Health

Next-Gen Mask Challenge

Duration
2020 - 2020
Phase Awarded
Prize Purse
$1 Million

Designed to boost public health and encourage widespread adoption of preventive measures through better design, this prize challenged young innovators to reinvent face masks, making them more comfortable, effective, and wearable during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Impact

56,932 hours of innovation dedicated to reimagining masks

Nearly 1,000 young innovators (ages 15–24) mobilized worldwide

1B global media impressions, amplifying the call for better PPE

Winner

Arizona State University’s Luminosity Lab won with their FloeMask, a dual-chamber design that eliminated glasses fogging, improved comfort, and enhanced usability. The team open-sourced their design through CAD files and cloth templates, enabling rapid mass production and wider adoption

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Sponsors

Sponsors fund the prize journey from bold idea to breakthrough—shaping each competition, supporting global teams, and accelerating solutions that scale. Their backing powers impact that lasts well beyond the prize.

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Partners

Partners play a hands-on role in our prizes—co-designing competitions, supporting operations, and helping scale solutions with their expertise, resources, and global reach.

Barrier

During the COVID-19 pandemic, masks became essential—but many were uncomfortable, impractical, or hard to wear for long periods. Everyday users faced issues like fogged glasses, heat buildup, poor fit, and difficulty communicating.

Breakthrough

Groundbreaking solutions reimagined masks for comfort, function, accessibility, and style – solving real user pain points such as breathability, fogging, and communication, without sacrificing protection.

About the Prize

The $1M XPRIZE Next-Gen Mask Challenge invited young innovators aged 15–24 to redesign protective face masks for everyday use during the COVID-19 pandemic. While masks were critical to slowing the virus’s spread, many resisted wearing them due to discomfort, poor fit, or reduced functionality.

The challenge asked teams to address at least five real-world mask complaints, such as glasses fogging, heat buildup, muffled speech, difficulty exercising, or lack of sustainability, while maintaining filtration efficacy. Entries were evaluated on user experience, technical performance, rapid manufacturability, and design appeal.

The Grand Prize was awarded to Luminosity Lab, a student team from Arizona State University. Their FloeMask design separated mouth and nose airflow, preventing glasses fogging while preserving comfort and breathability. The team also provided open-source CAD files and templates to enable widespread, cost-effective production.

The XPRIZE Next-Gen Mask Challenge proved that when young people are empowered to design for their communities, they can create practical, scalable innovations, even in the middle of a global crisis.

Prize Schedule

Launched in July 2020 and concluded in November 2020, the competition drew hundreds of submissions from around the world. Luminosity Lab from Arizona State University claimed the Grand Prize with their FloeMask design.

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