The bounty proposal, an incentive prize program called the **Polkadot Pioneers Prize**, aims to structure a series of challenges created with the goal of propelling technical innovation on the Polkadot network. The first two of those challenges will be announced later this year and will cover categories including **zero-knowledge research** and **Polkadot infrastructure improvements**. The expectation is also for the bounty to provide the Polkadot ecosystem with an influx of new talent.

The incentive prize program will be structured as a set of [child bounties](https://github.com/paritytech/substrate/pull/10309) (to be included in the next runtime upgrade upon community approval), the details of which will be communicated in the second or third quarter of 2022 and will be decided by the general curator: to be elected by this Council. Due to the new design of the child bounties pallet, we can earmark funding now and announce the upcoming program, and then the elected curator can divide bounty payouts within the prize categories based on the sub-prizes and elect child bounty curators, which will be determined before the program launch. 

Please note this is the first stage for the bounty: if approved by the Council and after the bounty status is marked as active, the Council will elect a bounty curator -  the proposal includes a suggestion to Council for this role as well (a multisig composed by a group of community members). 

**Reasoning behind the idea, requested allocation, categories and further suggestions can be reviewed on [the Polkassembly post](https://polkadot.polkassembly.io/bounty/10)**. 

Councillors: please vote at your convenience!

 of the Polkadot Pioneers Prize Incentive Bounty Proposal:

1. A series of challenges aiming at propelling technical innovation on Polkadot, in categories like zero-knowledge research and Polkadot infrastructure improvements. 
2. Structured as a set of child bounties, with details to be communicated in the 2nd or 3rd quarter of 2022.
3. Funding to be earmarked now and then divided by a multisig composed by a group of community members, who will act as the general curator. 
4. Suggested to the Council to select a bounty curator.

#146 Bounty No. 10: Polkadot Pioneers Prize, an Incentive Prize Program