientists and outreach specialists FQxI has invited to be Members. A current list of FQxI Members is available here.

• Expert Reader: Two or more people, selected by FQxI, to read and rate eligible essays. This review will happen during the general voting period to ensure all essays are read. Expert Readers provide FQxI with more than one fair assessment of each essay in case of any rating fraud.

• Competition Evaluator: This includes Essay Authors, FQxI Members, and Expert Readers. These three groups can rate essays on a scale of 1 to 10 during the general voting period ending December 1, 2025, at 10 AM US Eastern Time.

• Public Reader: Anyone who is not a Competition Evaluator. Public Readers can comment on (when logged in) and rate essays by clicking the thumb icon to "Like" an essay.

• Essay Author Finalist: This includes Essay Authors with the top Competition Evaluator scores, and Expert Readers' recommendations. These groups are only eligible to be Essay Author Finalists if they have, at a minimum, rated the three essays assigned upon confirmation of eligibility.

• Expert Judge: This panel evaluates Essay Author Finalists between December 2 and January 9, 2026, after the general voting period ends. They will meet after this period to review and select the Prize Winners based on the Evaluation Criteria shared on the Competition Rules page.