BBC World Hacks: Problem Solving Prizes

WORLD SERVICE, 8.00PM

Is the promise of a reward the best way to convince researchers and experts to solve the world’s problems? That’s the question posed in this evening’s edition, which considers how competition – and the potential for personal glory and significant financial incentive – can be used to nudge great minds towards helping society. It’s not a new idea: the Longitude Prize in the 1700s incentivised scientists to invent reliable timekeeping and navigational instruments that would work at sea.