New XPRIZE Contest Focuses on Sustainability

New XPRIZE Contest Focuses on Sustainability New XPRIZE Contest Focuses on Sustainability If you mentor high-school students or have teenage children who are interested in science and space exploration, XPRIZE and Sony Pictures Entertainment have launched an exciting new competition that will help your group of teens develop their creativity and team-working skills while heightening their awareness of the sustainability issues that are facing our planet. To enter this new contest, the XPRIZE After Earth Challenge, teams of up to five students (ages 13-17) are asked to prepare a two minute video that addresses what the team members are doing to ensure that Earth doesnt reach the point that its uninhabitable - a scenario that is explored in the motion picture After Earth, opening May 31. In their videos, team members should concentrate on answering two key questions: 1) What specific actions are the teams members taking to promote a sustainable way of living within their communities? 2) If the team were asked to create an unmanned rover capable of exploring potential sites for human occupation, what steps should the rover take to assess whether a site was inhabitable? Videos should be uploaded via the XPRIZE After Earth Challenge site, http://xprizeafterearth.com, no later than June 7. Of the 20 top videos, as chosen by visitors to the site, 10 will be selected as finalists by contest judges based on creativity and technical detail. These 10 teams will each receive a LEGO Mindstorms robot kit to construct their rovers, as well as a Sony Handycam HDR-PJ230 camcorder with built-in projector to record their rover- and landscape-building project. The winner of the grand prize will be showcased on the U.S. Blu-Ray version of the film. In addition, team members will receive a signed Blu-Ray disc of the film, a movie poster, and other great prizes. To be eligible, teams should consist of two to five members, aged 13-17, and a team leader over the age of 18. The top 10 finalists will be announced in late June, and the winning team should be announced by Aug. 9. For more details on the XPRIZE After Earth Challenge, and to read the official rules, visit http://xprizeafterearth.com.