The “Disobedience Award” cash fund will be given to “a person or group engaged in” what the institution “believes is an extraordinary example of disobedience for the benefit of society.”
"You don't change the world by doing what you're told," the project’s
website quotes Joichi Ito, director of MIT's Media Lab.
"This idea came after a realization that there's a widespread frustration from people trying to figure out how can we effectively harness responsible, ethical disobedience aimed at challenging our norms, rules or laws to benefit society,” the website continues.
Applications for rule-breaking are accepted until May 1.
The outlandish offer is already receiving its share of ridicule from commentators such as Kim Dotcom, who tweeted on Thursday that he thought the prize should go straight to him.