XPRIZE Wildfire Names Teams Advancing in Global Competition to End Destructive Wildfires
XPRIZE has announced advancing teams in its $11 million global wildfire competition, co-sponsored by PG&E (NYSE:PCG) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. The four-year competition features two tracks: Space-Based Wildfire Detection & Intelligence and Autonomous Wildfire Response.
In the Space-Based track, 11 teams from 5 countries advanced as Finalists, with $300,000 awarded between six teams. For the Autonomous Response track, 15 teams from 7 countries were selected as Semifinalists, eligible for portions of a $750,000 milestone award.
The competition will culminate in 2026, with winning teams in each track receiving $3.5M, plus a $1M bonus prize from Lockheed Martin for exceptional wildfire detection performance.
XPRIZE ha annunciato le squadre selezionate per la sua competizione globale sugli incendi boschivi da 11 milioni di dollari, co-patrocinata da PG&E (NYSE:PCG) e dalla Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. La competizione, della durata di quattro anni, prevede due percorsi: Rilevamento e Intelligenza degli Incendi Boschivi da Spazio e Risposta Autonoma agli Incendi Boschivi.
Nel percorso Spazio, 11 squadre provenienti da 5 paesi sono passate alla fase finale, con 300.000 dollari distribuiti tra sei team. Per il percorso Risposta Autonoma, 15 squadre da 7 paesi sono state selezionate come semifinaliste, con diritto a una parte di un premio a traguardo di 750.000 dollari.
La competizione si concluderà nel 2026, con le squadre vincitrici di ogni percorso che riceveranno 3,5 milioni di dollari, oltre a un bonus di 1 milione di dollari da Lockheed Martin per prestazioni eccezionali nel rilevamento degli incendi boschivi.
XPRIZE ha anunciado los equipos que avanzan en su competencia global sobre incendios forestales de 11 millones de dólares, copatrocinada por PG&E (NYSE:PCG) y la Fundación Gordon y Betty Moore. La competencia de cuatro años cuenta con dos categorías: Detección e Inteligencia de Incendios Forestales desde el Espacio y Respuesta Autónoma a Incendios Forestales.
En la categoría Espacio, 11 equipos de 5 países avanzaron como finalistas, con 300,000 dólares repartidos entre seis equipos. Para la categoría de Respuesta Autónoma, 15 equipos de 7 países fueron seleccionados como semifinalistas, con posibilidad de recibir parte de un premio por hitos de 750,000 dólares.
La competencia concluirá en 2026, con los equipos ganadores de cada categoría recibiendo 3.5 millones de dólares, además de un premio adicional de 1 millón de dólares otorgado por Lockheed Martin por desempeño excepcional en la detección de incendios forestales.
XPRIZE가 PG&E (NYSE:PCG)와 Gordon and Betty Moore 재단이 공동 후원하는 1,100만 달러 규모의 글로벌 산불 경진대회에서 진출 팀들을 발표했습니다. 4년간 진행되는 이 대회는 우주 기반 산불 탐지 및 정보 트랙과 자율 산불 대응 트랙의 두 부문으로 구성되어 있습니다.
우주 기반 트랙에서는 5개국 11개 팀이 결선 진출자로 선정되었으며, 30만 달러가 6개 팀에 분배되었습니다. 자율 대응 트랙에서는 7개국 15개 팀이 준결선 진출자로 선정되어 75만 달러 규모의 마일스톤 상금 일부를 받을 자격을 얻었습니다.
대회는 2026년에 마무리되며, 각 트랙 우승 팀은 350만 달러를 받고, 산불 탐지에서 뛰어난 성과를 낸 팀에게는 Lockheed Martin이 100만 달러 보너스 상금을 수여합니다.
XPRIZE a annoncé les équipes retenues dans son concours mondial sur les incendies de forêt doté de 11 millions de dollars, co-parrainé par PG&E (NYSE:PCG) et la Fondation Gordon et Betty Moore. Ce concours de quatre ans comporte deux volets : Détection et Intelligence des Incendies de Forêt Basées dans l’Espace et Réponse Autonome aux Incendies de Forêt.
