List of $1MC type challenges & applications

[saizai]

James Randi Educational Foundation $1M Challenge
http://www.randi.org/research/index.html

Bonuses for JREF $1MC winners
$2000 http://www.magickalshadow.com/challenge.html
$2000 Jeff Corey jcorey@liunet.edu

$50k finder's fee from Randi (unverified)
http://www.mindspring.com/%7Eanson/randi-hotline/1998/0012.html

Qualified to run a JREF Preliminary Test

Center for Inquiry West / Independent Investigations Group $50k Challenge
http://iigwest.com/challenge.html

Not known to be qualified to run a JREF Preliminary Test

Australian Skeptics AUS$100k Challenge (+AUS$20k Spotter's fee)
http://www.skeptics.com.au/prizes/challenge.htm

North Texas Skeptics $12k Paranormal Challenge
http://www.ntskeptics.org/challenge/challenge.htm

Indian Skeptic Rs. 1 lakh (USD $2k) B. Premanand Challenge
http://www.indian-skeptic.org/html/rules.htm

Victor Zammit's $1M "Prove there is no afterlife" Challenge
http://www.victorzammit.com/skeptics/challenge.html

Science & Rationalist Association of India, Prabir Ghosh's Rs. 20 lakhs (USD $40k) Challenge
http://www.srai.org/sra.htm#challenge

Now defunct

UK Association for Sceptical Enquiry [SIZE=-1]£[/SIZE]12k (USD$24k) Psychic Challenge
http://www.aske.org.uk/challenge/

 

[Cuddles]

$50k finder's fee from Randi (unverified)
http://www.mindspring.com/%7Eanson/randi-hotline/1998/0012.html

This is not a seperate thing. If the fee does exist, it comes out of the million dollars. There was a thread here about it, although I can't find it at the moment.

Edit : Here. Specifically posts 5 and 18.
Edit2 : Hmm, on the other hand post 20 says Randi said it is in addition to the million. Seems there is some confusion on that point. In any case, it is not actually a seperate challenge, it simply changes exactly how much money goes to who if the MDC is actually won.

 

[Georg]

Qualified to run a JREF Preliminary Test:

http://www.gwup.org/

The german skeptic organisation, I think they already did pretests with dowsers.
As far as I know they do not offer their own price money.

 

[Michael C]

Tony Youens offers £5,000 in his challenge to psychics:

http://www.tonyyouens.com/challenge.htm

 

[walthrup48]

More recent list

ETA: Which isn't that recent given I haven't updated it in some time. I'll fix the bust links asap.

 

[walthrup48]

This is not a seperate thing. If the fee does exist, it comes out of the million dollars. There was a thread here about it, although I can't find it at the moment.

Edit : Here. Specifically posts 5 and 18.
Edit2 : Hmm, on the other hand post 20 says Randi said it is in addition to the million. Seems there is some confusion on that point. In any case, it is not actually a seperate challenge, it simply changes exactly how much money goes to who if the MDC is actually won.

I took the opportunity to email Randi again today regarding the finder's fee.
Me: "There still seems to be some confusion on the JREF forum over the finder's fee for the challenge. Can you please confirm whether or not the fee is taken from the million or is in addition to the million."
Randi: "Oh, come on! What difference can that make? A million is certainly enough to split several ways?"

A fair point on a trivial matter which in no way answers the question I asked.

 

[petre]

I took the opportunity to email Randi again today regarding the finder's fee.
Me: "There still seems to be some confusion on the JREF forum over the finder's fee for the challenge. Can you please confirm whether or not the fee is taken from the million or is in addition to the million."
Randi: "Oh, come on! What difference can that make? A million is certainly enough to split several ways?"

A fair point on a trivial matter which in no way answers the question I asked.

[RANDI-IRE FILTER]To whom would it really matter?[/RANDI-IRE FILTER]

That's a fairly stock answer to any question of the form "If someone won the challenge, [insert trivial matter here]". I suppose it's a bit like asking, "If you knew the world was going to end tomorrow, would you still brush your teeth?"

