Thursday, February 28, 2013

X PRIZE Foundation Launches New Prize Around Literacy

The X PRIZE Foundation, the group which has been putting together large, multi-million dollar purses to spur innovation in a number of important areas of benefit to humankind, has announced a new award, this time around literacy. The group said Thursday that it has launched a new, $10M Global Literacy X PRIZE, which will look to help educate what the group says are over 60 million children who are not receiving primary education. The competition is being chaired by MIT Professor Nicholas Negroponte, who is known for his founding the One Laptop per Child effort.The foundation said that the effort is being supported by Apollo Group, Goldhirsh Foundation, Don Elias, McEwen Mining, John Raymonds, Joel & Laurin Seiden, Frank C. Sullivan, and Sheryl & Michael Wolowyk. Rules and parameters of the prize are expected to be launched by the end of the year.