Historical challenge prizes

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2. Alkali Prize

Year: 1775
Promoter: King Louis XVI of France
Prize: 2,400 Livres (Today's value $10,000)
Winner: Nicolas Leblanc (recongised many years later, after his death)

The prize was offered for a commercially viable artificial process for the production of alkali.  

Discovery of an artificial process in 1791 by Nicolas Leblanc enabled much greater production and launched the French chemical industry. 

Unfortunately for Leblanc, the French Revolution destroyed his alkali factory and his award was not paid until many years later - it was paid to his heirs after his death.