 

[Cuddles]

[RANDI-IRE FILTER]To whom would it really matter?[/RANDI-IRE FILTER]

That's a fairly stock answer to any question of the form "If someone won the challenge, [insert trivial matter here]". I suppose it's a bit like asking, "If you knew the world was going to end tomorrow, would you still brush your teeth?"

It doesn't matter as such, but answers like this really don't help Randi's reputation. It is a very simple question that should have a very simple answer, yet out of three people who have asked, two have had contradictory answers and one has just been told off for asking. The thing is, this isn't like questioning if the million is raelly there or how it will be paid, it is asking the exact amount that will paid and who it will go to. $50,000 might not be much next to the million, but it is still a significant amount and shouldn't be left in a contract as a big question mark. I can sympathise with his annoyance at people who question if the million is there, but on this issue it seems that he actually doesn't know how much he will pay out or who he will pay it to. Again, it is only a small issue that doesn't mean much on its own, but there have been far too many small issues that really start adding up. I respect Randi's work, but he is seeming more and more like just a grumpy old man rather than an inspiration for other skeptics.

 

[T'ai Chi]

Why would one even have the urge to take a test with someone known to be hostile to anamolous claims, no matter the possible prize money ?

 

[clerihew80]

Why would one even have the urge to take a test with someone known to be hostile to anamolous claims, no matter the possible prize money ?

Let me put it this way: Say a guy offered a million dollars to anyone who could prove that they could play the violin. Now say, for the sake of this argument, that the guy who offered the prize is considered to be the biggest dickhead in the world, is completely untrustworthy and unscrupulous, and had publicly castigated a number of applicants. Now, even after taking this into account, don't you think every violin-player in the world would STILL be camping outside of the guy's house, eager to take the test just in case it turned out to be legitimate?

 

[Bob Klase]

Let me put it this way: Say a guy offered a million dollars to anyone who could prove that they could play the violin. Now say, for the sake of this argument, that the guy who offered the prize is considered to be the biggest dickhead in the world, is completely untrustworthy and unscrupulous, and had publicly castigated a number of applicants. Now, even after taking this into account, don't you think every violin-player in the world would STILL be camping outside of the guy's house, eager to take the test just in case it turned out to be legitimate?

Now, imagine that every single guy camping outside the guy's house had no idea how to play a violin. And that 95% of them didn't even recognize a violin when they were handed one. And the guy offering the money gets a little hostile after wasting several years with not a single person showing up that can actually play a violin.

 

[Czarcasm]

Why would one even have the urge to take a test with someone known to be hostile to anamolous claims, no matter the possible prize money ?

For a million dollars, perhaps? You've made over 10,000 posts to this site since May of 2003, with perhaps hundreds of links, all for free. You could have accomplished much more and earned good money by either passing the Challenge or convincing someone else to pass it. You can't say it wouldn't be worth the effort because you've put much more effort into posting at this site than it could possibly take to take the Challenge route.

 

[GzuzKryzt]

Why would one even have the urge to take a test with someone known to be hostile to anamolous claims, no matter the possible prize money ?

Because one can do what one claims to be able to do?

 

[Georg]

Why would one even have the urge to take a test with someone known to be hostile to anamolous claims, no matter the possible prize money ?

Because it would be even more satisfying to prove it to a doubter than to someone who believes anyway?

 

[Klaymore]

Why would one even have the urge to take a test with someone known to be hostile to anamolous claims, no matter the possible prize money ?

For the exact same reason that one would sue a person for a million dollars if they had a claim worth said amount, and reasonably believed they could recover the money from the defendant.

Naturally, the defendant would be hostile as hell, most likely. Probably even more grouchy than Randi.

The main difference between the two situations is that lawsuits take, typically, years upon years to conclude (not counting appeals). Any successful applicant can have their money in much less time.

The reason people don't take the challenge isn't that Randi is such a dick. If that were enough to deter people, we wouldn't have lawsuits..

The reason people don't take the challenge isn't that they believe the money's not there. If that were enough to deter people, we wouldn't have lawsuits against defendants whom we believe not to have sufficient assets to pay a judgment.

The reason people don't take the challenge is because they don't have paranormal powers.

And the reason they whine about the money not being there, or about Randi being a dick, or about whatever else, is because they are great, big, fat pussies.