Problem-Solving Prizes

Available for over a year

People cannot resist a prize, especially when there is money to go with a medal, and for hundreds of years that basic human urge has been used to push humanity forward. When you focus minds and money towards a simple target, incredible things can happen - from the clock that won the Longitude prize money in the 1700s to the spacecraft that won the XPRIZE in 2004. Are there any problems that a big enough prize cannot solve? Producer: William Kremer (Photo: Pilot Mike Melvill standing on Space Ship One, which went on to win the Ansari XPRIZE. Credit: Getty Images) This programme uses a sound effect created by Freesound user bone666138