USBR Halt the Hitchhiker: Invasive Species Challenge

NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI) contributes to the use of crowdsourcing in the federal government. CoECI’s NASA Tournament Lab provides the contractual capacity to host participatory external challenges on behalf of NASA and other agencies.

The Bureau of Reclamation is sponsoring a three-phase challenge (managed by yet2) for innovative solutions to eliminate the risk of aquatic invasive species (AIS) carried in raw water entering and exiting watercraft ballast compartments. The goal is to identify new approaches that can kill, exclude or inactivate AIS such as quagga, zebra and golden mussels, thereby protecting Reclamation’s water supply and hydroelectric infrastructure.

Reward: $550,000 in total prize money across all phases

Opening date: February 26, 2026

Phase 1 concept documents due: May 29, 2026

For more information visit: https://haltthehitchhiker.yet2.com/