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BBC World Service West and Central Africa

People Fixing The World

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Discover the people and the projects trying to make the world a better place

Discover the people and the projects trying to make the world a better place.

Discover the people and the projects trying to make the world a better place.

A weekly programme looking at common challenges around the world and the creative ways people are trying to tackle them.

Presenter Myra Anubi speaks to reporters, experts and innovators to investigate how effective different solutions are, share their successes and inspire listeners with what is possible.

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People Fixing The World: Problem-Solving Prizes

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Problem-Solving Prizes

17/04/2018 GMT

BBC World Service - People Fixing The World, Problem-Solving Prizes

How big cash rewards can drive innovation

An innovative new weekly programme looking at how we can solve the world's problems.

People cannot resist a prize, especially when there is money to go with a medal, and for hundreds of years that basic human urge has been used to push humanity forward. When you focus minds and money towards a simple target, incredible things can happen - from the clock that won the Longitude prize money in the 1700s to the spacecraft that won the XPRIZE in 2004. Are there any problems that a big enough prize cannot solve?

Producer: William Kremer

(Photo: Pilot Mike Melvill standing on Space Ship One, which went on to win the Ansari XPRIZE. Credit: Getty Images)
This programme uses a sound effect created by Freesound user bone666138

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