Rules and Guidelines

Wolfram Research and Stephen Wolfram are offering a $25,000 (US) prize to the first individual or group to successfully determine whether or not the 2-state 3-color Turing machine with the rule depicted below is universal, and submit a full proof of such claim to the satisfaction of the Prize Committee in accordance with these Rules and Guidelines.

The invitation to participate, and eligibility to win the Prize, is extended to everyone. Each submitter must agree to be bound and abide by the rules, decisions and interpretations promulgated by the Prize Committee.

Submissions will be accepted until a satisfactory proof has been identified by the Prize Committee. If a satisfactory proof is developed, but not submitted to us, the Prize will be canceled.

All submissions must include the names of all relevant contributors. Anonymous submissions will not be accepted. In the event that a winning proof has multiple contributors, the Prize will be apportioned in accordance with the levels of contribution specified in the submission.

Submissions must be the original work of the submitter(s).

Submissions remain the sole property of submitter(s), but we reserve the right to publish summaries of any winning submission and the name of the submitter(s) on our website. It is also anticipated that any winning submission will be expanded into a scholarly paper that could be published in the Complex Systems journal.

Submissions will be judged by the Prize Committee, and all decisions will be final and binding upon all participants. In the event of a tie or other unexpected event, the Prize Committee will make a discretionary decision consistent with the goals and purpose of the Prize.

We are not responsible for misdirected, incomplete, lost, late, delayed, undelivered, or illegible submissions.

Any winners will be notified by email at the address provided with the relevant submission. Winners may be required to provide proof of identity, address, and birth date, as well as to execute and return tax acknowledgment forms, liability release, and publicity release prior to claiming the prize.