USBR Halt the Hitchhiker: Invasive Species Challenge

The Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI) assists in the use of crowdsourcing across the federal government. CoECI’s NASA Tournament Lab offers the contract capability to run external crowdsourced challenges on behalf of NASA and other agencies.

The Bureau of Reclamation is sponsoring a three-phase prize challenge, managed by yet2, to find innovative solutions that eliminate the risk of aquatic invasive species being transported in raw water entering and exiting watercraft ballast compartments.

The goal is to identify novel approaches that can kill, exclude, or inactivate invasive species such as quagga, zebra, and golden mussels, protecting Reclamation’s water delivery and hydropower infrastructure.

Award: $550,000 in total prizes across all phases. Open date: February 26, 2026. Phase 1 concept papers due: May 29, 2026. For more information, visit: https://haltthehitchhiker.yet2.com/

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