Deadline: September 15, 2020
Applications are invited for the XPRIZE Next-Gen Mask Challenge 2020. The $1M Next-Gen Mask Challenge aims to reimagine protective face masks used to prevent the spread of COVID-19 by making them more comfortable, functional, accessible, and even stylish.
Masks are effective in slowing and preventing the spread of COVID-19, but not all of us have adopted this preventive measure. Some masks are ill-fitting, uncomfortable, not breathable, and the most effective masks are often unavailable or expensive. We need an alternative—face masks that are readily accessible and affordable, functional for our everyday lives, fit a wide variety of wearers, and are effective in protecting the wearer and the community.
The winning team will design a face mask that achieves the filtration efficacy on par with a surgical mask and overcomes the top five barriers to mask-wearing as defined by an XPRIZE-conducted survey.
Prize
There will be $1 million (USD) in total prize purses available.
- There will be a Grand Prize Purse in the amount of $500,000 (Five Hundred Thousand USD) awarded to one team.
- Two additional teams will split $500,000 (USD) in categories determined by the Judging Panel.
Eligibility
- Teams competing in an XPRIZE competition can come from anywhere.
- For the Next-Gen Mask Challenge, XPRIZE is seeking teams composed of one or more individuals who are between 15 years and 24 years of age on October 22, 2020.
Application
All submissions for the Next-Gen Mask Challenge will be submitted through the XPRIZE Prize Operations Portal (POP). Competitors must create a team or join an existing team, and submit all the necessary materials through the Activities tab on the POP team profile page.
For more information, visit Next-Gen Mask Challenge.