Dans le volet spatial, 11 équipes de 5 pays ont été sélectionnées finalistes, avec 300 000 dollars répartis entre six équipes. Pour le volet Réponse Autonome, 15 équipes de 7 pays ont été choisies comme demi-finalistes, éligibles à une part d’un prix de jalon de 750 000 dollars.
Le concours se terminera en 2026, avec les équipes gagnantes de chaque volet recevant 3,5 millions de dollars, ainsi qu’un prix bonus d’un million de dollars de Lockheed Martin pour des performances exceptionnelles en détection d’incendies de forêt.
XPRIZE hat die Teams bekannt gegeben, die in seinem 11 Millionen Dollar globalen Waldbrand-Wettbewerb weitergekommen sind, der von PG&E (NYSE:PCG) und der Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation mitgesponsert wird. Der vierjährige Wettbewerb umfasst zwei Kategorien: Weltraumgestützte Waldbrand-Erkennung & -Intelligenz sowie Autonome Waldbrand-Reaktion.
Im Weltraum-Track haben 11 Teams aus 5 Ländern das Finale erreicht, wobei 300.000 Dollar auf sechs Teams verteilt wurden. Für den Autonomen Reaktion-Track wurden 15 Teams aus 7 Ländern als Halbfinalisten ausgewählt, die Anspruch auf Teile eines 750.000 Dollar Meilensteinpreises haben.
Der Wettbewerb endet 2026, wobei die Gewinnerteams in jedem Track 3,5 Millionen Dollar erhalten, plus einen 1 Million Dollar Bonuspreis von Lockheed Martin für herausragende Leistungen bei der Waldbrand-Erkennung.
- Partnership with major corporations and foundations provides substantial funding of $11M for wildfire innovation
- Competition attracts global participation with 26 teams from multiple countries advancing
- Significant prize money ($3.5M per track plus $1M bonus) incentivizes technological advancement
- Real-world testing and validation through partnerships with fire services and research institutions
- Final results and implementation of winning technologies won't be available until 2026
- Technologies are still in development and testing phase with unproven real-world effectiveness
This milestone comes as destructive wildfires intensify globally, prompting urgent action from world leaders. Recent commitments from the G7 and other international bodies have recognized wildfire as a growing threat, while a new
"Wildfires are growing more frequent, more destructive, and more costly, and the status quo is no longer sustainable in a changing climate," said Andrea Santy, XPRIZE Wildfire Program Director. "The teams advancing to the next stages of XPRIZE Wildfire are showcasing the ingenuity we need not just to prepare for the future, but to help shape it."
Two Tracks of Innovation: Semifinalists and Finalists Announced
XPRIZE Wildfire teams from around the world are competing to innovate a wide range of technologies in two complementary tracks designed to transform how wildfires are detected, managed, and fought. The competition's esteemed panel of judges – composed of wildland firefighting, technical experts, and wildfire researchers – assessed each team's ability to meet the demanding criteria of each competition track:
- Finalists - Space-Based Wildfire Detection & Intelligence: In this track, teams have one minute to accurately detect all fires across a landscape larger than entire states or countries, and 10 minutes to precisely characterize and report data with the least false positives to decision-makers on the ground.
- Teams participated in Semifinals Technical Verification to assess their analytical capabilities and showcase their ability to quickly, accurately, and precisely report and share insights on predetermined wildfire targets, reporting all observed wildfires and false positives using historical Earth observation data.
- 11 teams from 5 countries advanced to the next phase of the competition as Finalists. The Judging Panel awarded a total of
$300,000 - Semifinalists - Autonomous Wildfire Response: In this track, teams have 10 minutes to autonomously detect and suppress a high-risk fire in a 1,000 km2, environmentally challenging area, leaving any decoy fires untouched.
