Thousands of people worldwide already identify as transhumanists, but still might not know how they can contribute to building a better future with technology. That’s why we’re announcing the Humanity+ Aubrey de Grey Advocacy Prize, which will be awarded this summer to whoever can refer the largest number of new Full, Plus and Sponsor Members before July 1st. The Advocacy Prize includes:

- Lunch with Humanity+ Advisor Aubrey de Grey, a leading advocate for anti-aging research
- A free pass to any 2011-2012 Humanity+ conference, including the first-ever transhumanist conference in East Asia, this fall in Hong Kong
- Free Humanity+ Plus Membership for a year
- A free Humanity+ T-Shirt and mug
- A free transhumanist book of the winner’s choice, along with a copy of Aubrey’s book Ending Aging
- A page listing the winner’s name and biography on the Humanity+ website at humanityplus.org
- A personalized, engraved Lucite trophy

You can apply to win the Advocacy Prize today by emailing us at info@humanityplus.org, or by filling out this easy form. We’ll send you free tips on how you can market effectively, tell people about transhumanism and compete for the Prize. Apply today!

Why Join Humanity+?

With the power of technology, humanity has come a long way in the last five hundred years. In the future, we can do even more: make ourselves younger, smarter, and happier, and solve age-old problems like disease, poverty, and death that have vexed us ever since the dawn of civilization. However, we can’t accomplish something this ambitious alone. By joining Humanity+, you show your support for a world where we do not shun new technologies – like those who opposed the use of anaesthesia in surgery – but use them and develop them in an ethical way, to improve our lives and enhance our brains and bodies.

There are many benefits to membership in Humanity+. As a member, you become part of a community of transhumanist thinkers that includes some of the most revolutionary minds of the last twenty years, such as Aubrey de Grey, Max More, Patri Friedman and James Hughes. To encourage discussion among this community, we have created a Humanity+ members-only mailing list at http://groups.google.com/group/humanityplus-members.

Humanity+ is a democratically run organization, and the Humanity+ membership has ultimate decision-making power, since they elect the Board of Directors. Those who are interested can also take advantage of their Membership by running for a Board seat. Our next Board election is scheduled for January of 2012; to register to vote, members can go to http://groups.yahoo.com/group/humanityplusvote/ and click “Join This Group!”.

We at Humanity+ also try to support and encourage the development of local transhumanist communities. Once you join Humanity+, we will be able to put you in contact with the transhumanists and Humanity+ chapters in your local area, as well as inform you about conferences or other events nearby. We sometimes arrange for Humanity+ members in a certain area to get discounts to events; if a Humanity+ chapter, affiliate or other transhumanism-related group is holding an event you’d like to attend, just ask us at info@humanityplus.org.

Most importantly, joining Humanity+ will show the world that there are lots of people who think that we can do better, that the current world is not the best that we can do, that there is room for improvement and that many human problems are solvable. Join now to show your support.

What Do My Membership Dollars Support?

It’s been an exciting year for us at Humanity+. Our December conference at Caltech was a big success, and was mentioned in a TIME Magazine cover story. Our May conference at Parsons will feature luminaries like public relations pioneer Howard Bloom and digital artist Scott Draves. We’ve gotten lots of cool new people on board, and are now hosting the Gada Prize, a $20,000 prize for better 3D printing technology. Ben Goertzel, our Chairman, also presented at Peter Thiel’s Breakthrough Philanthropy event- the world’s premier gathering for radical, technology-based charity to improve the human condition.

However, all of these things cost money – for web hosting, for travel, for food, for fees and taxes and prize funds. As a nonprofit, we recognize that without our donors and members, none of these things could have happened. We have some amazing people on the Humanity+ team, but at the end of the day, things can’t get done without the funding to support them. By joining Humanity+, you help provide critical funds to support projects like H+ Magazine, Humanity+ conferences, the Humanity+ newsletter and H+ Press. The more people join, the closer we also get to launching these four, revolutionary new projects:

- Development of a new, open-source DNA synthesis machine. Current synthesis machines cost tens of thousands of dollars, and each gene then costs about $300 per thousand base pairs. By using new technology to design a more efficient synthesizer, and then putting the blueprints online, we will allow anyone to test new ideas in genetics and biology for less than a tenth of the current cost.

- New computer vision software for the OpenCog AI architecture. This software will allow OpenCog AI to control and experiment with physical, real-world robots, in addition to virtual characters.

- A Humanity+ conference in Hong Kong this November. This will be the first-ever transhumanist conference in East Asia, and will help bring ideas which have primarily been developed by Western thinkers to over two billion people.

- A high-quality, professional overhaul of the Humanity+ website. An organization’s website is the face it presents to the world, and a better website will enable us to get more support for transhumanism and the power of technological progress.

To support Humanity+ financially, join today as a Plus or Sponsor member. In addition to the benefits of Full Membership above, you’ll receive a free transhumanist book of your choice, as well as heavily discounted or free tickets to all Humanity+ events. If you are interested in giving Humanity+ a one-time donation, contact Humanity+ Executive Director Tom McCabe at thomas@humanityplus.org; all donations are 100% tax-deductible. We personally thank you for your contributions to the transhumanist cause, and hope that we can move forward together in ensuring a bright future for humanity.

If you have any ideas about how to get the block lifted please note them in comments.