Five Major Open Problems in Materials Science Offer Million-Dollar Prize
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The field of materials science has announced five decades-old, verifiable open problems, with the organizers promising a total of $1 million in prize money for solutions, with submissions opening in November 2026. The five problems are: the microscopic theory of cuprate superconductivity, prediction of the electrical properties of semiconductor interfaces, the speed and accuracy bottlenecks of quantum chemistry calculations, laser-controlled materials, and thermal transport across solid interfaces. The organizers say that a breakthrough on any one of the problems would simultaneously advance chip manufacturing, superconductivity, and clean energy. Submissions must be sent by email, and each problem page lists the submission requirements; submitting constitutes agreement to the official rules.
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The announcement lists five long-standing, unsolved materials science problems—predictive theory of cuprate superconductivity, interfacial electrical properties from processing history, breaking the speed–accuracy barrier in quantum chemistry, tuning materials with light, and predicting heat transport across solid interfaces—with a $1 million prize pool for solutions. Submissions open in November 2026 and are sent by email, with each problem page specifying required contents and submissions bound by the Official Rules.
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