Designed to modernize oil spill response and protect marine ecosystems, this prize challenged teams to dramatically improve cleanup technology by recovering oil from the ocean surface at rates over 2,500 gallons per minute with at least 70% efficiency.
Impact
3X faster cleanup than industry standard
4,672 gallons/minute oil recovery rate
20,000+ gallons recovered in a single test run
Winners
Elastec’s Grooved Disc Skimmer set a new global standard for oil spill cleanup—recovering over 90% of spilled oil at record rates. Its technology is now deployed worldwide for faster, more effective spill response.

Elastec

Elastec

NOFI
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After the 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster, one fact was undeniable: oil spill response technology hadn’t evolved in decades. Existing tools were slow, inefficient, and failed in real-world conditions—leaving fragile marine ecosystems exposed when they needed rapid intervention most.
The competition proved that oil recovery could be 3X faster and 30% more efficient than industry standards. Finalist teams demonstrated real-world tools that worked in waves, wind, and weather—setting a new benchmark for government and industry expectations.
Launched in 2010 in response to the Deepwater Horizon disaster, the $1.4M Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup XCHALLENGE pushed innovators to dramatically improve oil recovery from ocean surfaces. At the time, industry tools were slow, inefficient, and only proven in controlled environments vs. the unpredictable conditions of an actual spill. XPRIZE set out to disrupt this stagnation with a bold, global competition.
Over the course of one year, 10 finalist teams tested their technologies at OHMSETT, the U.S. national oil spill response research facility, under conditions designed to simulate real ocean scenarios. The goal: recover oil at a rate of 2,500 gallons per minute with at least 70% efficiency—benchmarks that far exceeded the industry norm.
The winning solution came from Elastec, whose grooved disc skimmer more than doubled the target rate and achieved nearly 90% efficiency. The result was a dramatic leap forward for marine spill response. Their technology was quickly commercialized, deployed globally, and remains in use today in ports, coastal waters, and offshore rigs.
Beyond one winning device, the prize shifted regulatory expectations, attracted international media attention, and proved that disaster-response tech could—and must—move faster.
The prize was announced in July 2010 and concluded in October 2011. Testing took place at OHMSETT, where 10 finalists proved their tools in simulated spill conditions. Elastec was named the winner after setting a new global benchmark for oil recovery.
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