We want you to vote for the challenge you think should become the focus of Longitude Prize 2014. When Longitude Prize 2014 is chosen, we want everyone, from amateur scientists to the professional scientific community, to try and solve the winning challenge.
How does the prize work?
- Of the six challenges shortlisted by the Longitude Committee, we want you to vote for the one you think should become the focus of Longitude Prize 2014.
- The vote takes place between 22 May and 25 June, and will be held by the BBC on its Horizon website and by text.
- The winning challenge will be announced on 25 June and will become the focus of the £10 million prize fund.
- The Longitude Committee will then finalise the criteria for how to win the prize, and from September you will be able to submit your idea to win it.
- The Longitude Prize will run for five years, or until the prize is won.
How did you choose the final six challenges?
- The newly reformed Longitude Committee led by its Chair, Astronomer Royal Lord Martin Rees, has overseen the selection process.
- The Committee started in the summer of 2013 by convening a round table consultation with over 40 of the country’s leading scientists, engineers, and politicians at 10 Downing Street. Ideas were discussed under broad themes and the group identified a number of global challenges suitable for Longitude Prize 2014.
- These initial ideas were subjected to multiple rounds of critical analysis and deliberation, working with over 100 scientists and academics across a variety of disciplines to review, question and comment on them. The public have also influenced the final choice by identifying the challenges that they think are the most important to solve in a series of focus groups across the UK.
- From these multiple rounds of research and refinement, and with the steer and support of the Longitude Committee at every stage, we have developed our six challenges.
Now it’s up to you to decide which one should win.
