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Inventor Alert: Google Project Seeks "$10 Million Idea"
In honor of its 10th birthday, Google – the mega search-engine and then some – is promising to give $10 million to an inventor or inventors that come up with the best way to help the most people. InventHelp® reports on this unique opportunity to use your inventive expertise to make the world a better place.
Read more articles from the October 2008 issue of InventHelp's newsletter for inventors |
Called Project 10^100 (that's pronounced "ten to the hundredth"), Google is accepting Good-Samaritan idea submissions from the general public through October 20th. The project asks inventors to use the world of information at their fingertips as a catalyst for positive change.
"New studies are reinforcing the timeless wisdom that beyond a basic level of material wealth, the only thing that seems to increase individual happiness is…helping other people. In other words, help helps everybody," wrote Andy Berndt, Managing Director, Google Creative Lab, on the company's official blog. Hey, we endorse that, Andy – "help" is our middle name (actually, it's our last name)!
The million-dollar question (well, make that the $10 million question) is: What idea would help as many people as possible? Google is hoping that an inventor out there has the answer. It could be an existing idea that needs some refining and improvement or a totally new concept – the possibilities are endless.
Google is accepting submissions (in any of 25 languages) at the Project 10^100 website through October 20th. Google will sort through the entries and narrow the field down to 100 semi-finalists. Next, the voting public will have their say on which philanthropic invention ideas will move on. Voters like you will cut that list down to 20, and five final ideas will be selected by Google's yet-to-be-named advisory board. Voting begins on January 27, 2009 – you can even set a reminder to vote on the website.
Funding comes from a poll of $10 million. That means that if all five finalists are chosen, each will receive $2 million. If only one winner is chosen, that inventor will receive the full $10 million and so on. The winner(s) will be announced in May.
To encourage free-form creativity, Google says it wants to set as few rules as possible. But, they do encourage inventors to consider the following areas during concept development: community, opportunity, environment, energy, health, education and shelter. Plus, they want inventors to consider the practicality of the idea. How quickly could the concept be implemented? How far reaching are the effects? Is the idea cost-effective?
It's worth noting that the inventor or inventors who develop the idea need not have the technical expertise to implement them. Inventors are allowed to submit more than one idea, and all entries must be submitted by individual inventors. However, one person would be permitted to submit an idea on behalf of a company or organization.
"By opening the project to anyone – not just laboratories or universities – Google is embracing 'crowdsourcing,' the Internet-age notion that the collective wisdom of mass audiences can be leveraged to find solutions to design tasks," said CNN Technology writer Brandon Griggs.
We at InventHelp know that inventors like you have the ability to develop the kind of ideas that Google is looking for. Even more than the prize money, this contest serves as a way to target innovation, scientific progress and technological development toward the greater good. And as Google says, "Good luck, and may those who help the most win."
Back to October 2008 Newsletter
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