{{short description|United States award}}
The '''MIT Disobedience Award''', given by the MIT Media Lab at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was a $250,000 cash-prize award that recognized and honored the efforts of an individual or an organization whose ethical disobedience of authority resulted in a positive social impact.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.science.org/content/article/metoo-advocates-share-mit-disobedience-award|title=Scientists share MIT 'disobedience' award for #MeToo advocacy|last=Wadman|first=Meredith|date=2018-11-27|website=Science {{!}} AAAS|language=en|access-date=2019-12-12}}</ref> The award was active from May 2017 to September 2019,<ref>{{Cite web|title=Disobedience Award|url=https://www.media.mit.edu/groups/disobedience-award/overview/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200727030345/https://www.media.mit.edu/groups/disobedience-award/overview/|archive-date=2020-07-27|access-date=2020-08-11|website=MIT Media Lab|quote=Disobedience Award was active from May 2017 to September 2019.}}</ref> when it was cancelled after connections between the Media Lab and Jeffrey Epstein became public.<ref>{{Cite news|last1=Hsu|first1=Tiffany|last2=Tracy|first2=Marc|last3=Griffith|first3=Erin|date=2019-09-05|title=Jeffrey Epstein's Donations Create a Schism at M.I.T.'s Revered Media Lab|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/business/media/mit-media-lab-jeffrey-epstein-joichi-ito.html|url-status=live|access-date=2020-08-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629101436/https://www.nytimes.com/2019/09/05/business/media/mit-media-lab-jeffrey-epstein-joichi-ito.html|archive-date=2020-06-29|issn=0362-4331|quote=Mr. Epstein's contributions have already disrupted the lab's work. It will not hand out this year's Disobedience Award — a $250,000 prize that has recognized #MeToo activists and others "challenging the norms, rules or laws that sustain society's injustices" — as Mr. Ito focuses on "healing the Media Lab community," according to an email he sent that was reviewed by The Times.}}</ref>
The physical award was a glass orb, fabricated by MIT Media Lab professor Neri Oxman.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Salmon|first=Felix|date=2019-09-12|title=Exclusive: Reid Hoffman apologizes for role in Epstein-linked donations to MIT|language=en|work=Axios|url=https://www.axios.com/reid-hoffman-jeffrey-epstein-mit-donations-206d7254-e4dc-4079-9974-631fbe669b3d.html|url-status=dead|access-date=2020-08-11|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703153150/https://www.axios.com/reid-hoffman-jeffrey-epstein-mit-donations-206d7254-e4dc-4079-9974-631fbe669b3d.html|archive-date=2020-07-03}}</ref>
The Disobedience Award was an international award, and individuals and organizations from all disciplines and specialties, including science, medicine, human rights, politics, law, journalism, and technology, were eligible for nomination.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|title=Disobedience Award 2017: winners and finalists|url=https://www.media.mit.edu/posts/disobedience2017-winners-finalists/|access-date=2019-12-12|website=MIT Media Lab}}</ref>
== History == The Disobedience Award was created by former director of the MIT Media Lab Joi Ito and LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman in July 2016.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nypost.com/2017/03/15/mit-announces-250000-reward-for-disobedience/|title=MIT announces $250,000 reward for 'disobedience'|last=Tousignant|first=Lauren|date=2017-03-15|website=New York Post|language=en|access-date=2019-12-12}}</ref> In July 2017, the Media Lab presented the Disobedience Award to recipients Marc Edwards and Mona Hanna-Attisha to honor their efforts in exposing high levels of lead in the water supply of Flint, Michigan during the Flint Water Crisis.