So...What is the Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X CHALLENGE?

Some of you readers might be wondering...what exactly is the Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X CHALLENGE? Well, allow me to explain.


The Short Version:
1. 185 Million gallons of oil spilled in the Gulf.
2. The X PRIZE Foundation teamed up with Wendy Schmidt (who donated her own money), to create an X CHALLENGE, that would be awarded in 2011.
3. The X PRIZE Foundation is offering $1M to the team that can recover oil on the sea surface the fastest.


The Long Version:
The Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X CHALLENGE is a $1.4 Million competition designed to inspire a new generation of innovative solutions that will speed the pace of cleaning up seawater surface oil resulting from spillage from ocean platforms, tankers, and other sources.


This X CHALLENGE, announced on July 29, 2010, is a one-year competition that begins on August 1, 2010 and culminates in the summer of 2011, with head-to-head competitive demonstrations taking place at the National Oil Spill Response Research & Renewable Energy Test Facility (OHMSETT) in Leonardo, New Jersey, USA.

A $1 Million Prize will be awarded to the team that demonstrates the ability to recover oil on the sea surface at the highest oil recovery rate (ORR) and the highest Oil Recovery Efficiency (ORE).

The Even Longer Version:
For even more detailed information, check out the Competition Details.

So...now you know!

More soon,
Alex at X PRIZE Foundation