The Human Rights Foundation (HRF) has created an award to honor the people who have contributed the most to the development of Bitcoin.
The first to be honored with this award is Hal Finney, who left a significant mark on the Bitcoin ecosystem. Finney was a prominent computer scientist and cryptographer, who contributed significantly to digital privacy and identity protection and was a pioneer of Bitcoin adoption, being the first person after Satoshi Nakamoto to run the cryptocurrency software and blockchain network.
Finney passed away in August 2014 from ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis). However, his significant contribution to technology, cryptography and Bitcoin will be honored with the Finney Freedom Prize, established by the HRF Foundation with the approval of his wife, Fran Finney.
An award to honor Bitcoin's digital freedom, which will arrive with each halving
Through the Finney Freedom Prize, the Human Rights Foundation wishes to recognize the significant role played by Hal Finney and other prominent computer scientists and cryptographers in the development of the world's leading cryptocurrency.
According to the Foundation, a total of 34 BTC of its holdings have been set aside as part of this award, which consists of a physical recognition and the delivery of 1 BTC as a tribute.
The Foundation also explained that this award will be delivered with each Bitcoin halving, a scheduled event on the blockchain network that occurs approximately every 4 years. The last halving that Bitcoin has seen occurred recently, last April 20, at 02:10 am (UTC+2 – Spain), at network block height #840.000.
The first Finney Freedom Prize, which will be received by Hal’s wife Fran on his behalf, corresponds to the first halving era of the blockchain network, between 2009 and 2012. From now on, the second, third, and fourth prizes, corresponding to the second, third, and fourth Bitcoin halvings, will be announced every January 10th, a date also commemorated in the crypto community in Hal’s memory. On this day in 2009, Hal wrote on his X (formerly Twitter) account that he was running the Bitcoin protocol.
The remaining Finney Freedom Prizes will be announced with each new Bitcoin halving, an event that will happen 30 more times on the blockchain, every 210.000 blocks mined. A Committee, called Genesis, made up of 7 members of the Bitcoin community, will be in charge of select those who will be awarded with the Finney Prize, based on their contributions to the network during the period of each Bitcoin halving.
Who was Hal Finney?
Hal Finney was an accomplished computer engineer who graduated from the California Institute of Technology. He contributed significantly to the development of Bitcoin from its inception, being the first person to run the blockchain protocol after its creator, Satoshi Nakamoto. Finney was also the first person to receive a Bitcoin transaction, exactly 10 BTC that were sent by Satoshi to test the network's operation, security, and utility. This first transaction It kicked off one of the greatest revolutions of our time, turning Bitcoin into what it is today, a decentralized global financial system that is used by millions of people around the world as a potential hedge against inflation and a long-term store of value.
As the Foundation notes, Finney was also a pioneer of digital privacy and electronic cash systems, which motivated him to take an interest in Bitcoin from its earliest days and to collaborate with Satoshi on improvements to the network.
“The award was created to honor Hal for his lifelong dedication to digital freedom and to recognize those who, like him, strive to help make Bitcoin a better tool for freedom,” the HRF Foundation wrote.
Continue reading: The 4th Bitcoin halving is here
