XPRIZE Commissions Bennett Custom Awards
Bennett Awards recently created custom recognition awards for the $2M Wendy Schmidt Ocean Health XPRIZE, a global competition that challenged teams of engineers, scientists, and innovators from all over the world to create pH sensor technology to accurately and affordably measure the acidification of our oceans. Two prizes were awarded: 1) a $1,000,000 Accuracy Award; and 2) a $1,000,000 Affordability Award. For both prizes, first place teams received $750,000, and second place teams received $250,000.
Sunburst Sensors, a small business based in Missoula, Montana, took home the first place prize in both categories. The company, which develops sensors for marine and freshwater applications, created two new breakthrough sensors: the i-SAMI (“i” for inexpensive) and the t-SAMI (“t” for titanium), which won the Affordability Prize and the Accuracy Prize, respectively.
XPRIZE commissioned Bennett Awards to create physical recognition awards for both prize categories. Bennett Awards collaborated with XPRIZE to create a new, unique custom award that combined both metal and glass. The base of the award was a 14” high cast pewter sculpture. The sculpture had sculpted inset images of sea life (coral and turtles) surrounding the lower half of all four sides of the base, and images of the XPRIZE and competition logos, and the names of the winning team, sculpted into the upper portion of the front of the base. The sculpted inset images featured a dark antique finish to contrast with the brushed pewter finish on the remainder of the base. An 8” tall custom blown glass blue “wave” was created to mount on the top of the base. These awards were presented to the winning team at a special awards ceremony held July 20, 2015.
Founded in 1995, XPRIZE is the leading organization solving the world’s Grand Challenges by creating and managing large-scale, high-profile, incentivized prizes in five areas: Learning; Exploration; Energy & Environment; Global Development; and Life Sciences. Active prizes include the $30M Google Lunar XPRIZE, the $15M Global Learning XPRIZE, the $10M Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, and the $7M Adult Literacy XPRIZE. For more information, visit www.xprize.org.