X Prize Foundation

Background

The first XPRIZE – the Ansari XPRIZE – was inspired by the Orteig Prize , a $ 25,000 prize offered in 1919 by French hotelier Raymond Orteig for the first time between New York City and Paris. In 1927, underdog Charles Lindbergh won the prize in a modified single-engine Ryan aircraft called the Spirit of St. Louis . In total, nine teams spent $ 400,000 in pursuit of the Orteig Prize.

In 1996, entrepreneur Peter Diamandis offered a $ 10-million prize to the first privately financed team that could be built into two-month-old vehicles. The challenge, later titled the XPRIZE Ansari for Suborbital Spaceflight, motivated 26 teams from seven nations to invest more than $ 100 million in the purse of the $ 10 million purse. On October 4, 2004, the Ansari XPRIZE was won by Mojave Aerospace Ventures , who successfully completed the contest in their spacecraft SpaceShipOne . The prize was awarded at a Saint Louis Science Center in St. Louis, Missouri. ^[2] As of 2011, the Science Center launches numerous exhibits about the XPRIZE.

The foundation has also created the XPRIZE Cup rocket challenge competition.

XPRIZE unifying principles

XPRIZES are monetary rewards to incentivize three primary goals:

• Attract investment from outside the sector.
• Create significant results that are real and meaningful. Competitions have measurable goals, and are created to promote adoption of innovation.
• Cross national and disciplinary boundaries to encourage teams around the world to invest the intellectual and financial capital required to solve difficult challenges.

Other organizations such as the Nobel Prize committee award prizes and financial rewards to individuals or organizations that produce novel advances in science, medicine and technology. One difference between the two countries and other similar organizations is based on the objective of achieving objectives. For instance, the Archon Genomics XPRIZE target is to sequence 100 human genomes in 10 days or less, with less than one error per 100,000 DNA based pair, covering 98% of the genome and costing less than $ 10,000 per genome (note: this prize was canceled because it was outpaced by innovation).

The prize can increase attention to endeavors For example, recent Lunar Lander attempts have been made public in the media, increasing visibility of both the foundation and the participants.

With the Ansari XPRIZE, XPRIZE established a model in which offering a prize for achieving a specific goal can stimulate entrepreneurial investment. Since then, new challenges have expanded into a range of other fields. XPRIZE is developing new prizes in Space and Oceans, Life Sciences, Energy and Environment, Education and Global Development. Some hope the prizes will help improve lives, create new opportunities and stimulate new discoveries.

Prizes and events overseen

As of June 2016, there are six completed contests, seven active contests and one contest that has been canceled.

Past contests

1996-2004 Ansari XPRIZE for Suborbital Spaceflight

The Ansari XPRIZE for Suborbital Spaceflight was the first prize from the foundation. It successfully challenged teams to build private spaceships capable of carrying three people and fly two times in two weeks to open the space frontier. The first part of the Ansari XPRIZE requirements was fulfilled by Mike Melvill on September 29, 2004 On SpaceShipOne , a spacecraft designed by Burt Rutan and financed by Paul Allen , co-founder and former CEO of Microsoft. On that ship, Melvill broke the 100-kilometer (62.5 mi) mark, effectively recognized as the boundary of outer space , winning the prize. Brian Binnie Completed the second part of the requirements on October 4, 2004. As a result, US $ 10 million was awarded to the winner, but more than $ 100 million was invested in new technologies in pursuit of the prize. Today, Sir Richard Branson , Jeff Bezos and others are creating a personal spaceflight industry.

Awarding this first prize gives XPRIZE as much publicity as the winners themselves. Scalable Composites and XPRIZE Additional support for their expansion. Following these early successes are some of the many other challenges that have been addressed.

The Ansari XPRIZE won the Space Foundation’s Douglas S. Morrow Public Outreach Award in 2005. The award is made annually to an individual or organization that has made significant contributions to public awareness programs. ^[3]

2007-2010 Progressive Insurance Automotive XPRIZE

The goal of the Progressive Insurance Automotive XPRIZE was to design, build and race super-efficient vehicles that achieve 100 MPGe (2.35 liter / 100 kilometer) efficiency, produce less than 200 grams / mile well-to-wheel CO ₂equivalent emissions , and could be manufactured for the mass market. ^[4]

The winners of the competition were announced on September 16, 2010. ^[5]

• Team Edison2 won the $ 5 million Mainstream competition with its Four-Passenger Very Light Car , winning 102.5 MPGe running on E85 fuel.
• Team Li-Ion Motors won the $ 2.5 million Alternative Side-by-Side competition with their aerodynamic Wave-II electric vehicle achieving 187 MPGe.
• Team X-Tracer Switzerland wins the $ 2.5 million Alternative Tandem competition with their 205.3 MPGe faired electric motorcycle.

2010-2011 Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup XCHALLENGE

The Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup XCHALLENGE was introduced on July 29, 2010. The $ 1 million prize has a goal to inspire a new generation of innovative solutions that will speed the pace of cleaning other sources. The team of Elastec / American Marine won the challenge by developing a new technology. ^[6]

2006-2009 Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander XCHALLENGE

The Northrop Grumman Lunar Lander XCHALLENGE (NGLLXPC) was a competition (co-hosted by NASA) to build accurate, efficient small rocket systems. It was introduced in 2006 and awarded on November 5, 2009 in Washington DC to Masten Space Systems, led by David Masten, the top $ 1 million prize, while Armadillo Aerospace, led by id Founder John Carmack took home the second place prize of $ 500,000 , plus an additional $ 500,000 in 2008.

