Movember has launched a non-fungible token (NFT) collection, which the charity believes is the first that could help save lives through increased awareness of testicular cancer.
The charity has named the cryptocurrency token the non-fungible testicles. The NFT aims to raise awareness of the risks of testicular cancer.
Owners of the non-fungible testicles will be rewarded for checking on them, and the NFT will change depending on how often the owner does so.
There will be approximately 8,000 unique NFTs available, a Movember spokesperson told Civil Society News.
This is Movember's first NFT project. The NFT was designed by art company Mishka in collaboration with the creative agency MRM, and will be available to mint on the Solana blockchain from 26 April.
Younger men are most at risk
According to the NHS website, testicular cancer is unusual because younger men are more at risk.
Hence, Movember hopes its NFT will also raise awareness and encourage men to regularly check themselves for signs.
A Movember survey, conducted in 2019, found 62% of 18 to 34-year-old men did not know how to carry out a self-examination despite being the most at-risk age group.
'New, fun and innovative' way to reach donors
Dan Cooper, director of innovation at Movember, said: “The dynamic nature of NFTs and blockchain technology allows for new, fun and innovative ways to reach men and encourage behaviour change.
“Owners will be rewarded for checking their Non-Fungible Testicles, like you should do with your own. It’s the first NFT collection we know of that could save a life. It’s also a fun way to own a unique piece of artwork from our partners Mishka and join a unique community of like-minded collectors and NFT owners.”
When asked how much the charity hoped to raise from the NFT, Cooper said whilst proceeds from the NFT will go towards funding research, its main aim is to raise awareness of testicular cancer and encourage regular self-examinations.
Environmental impact
Earlier this year WWF faced backlash over creating NFTs due to the cryptocurrency's environmental impact. The tokens often require a lot of electricity to be produced.
With this in mind, Cooper from Movember said this was an important motivator for choosing the Solana network to host the NFT. He said Solana is “based on proof of stake and so there is no need for energy-intensive mining, meaning the network is extremely environmentally efficient”.
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