$100M Prize For Carbon Removal

Phase

Active

Frequently Asked Questions

    • Registration officially opened on April 22, 2021.

    • Registration for the Grand Prize will close September 7, 2023 18:59:59 UTC

    • Competing in an XPRIZE is an exciting journey that often requires a commitment of time, expertise, and resources. A small fee helps separate out teams who are not serious. All fees collected are used to support the XPRIZE Alumni Network.

      1. Create your free individual account profile on the XPRIZE Prize Operations Platform (POP)
      2. Create your team on POP
      3. Complete Extended Registration & Fee Payment under the Activities tab
      4. Sign the Competitor Agreement under the Activities tab

    • The XPRIZE Prize Operations Platform (POP) is the central portal for competing teams during the life cycle of the prize. POP is a virtual system that allows competing teams to interact with each other and with the XPRIZE Prize Operations team.

      POP is primarily used for finding team members, completing prize activities, and submitting documents for registration and testing. All XPRIZE competitors must keep their POP profile up-to-date throughout the prize.

    • Teams can be formed by anyone, anywhere. They are often startups, university groups, small to midsize companies, high school students, families, or even individuals. Teams can have any background, including but not limited to scientific and/or technical disciplines such as engineering, chemistry, ecology, geology, biology, and others. We believe the best new ideas can come from anyone!

    • Follow the competition at the XPRIZE Carbon Removal page, subscribe to our newsletter, and join the XPRIZE Community.

    • We welcome partners throughout all phases of the competition, whether you want to help recruit teams, support team success, secure an XPRIZE speaker or expert for your event, help scale winning solutions, or assist with testing operations. Contact XPRIZE to help.

    • Each team only needs to register for the competition once. Registered teams are eligible for each phase of awards provided they register by the relevant registration deadline. Each phase of competition requires a separate written & technical submission, which is due by the relevant submission deadline.

    • Yes, each team (student teams and non-student teams alike) only need to register once. Each phase of competition requires a separate written & technical submission, which is due by the relevant submission deadline.

    • Even if you did not submit for the Milestone Award, you are still eligible to compete for the Grand Prize. The competition has essentially re-started after the Milestone Award so that previously registered teams as well as new teams can demonstrate their solutions in the Finals.

    • To date, $20 million in prizes have been awarded as follows:

      • US $5M awarded to student teams in October 2021
      • US $15M awarded to Milestone Award Winners in April 2022

      In April 2025, judges will select the Winners:

      • US $50 million paid to the single Grand Prize Winner
      • US $30 million to be distributed among up to 3 runners up

    • All submissions must be made through the Prize Operations Portal (pop.xprize.org) ahead of the submission deadlines published in the prize guidelines. Submissions will not be reviewed prior to the submission deadline. You will be notified by XPRIZE when further submission guidance is published and the portal is open for submissions.

    • Phase 2 of the competition includes:
      - Selection of Finalist teams;
      - Measurement & Verification of Finalist teams;
      - Selection of Grand Prize winners.

      One grand prize winner will receive $50M, and up to three runners up will split $30M.

    • The demonstration window for the Final Round is February 1, 2024 - January 31, 2025.

    • Phase 2 of the competition is open to all teams who meet the scope and eligibility requirements defined in the Guidelines, regardless of their participation or status in Phase 1 (Milestone Round) of the competition.


      1. All Teams planning to compete for the Grand Prizes will be required to submit an Intent to Compete Form by September 7, 2023. This form is outlined in Appendix B, and will be available to complete in the Prize Operations Portal by July 11, 2023.
      2. The final registration deadline has been updated to coincide with the Intent to Compete deadline on September 7, 2023 for operational planning reasons. This was formerly December 1, 2023.
      3. Additional clarity has been added to the calendar including several minor changes to submission dates in 2024 and 2025.

    • The judging panel will select finalist teams based on their assessment of each team’s Finalist Application. Up to twenty (20) finalist teams may be named, as well as “runners’ up”, at the discretion of the judging panel.

    • The ‘Letter of Intent’ is a mandatory questionnaire that must be filled out by all teams who intend to compete for Grand Prizes. This questionnaire is designed to aid XPRIZE in planning the Final Round of the competition, and will not be reviewed by the judges or used in the evaluation of teams for Grand Prizes. Teams who do not submit the Letter of Intent by the deadline will not be eligible to be named Finalists, or eligible for Grand Prizes.

    • The letter of intent will be available to complete on the Prize Operations Platform (POP) by July 11, 2023.