2012-2014 The Nokia Sensing XCHALLENGE

The Nokia Sensing XCHALLENGE goal is accelerating the use of sensors and sensing technology to tackle health care problems and finding ways for people to monitor and maintain their personal well-being. It will be composed of two distinct Challenges held in 2013 and 2014. Prize purses totaling $ 2.25 million will be awarded. It was announced in 2012 ^[7] and 12 finalists announced in 2013. ^[8] On 11 November 2014 the winner has been named. ^[9]

2013-2015 The Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE

The Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE is a $ 2 million competition to improve understanding of ocean acidification. ^[10] On 20 July 2015 the winners of the challenge have been announced. ^[11]

Canceled contests

2006-2013 Archon Genomics XPRIZE

The Archon Genomics XPRIZE, the second XPRIZE to be offered by the foundation, was announced October 4, 2006. The goal of the Archon Genomics XPRIZE was to greatly reduce the cost and increase the speed of human genome sequencing to create a new era of personalized Predictive and preventive medicine, eventually transforming medical care from reactive to proactive. The $ 10 million prize was awarded for the first time in the past. at least 98% of the genome, and at a recurring cost of no more than $ 1,000 per genome .

If more than one team is competing at the same time, then the team would have been ranked according to the time of completion. $ 7.5 million to the winner and $ 2.5 million to the second place team if two teams were successful, $ 7 million, $ 2 million and $ 1 million if three teams are successful.

Actual competitions have been made to take place with the opportunity to make an attempt, starting at the same time and the other teams. This article was last updated on August 5, 2013, which was canceled on August 22, 2013. The rationale for the change was articulated by the CEO: “Today, companies can do this for less than $ 5,000 We are here for the first time in the world, and we are moving quickly towards the goals for the prize, for this reason, we have decided to cancel XPRIZE for the first time ever. ” ^[12]

Active contests

2007 Google Lunar XPRIZE

The Google Lunar XPRIZE was introduced on September 13, 2007. The goal of the prize is similar to that of the Ansari XPRIZE, to inspire a new generation of private investment in space exploration and technology. The challenge calls for teams to compete in launching, landing, and operating a rover on the lunar surface . The prize awards $ 20 million to more than 500 meters and transmits high definition images and video. There is a $ 5 million second prize, plus $ 5 million in potential bonus rises long distances (greater than 5,000 meters) capturing images of man-made objects on the moon, or surviving a lunar night.

2008 Future XPRIZEs

XPRIZE has partnered with the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to develop a better tuberculosis diagnostic tool. Other potential prize ideas include preserving biodiversity, mapping the oceans, developing clean aviation fuels, energy storage, sustainable housing and carbon sequestration. ^[13]

2011 Tricorder XPRIZE

The Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE was announced on May 10, 2011, and is sponsored by Qualcomm Foundation. It was launched on January 10, 2012. ^[14] The $ 10 million prize is awarded for the creation of a mobile device that can “diagnose patients better than or equal to a panel of board certified physicians”. ^[15] The name is taken from the tricorder device in Star Trek which can be used to instantly diagnose ailments. ^[16]

2014 The Global Learning XPRIZE

The Global Learning XPRIZE, launched in September, 2014, is a $ 15-million prize to create mobile apps to improve reading, writing, and arithmetic in developing nations. Each application will be awarded during an 18-month period and will receive $ 1 million each, with each of the winning apps being made available under an open source license. The finalist that develops an app with that produces the highest performance wins will win a $ 10 million prize. ^[17]

2014 AI presented by TED XPRIZE

The AI ​​XPRIZE was announced as having an artificial intelligence system to deliver a compelling TED talk. Diamandis hopes to contrast the benevolent value of AI against the dystopian point of view that sometimes enter AI conversations. The winning team of the contest, which is scheduled for 2020, will be determined by the audience. ^[18]

2015 Shell Ocean Discovery XPRIZE

On December 14, 2015, Peter Diamandis, chairman and CEO of the X Prize, announced the launch of a new $ 7 million prize that will be a three-year global competition that challenges researchers to build better technologies for mapping Earth’s seafloor. ^[19]

2015 NRG Cosia Carbon XPRIZE

On 29 September 2015, Peter Diamandis, chairman and CEO of X Prize, a annoncé the launch of a $ 20 million prize for a 4.5-year competition is testing technologies qui converts CO ₂ into products with the net Highest value to Reduce Carbon dioxide emission of Either a coal or a natural gas power plant. ^[20]

2015 Adult Literacy XPRIZE

Find solutions how to improve literacy proficiency in a 12-month period. The challenge has been announced on 8 June 2015 and is awarded with $ 7 million by Barbara Bush Foundation for Family Literacy and the Dollar General Literacy Foundation. ^[21] The winners will be announced in January 2019. ^[22]

Xprize Foundation India

Considering the potential of Indian talent, the X Prize Foundation has set up a trust / NGO in Mumbai in November 2014. ^{[ citation needed ]}

Board of Trustees

The Foundation is run by a board of trustees, ^[23]

See also

• DARPA Grand Challenge
• Elevator: 2010
• Global Security Challenge
• H-Prize
• Inducement prize contest
• L Prize
• Methuselah prize
• Orteig Prize

References