Donor Prospectus
$1.5M Moonshots XPRIZE
Fund a global demonstration that the biggest problems we face can be solved by small teams using AI — working in months instead of decades.
Presented by Google Gemini | September 25, 2026 | Los Angeles
27 Years of Impact
$519M
Cumulative Prize Purses
30
Prizes Launched
$2B+
Invested by Teams
109+
Lives Impacted Goal
Why This Matters Now
AI has drastically reduced the time from idea to impact. Small teams can now prototype in days what once required years and venture capital.
Millions of developers are already building with AI, but most focus on incremental products, not transformative solutions. The Moonshots XPRIZE redirects this talent, proving that incentivized small teams, with the right tools, can achieve measurable abundance faster than institutions or governments.
Your Impact
You are not donating to a hackathon.
You are funding a global demonstration that the biggest problems we face can be solved by small teams using AI, working in months instead of decades.
Every dollar goes toward incentivizing the solutions we need most, delivered by the people most capable of building them.
Your name will be permanently associated with the outcomes that emerge.
Why This XPRIZE Is Different
Unlike traditional, multi-year, closed-door XPRIZEs, this is a five-month, build-in-public competition.
Teams share progress in real time across social platforms, creating immediate, visible proof of concept and generating live, recurring impact that audiences, media, and donors can follow as it unfolds — not years later. The competition's repeatable design ensures each cycle builds on the last, growing the community and compounding evidence that AI can solve big problems and build abundance.
501(c)(3) Tax-Deductible
All donations are tax-deductible through the XPRIZE Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization with over 27 years of operating prize competitions. Your donation is fully tax-deductible and maximizes impact through our proven model.
Founding Donor Opportunities
$250K
Moonshots Donor
Limited to 4 donors
- Recognition as "Moonshots Donor" across all materials
- 5 VIP tickets to Moonshot Gathering Award Event
- Website & printed program recognition
- Tax deductible donation to XPRIZE Foundation
$500K
Vision Donor
Limited to 2 donors
- Primary recognition as "Vision Donor" across all materials
- 10 VIP tickets to Moonshot Gathering Award Event
- Website & printed program recognition
- Tax deductible donation to XPRIZE Foundation
Prize Distribution
Key Dates
May 19, 2026
Launch at Google I/O
May 19 – Sep 10
Build Period
Sep 10, 2026
Submissions Due
Sep 25, 2026
Moonshot Gathering — LA
Appendix: Operational Details
How We Select Problems
Teams build, deploy, market, and demonstrate measurable impact via revenue or usage. Participants vet their idea using the ITN Framework:
- Importance: How many lives improved?
- Neglectedness: Is the problem overlooked?
- Tractability: Can progress be made in 5 months?
Build Period (May 19 – Sep 10)
- Build in public encouraged
- Solo or team — no restrictions on size
- All net-new work — must start from zero
- Use any AI coding tools
- Solutions must be live with real usage
Submission Requirements
- Working product (live link + demo video)
- Build documentation
- Impact metrics
- Revenue data (if applicable)
- 3-5 minute pitch video
- ITN Framework analysis
- "Hair on Fire" validation
Judging Criteria
- 40% — Impact (scale + measurability)
- 30% — ITN Framework (importance, tractability, neglectedness)
- 30% — Revenue Generated (product-market fit)
Selection Process
- Initial filter: Hacker Fund verifies authenticity
- Top 25: Expert panel evaluation
- Top 5 Finalists: Travel paid to Moonshot Cup
- Live Finals: Shark Tank-style pitch, winner announced
Year 1 Success Metrics
- 10,000+ global registrations
- 5 exceptional finalists with demonstrated impact
- 50M+ social media impressions
- Major media coverage
- Biggest hackathon prize pool in history
Long-Term Vision (3-5 Years)
- Annual flagship with growing prize pool
- Regional competitions globally
- 3-5 winners become venture-backed companies
- Shift builder culture to meaningful impact