Timeline & Process
The Second Manchester Prize runs from November 2024 to March 2026 and will award a total of £2 million across two phases.
Timeline & process of the Second Manchester Prize
The entry phase opens on 19th November 2024, teams develop their proposals, working towards submitting their entry by the final deadline of 17th January 2025 at 12 noon (GMT). The entry phase culminates with an assessment and judging process with up to ten entrant teams being selected as finalists, and each receiving an award of £100,000 in April 2025.
The finalist phase, which begins in April 2025, sees the ten selected teams developing their ideas to best meet the aims as set out in the challenge statement and judging criteria. In addition to a £100,000 grant, teams will receive a range of non-financial support including up to £60,000 of compute credits to develop their solutions within the development phase.
In January 2026, finalist teams will make a final submission to be considered for the grand prize which demonstrates their suitability to win. In March 2026, the best team as decided by a team of expert judges and in line with the judging criteria will be awarded the grand prize of £1 million.