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.roanoke.com/news/education/tech-s-flint-water-professor-wins-mit-disobedience-award-plans/article_c14a92d2-8ffa-5772-860c-97ca11bc44fa.html|title=Tech's Flint water professor wins MIT disobedience award, plans to give away prize money|last=Korth|first=Robby|date=20 July 2017|website=Roanoke Times|language=en|access-date=2019-12-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.michigan.gov/documents/snyder/2016_Michigan_State_of_the_State_Transcript_511676_7.pdf|title=2016 Michigan State of the State Transcript|date=19 January 2016|website=State of Michigan|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191018095844/https://www.michigan.gov/documents/snyder/2016_Michigan_State_of_the_State_Transcript_511676_7.pdf|archive-date=18 October 2019}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/flint-water-crisis/2016/01/19/snyder-address-flint-water-shut-offs-tonight/78994522/|title=Snyder apologizes for Flint crisis, to release e-mails|last1=Egan|first1=Paul|date=19 January 2016|work=Detroit Free Press|last2=Gray|first2=Kathleen}}</ref> In 2018, the annual award was presented to the founder of the #MeToo movement, Tarana Burke, and to BethAnn McLaughlin and Sherry Marts;<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.asbmb.org/asbmbtoday/201809/Feature/Harassment/|title=Women in science take on sexual harassment|website=www.asbmb.org|access-date=2019-12-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://news.mit.edu/2018/media-lab-disobedience-award-winners-announced-1128|title=Tarana Burke, BethAnn McLaughlin, and Sherry Marts win 2018 Media Lab Disobedience Award|website=MIT News|date=28 November 2018 |access-date=2019-12-12}}</ref> who were recognized for activism in the #MeToo movement and the #MeTooSTEM movement, and for efforts in combating sexual harassment and misconduct in science and in academia.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.insider.com/ap-mit-and-linkedin-co-founder-award-metoo-leaders-2018-11|title=MIT and LinkedIn co-founder award MeToo leaders|website=Insider|access-date=2019-12-12}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.blackhistory.mit.edunode/724|title=MIT Media Lab Disobedience Award, 2018|website=MIT Black History|language=en|access-date=2019-12-12}}</ref>
In September 2019, one of the awards' jurors Anand Giridharadas resigned after news came out involving Ito's associations with Jeffrey Epstein.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Siemaszko|first=Corky|date=2019-09-06|title=MIT Media Lab hit with Twitter tirade by writer upset over Epstein ties|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/writer-does-twitter-takedown-mit-media-lab-taking-money-jeffrey-n1050821|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190906214641/https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/writer-does-twitter-takedown-mit-media-lab-taking-money-jeffrey-n1050821|archive-date=2019-09-06|access-date=2020-08-11|website=NBC News|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Rogers|first=Taylor Nicole|date=2019-09-08|title=LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman defended a former MIT official who accepted donations from Jeffrey Epstein|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/reid-hoffman-defended-mit-joi-ito-over-epstein-donations-2019-9|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703233112/https://www.businessinsider.com/reid-hoffman-defended-mit-joi-ito-over-epstein-donations-2019-9|archive-date=2020-07-03|access-date=2020-08-11|website=Business Insider}}</ref> MIT gave orbs similar to the glass orb that was part of the prize to both Epstein and Hoffman.<ref name=":1" />
== Recipients == {| class="wikitable" !Year ! width="250pt" |Name !Affiliation |- |2017 |Mona Hanna-Attisha and Marc Edwards<ref name=":0" /> |Hurley Medical Center's Pediatric Residency Program and Charles Lunsford Professor of Civil Engineering |- |2018 |Tarana Burke, BethAnn McLaughlin, and Sherry Marts<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://boston.cbslocal.com/2018/11/27/metoo-tarana-burke-mit-media-lab-disobedience-award/|title=#MeToo Leaders To Get MIT Disobedience Award|date=2018-11-27|website=CBS Boston|language=en-US|access-date=2019-12-12}}</ref> |#MeToo and #MeTooSTEM Movements |}
== References == <!-- Inline citations added to your article will automatically display here. See en.wikipedia.org/wiki/WP:REFB for instructions on how to add citations. --> {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{official|https://www.media.mit.edu/groups/disobedience-award/overview/}}
Category:American awards Category:Awards established in 2016 Category:2016 establishments in Massachusetts Category:MIT Media Lab Category:Awards disestablished in 2019 Category:2019 disestablishments in Massachusetts