Tyson, Stephenson, Roddenberry to judge XPRIZE's $3.5M optimistic sci-fi short-film competition

XPRIZE has named astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson, novelist Neal Stephenson, Google's Mira Lane and Rod Roddenberry — son of Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry — as judges for the Future Vision XPRIZE, a short-film competition backed by Google and Range Media Partners with a $3.5 million prize pool. Filmmakers must submit three-minute optimistic visions by 15 August. The winner receives $2.5 million in production funding plus $100,000 cash. XPRIZE will name the winner at Moonshots Live on 25 September in Los Angeles. Per Variety, 14 August 2026.