About Round Two
The second Manchester Prize is a multi-million-pound launchpad for innovators with bold AI solutions for a clean energy economy. The Prize will be awarded to the most innovative and impactful AI solution enabling the UK to accelerate progress towards a net zero energy system.
The 10 finalist teams have now been announced, and receive £100,000 in seed funding, up to £60,000 in compute, and additional non-financial support to further develop their solutions. The £1 million grand prize will be awarded to the winning team in spring 2026.
Challenge Statement
The second Manchester Prize will be awarded to the most innovative and impactful AI solution enabling the UK to accelerate progress towards a net zero energy system.
Solutions should demonstrate use of AI that delivers on at least one of the following:
- Accelerates the UK’s adoption of clean energy technologies at scale
- Enables efficient or low-cost operations of clean energy systems
- Significantly reduces energy demand, or optimises energy usage
The winning solution will demonstrate not only technical innovation but also an evidenced road map to near-term (2030) adoption and scale.