XPRIZE Wildfire

XPRIZE Wildfire is an active prize competition under the XPRIZE Foundation, running from 2023 to 2026 in the foundation's climate and nature portfolio. It is sponsored by the Gordon & Betty Moore Foundation, Pacific Gas and Electric Company, Minderoo Foundation, Lockheed Martin, the Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, American Family Insurance, and Fairfax Financial Holdings Limited, and it remains open globally under U.S. legal restrictions. The purse totals $11 million, with $7 million in grand prizes, $3 million in milestone awards, and a $1 million Lockheed Martin bonus prize. The competition is built around two tracks: space-based wildfire detection and intelligence, which calls for fire detection within one minute and actionable reporting within ten minutes, and autonomous wildfire response, which calls for autonomous detection and suppression of high-risk fires within ten minutes. The record allows startups, students, problem-solvers, and other innovative teams to take part, so long as they meet the competition rules. By April 2026 the competition is in finals testing, with finalist teams already moving through the last stage of evaluation. Strong applicants need more than a concept: they have to show a working prototype, credible autonomy, and a response chain that moves quickly from detection to action. The program rewards systems that can operate under severe time pressure and still produce evidence that is clear enough for judges to trust in a live wildfire setting.

Each grant below is a distinct funding opportunity with its own eligibility, scope, and deliverables.