NASA’s CO2 Conversion Challenge

Deadline: 2019-01-24
Award: $1,000,000
Open to: US Citizens*

NASA has challenged scientists and inventors to dream up ways of turning carbon dioxide into useful molecules, like glucose, to help those who will one day head to the Red Planet.

To win NASA's CO2 Conversion Challenge, the team or individual must show how the gas could be used to create other compounds, with a potential total prize of $1m.

To claim the total $1m prize money, entrants will have to make it through two phases. The first, and current, concept phase carries a prize of $250,000. The demonstration phase comes with a $750,000 prize. For phase one, NASA will award up to five teams $50,000 for their blueprints for a physical-chemical way of turn carbon dioxide into glucose

To make it to the second phase, the ideas must be proven to be viable - but other rules for phase two have not been decided.