The Role of Contests in Driving Innovation Through History

Throughout history, contests have been a pivotal force in driving innovation, solving seemingly unsolvable problems, and advancing public good. From the architectural marvels of the Renaissance to the cutting-edge technological breakthroughs of the 21st century, competitions have harnessed human creativity and ingenuity in ways that traditional approaches often cannot.

I decided to write this article because I feel like contests get a bad rap - “they just want to steal our ideas” or “I don’t do contests. I need to get paid for my work.” I honestly started to take on this perspective as well. However recently I learned about some key examples through history where unprecedented innovations were brought to life through competitions.

Brunelleschi's Dome: A Renaissance Breakthrough

One of the earliest and most notable examples of a competition driving innovation is the contest to design the dome of Florence Cathedral in the early 15th century. Filippo Brunelleschi won this competition with his ingenious design and construction techniques, which allowed the completion of a dome that was once considered impossible to build. This contest not only solved a significant architectural challenge but also marked the beginning of the Renaissance, a period renowned for its explosion of creativity and innovation.

Longitude Prize: Navigating the World

In 1714, the British government established the Longitude Prize, aimed at solving the problem of determining a ship's longitude at sea—a critical challenge for maritime navigation. John Harrison, a self-taught clockmaker, eventually won this prize by inventing the marine chronometer, a device that revolutionized sea travel and expanded the possibilities for global exploration and trade.

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Now you might be thinking “Ok, but just because it happened in the past doesn’t make it right.” And you would be right. However this is something that is still happening and has led to some really incredible innovations.

The Ansari XPRIZE: Opening the Space Frontier

In 2004, the Ansari XPRIZE was awarded to Mojave Aerospace Ventures for successfully developing a private spacecraft capable of carrying three people to 100 kilometers above the Earth's surface twice within two weeks. This competition spurred a wave of investment in private space exploration, directly contributing to the development of the commercial spaceflight industry.

The Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE: Advancing Medical Diagnosis

The Qualcomm Tricorder XPRIZE, launched in 2012, challenged teams to develop a portable, wireless device that could diagnose a set of 13 health conditions (mimicking the "tricorder" device from Star Trek) and monitor five vital signs. The competition aimed to make healthcare more accessible and spur innovation in medical diagnostics. Final Frontier Medical Devices and Dynamical Biomarkers Group were announced as the top teams in 2017, showcasing the potential for such devices to transform healthcare.

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I have never heard of the XPRIZE and I don’t know anyone who has been yet been scanned by a “tricorder” so I’m not sure if competitions are still viable strategies for driving real innovation and through the research for this article I found some surpising examples:

The DARPA Grand Challenge: The Birth of Autonomous Vehicles

Initiated in 2004, the DARPA Grand Challenge was a competition that required teams to build autonomous vehicles that could navigate a desert course. This contest significantly accelerated the development of autonomous driving technology, laying the groundwork for the self-driving cars that are on the brink of becoming mainstream today.

The Netflix Prize: Revolutionizing Content Recommendation

In 2006, Netflix announced a competition with a $1 million prize to the first team that could improve the accuracy of its recommendation algorithm by 10%. The winning solution, submitted in 2009, greatly enhanced the personalized experience for users and set a new standard for content recommendation systems across various platforms.

Contests have consistently proven to be a catalyst for innovation, providing a platform for the brightest minds to solve complex problems and push the boundaries of what is possible. From Brunelleschi's dome to the latest XPRIZE competitions, these challenges have not only solved immediate issues but have also paved the way for future advancements, impacting various aspects of our lives. As we continue to face global challenges, the power of competition to harness collective intelligence and creativity remains an invaluable tool in driving progress and innovation.

Reinventing the wheel

For many years in many different contexts I’ve heard someone say…

“I don’t want to reinvent the wheel.”

I often felt like they had a point BUT when I really think about it now I’m not sure what they meant.

Are they saying they don’t want to repeat history? Maybe they are afraid that someone is going to judge them for saying something or doing something that’s been done before?

But we do all kinds of things again and again. “I don’t want to re-brush my teeth, but…”

But the word “invent.” They seem to be referring to the act of creating something that hasn’t been created before. So they don’t want to create something that’s already been created? Like they don’t want to waste their time. Curious if it’s comparable to say:

“I don’t want to waste my time.”

I’ve also heard it in response to someone saying something, like “We don’t want to reinvent the wheel.” Again I think they are saying it to indicate there is a way to do something and they don’t think we want to spend time doing something if it’s been done before. But one of the things I’ve learned in life is that we can’t really know what it’s like to have something until we don’t have it, or we don’t know how much work something is until we try to do it ourselves. As a designer, I feel like I’m constantly inventing and reinventing things. I feel like the act of trying to invent something that has been invented before not only helps me to understand it more but also it helps me to understand the person who made it; Where was their head at? What were they really trying to do? How did they get there?

But the word “wheel.”

Why not nail or hammer or screwdriver or bifocals. Maybe it’s the “wheel” part that’s more important.

But the wheel isn’t just a wheel, nowadays there are so many kinds of wheels made of rubber, metal, plastic, and so many types of wheels for cars, bicycles, machinery. Actually it would seem to me reinventing the wheel is something that’s really human. Wheels augment heavy objects, offsetting the forces of gravity, they make work easier, rides smoother and cotton candy!

I think the next time someone says they “don’t want to reinvent the wheel”

I’m going to say: “Speak for yourself.”

Could it be or is it just me?