Scientists, astronauts, investors and philanthropists to decide which grand challenges XPRIZE takes on next

MALIBU, Calif., Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ — XPRIZE, the world’s leader in designing and operating large-scale incentive competitions to solve humanity’s grand challenges, will host its annual Global Visioneering Summit on October 15–17 at Calamigos Ranch in Malibu, California. Over three days, a rare cross-section of the world’s leading minds, including scientists, frontier technologists, astronauts, investors, and philanthropists will convene not as an audience, but as collaborators, working side by side to determine which of humanity’s most urgent challenges XPRIZE takes on next.

Over the course of the Summit, six prize concepts developed through XPRIZE’s year-long Global Visioneering process, two each in Health; Food + Water + Waste; and Energy + Climate + Nature, will be pitched live to attendees. Attendees will score the concepts, debate, vote and commit seed funding to launch them as XPRIZE’s next global competitions. The XPRIZE model is unique amongst non-profits with its ability to leverage every prize purse dollar for a 62X return — and a record of generating $32.4 billion from the $519 million in prizes launched since its inception in 1994.

The Summit will be hosted by XPRIZE CEO Anousheh Ansari, the first female private space explorer and sponsor of the Ansari XPRIZE that spurred the private spaceflight industry, and XPRIZE Founder and Chairman Peter Diamandis, New York Times bestselling author, entrepreneur and co-founder of Singularity University. The event will be emceed by Van Jones, CNN Host, Founder of DreamMachine.org and Founder of RAPPORT.co.

“Global Visioneering is where the future takes shape,” said Ansari. “Each year, we bring together the boldest minds in the world to decide how we can direct breakthroughs that will create a better future for all. That work has never been more urgent. Public and corporate funding for long-term solutions is pulling back just as the world’s challenges are growing in size. XPRIZE exists to close that gap, giving audacious solutions the backing and momentum to reach the people who need them.”

Summit programming will span priority focus areas XPRIZE is racing to advance:

• Health: XPRIZE Health Executive Vice President Jamie Justice will moderate a candid conversation on new frontiers in suicide prevention, in response to rising risk factors like loneliness, youth mental health challenges and economic disruption. Neuroscientist Dr. Adam Haar Horowitz will unveil a first look at DUST, an MIT Media Lab-rooted neurotech platform reimagining sleep as an active tool for mental wellness through an immersive, music-driven experience.

• Food + Water + Waste: Can we rewire how we grow, buy, and value food? XPRIZE Executive Vice President Lauren Greenlee will explore soil as a new frontier with Dr. Matt Wallenstein, Chief Soil Scientist at Syngenta, Jack Gilbert, Professor, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC SD, and Sarah Mock, Agriculture & Food Systems Research, Writer and Advisor.

• Energy + Climate + Nature: Watch Duty CEO John Mills joins awardees of the XPRIZE Wildfire competition to discuss how early detection technologies have advanced, including drones and sensor networks tested against live fire, and what it will take to move these technologies from field trials to the front lines.

Ansari will lead The Future of Space and Its Impact on Humanity, a conversation with Apollo 9 astronaut Rusty Schweickart, investor Steve Jurvetson and APEX Co-Founder and CEO Ian Cinnamon. The panel will explore how exploration, enterprise and collaboration in space can shape humanity’s future, building on the legacy of the $10 million Ansari XPRIZE that helping catalyze today’s commercial space industry.

XPRIZE Chairman, Peter Diamandis will record a live episode of Moonshots, his podcast tracking the future of technology and how it impacts humanity, with Ansari, Openexo Chairman Salim Ismail, and Intelligent Internet Founder Emad Mostaque.

Composer Philip Sheppard, violinist Stephanie Yu and poet Salome Agbaroji will perform throughout the Summit, weaving music and spoken word into the program to open space for reflection, unexpected connections and ideas beyond what seems possible today.

Attendees will also hear from XPRIZE alumni teams continuing to drive industry-changing impact well beyond their original competitions, including PLANETVILLAGE, awarded $1M in the XPRIZE Carbon Removal competition, and Longeveron, an XPRIZE Healthspan finalist.

The Summit is made possible by partners who share XPRIZE’s commitment to bold, catalytic impact: North Star Sponsor CollectivIQ, Alumni Advancement Sponsor Avanci, Breakthrough Sponsor The Rodney Fund, Moonshot Sponsors ECOS and GIGAHEALTH, and Health Domain Sponsor Pointe Malibu Recovery Center are all official event sponsors this year.

Those interested in attending can register and view the full program at xprize.org/visioneering.

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.

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SOURCE XPRIZE Foundation