- Technical Verification required that competing teams submit written and video demonstrations as evidence that their technologies are capable of fully autonomous wildfire detection, navigation, safety systems, and informed suppression.
- 15 teams representing 7 countries were selected from a pool of global registrants to advance to the next phase of the competition as Semifinalists. Teams will be eligible to receive portions of a
$750,000
Teams were recognized during the Esri Safety and Security Summit in
"Technology at its best is a force multiplier for good, and wildfire is exactly the kind of global challenge that demands bold, collaborative technological innovation. The teams advancing in XPRIZE Wildfire are proving that we don't have to accept destruction as inevitable," said Dr. Catherine Ball, PhD, XPRIZE Wildfire Advisory Board Member. "This is what 21st-century climate resilience looks like: bold ideas, tested rigorously, and deployed at a planetary scale."
Over the coming months, the XPRIZE Wildfire operations team will travel to each Autonomous Semifinalist team location for in-field testing. Teams will physically demonstrate their autonomous end-to-end wildfire response system, including smart detection, autonomous navigation and safety, and autonomous suppression, along with an overall technical readiness and scalability assessment of their system. These live trials will be captured by the testing partner, the Alaska Center for Unmanned Aircraft Systems Integration (ACUASI) and will be used for official judging, offering a unique behind-the-scenes look at wildfire technology in action.
In August 2025, Space-Based Finalist teams will have the option to participate in a live-fire exercise conducted in collaboration with the New South Wales Rural Fire Service in
XPRIZE Wildfire is offered in partnership with Co-Title Sponsors Pacific Gas and Electric Company (PG&E) and Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Presenting Sponsor Minderoo Foundation, Bonus Prize Sponsor Lockheed Martin and Supporting Sponsors Conrad N. Hilton Foundation, Costa Navarino, American Family Insurance, Fairfax Financial, the Roddenberry Foundation, and individual benefactors.
"At PG&E, we are committed to ending catastrophic wildfires, and within our service territory we have implemented mitigation initiatives that provide layers of protection. We work closely with innovators to adapt and adopt tools and technologies giving us new data, insights, visibility and capabilities to prevent fires and when necessary, limit their spread and size," said Andy Abranches, Vice President, Wildfire Mitigation, PG&E. "We recognize the need to develop the technology of tomorrow and are excited about the new possibilities being unlocked by the XPRIZE Wildfire innovators who share our commitment to preventing catastrophic fires."
"We are inspired by the creativity and ingenuity the XPRIZE competitors are bringing to this big and urgent challenge," said Genny Biggs, program director of the Wildfire Resilience Initiative at the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation. "We all know the risks of wildfire and we need innovative and practical solutions. These advancing teams are putting the solutions we need into action."
"At Lockheed Martin, we're committed to harnessing the power of innovation to address some of the world's most pressing challenges, including the growing threat of wildfires," said Robert Head, acting senior vice president of Lockheed Martin Government Affairs. "As an XPRIZE Wildfire bonus prize sponsor, we're excited to recognize exceptional performance in accurate wildfire detection and support the development of cutting-edge technologies that can help save lives, protect communities, and preserve our natural resources."
At the end of the competition in 2026, the winning team in each track will receive
Full lists of semifinalist and finalist teams can be found at xprize.org/wildfire.
About XPRIZE
XPRIZE is the recognized global leader in designing and executing large-scale competitions to solve humanity's greatest challenges. For over 30 years, our unique model has democratized crowd-sourced innovation and scientifically scalable solutions that accelerate a more equitable and abundant future. Donate, learn more, and co-architect a world of abundance with us at xprize.org.
About PG&E
Pacific Gas and Electric Company, a subsidiary of PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG), is a combined natural gas and electric utility serving more than sixteen million people across 70,000 square miles in Northern and
About Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation
The Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation fosters path-breaking scientific discovery, environmental conservation, patient care improvements and preservation of the special character of the Bay Area. Visit Moore.org or follow @MooreFound.
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SOURCE Pacific Gas and Electric Company
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