    • Finalist teams must participate in XPRIZE’s Measurement & Verification (MRV) process in order to be considered for a grand prize. MRV will be conducted by 3rd party contractors hired and paid for by XPRIZE during the verification period indicated in the competition schedule. MRV will consist of three major activities:
      - On-site Verification
      - Life cycle Analysis
      - Calculation of fully considered cost

    • Guidance and templates will be posted on POP under the Resources tab on October 4, 2023.

    • Teams who wish to apply for the Finals must submit a Finalist Application Submission by the February 1, 2024 deadline. Please refer to Appendix B of the Phase 2 Rules for a tentative outline of that submission form. This submission will collect:
      - Technical details about the team’s demonstration;
      - Self reported sustainability assessment;
      - Self reported cost assessment.

    • Finalist teams will be invited to submit to XPRIZE a “Grand Prize Submission” by the Grand Prize Submission Deadline (February 2025). This submission will:
      - Collect up-to date administrative details
      - Give teams the opportunity to comment on the verification reports
      - Give teams the opportunity to provide a final summary of their performance over the demonstration period.

      Materials reviewed by the judging panel will include:
      - Grand prize submission provided by team
      - Verification reports (previously shared with teams) from XPRIZE.

    • Teams may field their final demonstration over multiple sites totalling 1000 tonnes/year, provided each site is similar in it’s design and performance. Teams must provide sufficient technical details and data for each of their sites, and teams must make a credible case that the solution can be scaled beyond 1GT in spite of the distributed nature of the solution.

    • The project must demonstrate all steps of Carbon Dioxide Removal, from the point of capture through durable sequestration. Teams may employ the help of partners (other individuals or organizations) to aid in any aspect of the Carbon Dioxide Removal project (for example, a CO2 capture partner, or sequestration partner).

    • As of the date of your submission, your team must own, or hold a license to commercially exploit, all technologies, methods, resources, and intellectual property included in the entry. It is the responsibility of each team to secure such rights from their partners.

    • Winning teams must demonstrate technologies that are carbon negative on a cradle-to-grave basis, as established by a Lifecycle Analysis (LCA). The CO2 must originate from the air or the surface layer of the ocean. Technologies that capture CO2 exclusively from fossil fuel sources are not eligible for this XPRIZE.

    • To win the grand prize, teams must demonstrate durable sequestration of CO2 in addition to capturing it from the air or ocean.

    • Solutions must remove carbon dioxide to be eligible for an award. Solutions which remove other greenhouse gases in addition to CO2 may claim this as a value-adding co-benefit of their solution. CO2 equivalent units will not be considered, only direct removal of CO2.

    • Teams may field their final demonstration over multiple sites totalling 1000 tonnes/year, provided each site is similar in it’s design and performance. Teams must provide sufficient technical details and data for each of their sites, and teams must make a credible case that the solution can be scaled beyond 1GT in spite of the distributed nature of the solution. XPRIZE will issue more detailed guidelines on this point later this summer.

    • No, information provided about your team during the registration process will not be evaluated or scored. This information is collected in order for XPRIZE to learn about the teams competing in the competition.

    • Award winners will be selected by a panel of independent judges who are experts in the science and engineering of carbon removal. The judges will review team submissions and make all award decisions. The judges' decisions are final.

    • Each team is responsible for obtaining verification of their technology for their milestone submission in Phase 1. XPRIZE will hire and manage a third party verification provider to assess all teams that are selected for site visits in Phase 2.

    • It is the responsibility of each team to provide the judges confidence in the efficacy of their solution. The best way to do this is through a robust, measurable demonstration that has been verified by a credible source. Teams will be invited to make the case for their solution in their prize submission, and the teams who make the strongest case, backed by demonstration, will win.

    • Teams retain ownership of any intellectual property they develop as part of their competition Entry. XPRIZE will retain ownership of measurement, scoring, statistical and other data (“Data”) collected by XPRIZE during the operation of the Competition. All competition materials, including team intellectual property, are protected by confidentiality agreements.

    • Yes, provided proper notice is given to XPRIZE within 10 business days of the change, and that the new legal entity retains the right to exploit the IP used in the competition entry.

    • No, these names do not need to match, but please note that your team name is how you will appear in the Prize Operations Platform and how we will be referring to your team throughout the competition for marketing purposes. The prize money will be paid to the legal entity used to sign the Competitor’s Agreement.

    • You can reach the XPRIZE Carbon Removal team at carbonremoval@xprize.org.

    • For technical support related to the PRIZE Operations Platform, you can contact popsupport@xprize.org.