Over the past three decades, XPRIZE has operated as a nonprofit that designs and runs public competitions to drive radical breakthroughs for the benefit of humanity. Founded in 1994 by Peter Diamandis, the foundation uses monetary incentives to attract investment and new approaches to global problems. Early efforts included the Ansari XPRIZE for suborbital spaceflight, and subsequent contests have addressed automotive efficiency, ocean health, medical diagnostics, carbon removal, and pandemic response. One of its most recent initiatives, the XPRIZE Wildfire competition, was launched in April 2023 with an $11 million purse and a four-year timeline to inspire solutions that can detect and suppress wildfires before they become catastrophic.
With wildfire seasons worsening worldwide, the mission behind XPRIZE has never been more critical. Data shows that the frequency of the world’s most damaging wildfires has surged more than fourfold since the 1980s, driven by climate change, human encroachment, and land management shifts. Experts warn that these extreme fires now cause disproportionate damage. “Wildfires are growing more frequent, more destructive, and more costly, and the status quo is no longer sustainable in a changing climate,” said Andrea Santy, the XPRIZE Wildfire Program Director.
By rewarding bold innovation instead of incremental improvement, XPRIZE seeks to encourage solutions that can transform how the world approaches wildfire management.
XPRIZE Wildfire Competition Spurs Student Innovation
One of the most promising examples of this new generation of innovation comes from an unlikely source. A team from Valley Christian Schools in Silicon Valley, California, has advanced further than any high school team in XPRIZE history. Known as Wildfire Quest, the group is competing in the Autonomous Wildfire Response track and is among the top 15 semifinalists globally. Their success has already drawn attention for proving that groundbreaking innovation is not limited to industry veterans.
To advance their concept, Wildfire Quest recently announced strategic partnerships with Kaizen Aerospace and SensoRy AI. Kaizen Aerospace brings heavy-lift drone expertise, offering flight platforms capable of carrying payloads up to 1,000 lbs with AI-driven mission control through its xNav system. This hardware forms the foundation of the team’s autonomous response platform, allowing their drones to execute suppression maneuvers quickly and safely.
AI-Powered Detection in the XPRIZE Wildfire Competition
SensoRy AI contributes the critical detection and intelligence component to the Wildfire Quest system. Founded by Ryan Honary, who also began his company while in high school, SensoRy AI specializes in real-time environmental monitoring. Its sensor network uses artificial intelligence to identify small thermal or gas anomalies before they develop into major fires. When integrated with Wildfire Quest’s drone platform, the system enables seamless communication between detection and response, creating an end-to-end solution from early warning to suppression.
Together, these collaborations elevate the student-led project into a professional-grade system built around three stages: detection, decision, and suppression. The detection system, powered by SensoRy AI, identifies early signs of wildfire ignition. The decision module validates the data and triggers autonomous flight paths, while the suppression system carries out targeted interventions using Kaizen’s aerial technology. The result is a closed-loop process designed to contain fires faster than traditional methods can deploy human responders.
Breaking Barriers in the XPRIZE Wildfire Challenge
The team’s accomplishments have continued to gain momentum. In an earlier round of the competition, Wildfire Quest received a $25,000 award for passing Technical Verification, becoming the only high school group to reach the top 30 globally. Their ability to meet the same technical benchmarks as professional research teams reflects both the promise of emerging technology and the potential of student-led innovation. As they prepare for upcoming field trials, the team’s growing list of partners and mentors is helping them move from a working prototype to a deployable system.
Encouraging the Next Generation of Innovators
Beyond competition, the Wildfire Quest story highlights a broader cultural shift toward accessibility in advanced research. Programs like XPRIZE are creating space for young innovators to collaborate with professionals and contribute to solving real-world problems. The presence of a high school team at this level shows that with the right support, creativity and technical expertise can emerge from unexpected places.
“Wildfire Quest is showing the world that age is no barrier to making an impact,” said Ryan Honary. “I also started SensoRy AI in high school, so the Wildfire Quest story resonates personally with me. I am very excited that together with SensoRy AI’s innovative wildfire detection technology and Wildfire Quest’s bold autonomous response platform, we are delivering a cutting-edge end-to-end solution for wildfire detection, notification, and suppression.”
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