$500,000 Face Mask Innovation Challenge Launched by the Biden Admin
Signage requiring masks on display outside Fenway Park on Opening Day before the game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles on April 02, 2021 in Boston, Massachusetts. Maddie Meyer/Getty Images

The Biden administration has launched a $500,000 contest to find the next generation of a protective face mask that would resolve some of the biggest annoyances of wearing it daily.

The Mask Innovation Challenge is hosted by the Department of Health and Human Services' Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority (BARDA) and in partnership with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

Wearing a face mask is encouraged by different health organizations, especially in public places, to reduce the spread of COVID-19.

Biden Administration Launches a $500,000 Face Mask Contest

The contest aims to address common concerns or annoyances rooted in the everyday wearing of face masks, CBS News reported.

Examples of these adversaries are fogged glasses and irritated skin. Other issues are the difficulty communicating and physical discomfort of wearing a mask for a long time.

"Overall, there is a need to develop better designs, materials, and technologies that are more acceptable to wearers and that ensure quantified measures of performance," said the contest description.

As of April 4, the World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded a total of 30,304,462 confirmed COVID-19 cases in the U.S. with 550,539 deaths. A total of 135,544,787 COVID-19 vaccine doses have been administered in the U.S. as of March 25.

"With this mask challenge, we want to get people across the country involved in developing new masks that are both effective and comfortable," said Nikki Bratcher-Bowman, HHS acting Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response (ASPR).

Bowman added that finding new and effective masks that people would find more comfortable to wear would help control COVID-19 and "be better prepared for future public health emergencies."

Aside from comfort, the challenge also aims to improve the utility and protective capabilities of face masks usually worn during daily activities by the public.

"This competition is designed to support the development of mask designs that meet defined performance standards while also overcoming barriers to use," the contest description noted.

Face Mask Innovation Challenge by the Biden Administration

Up to 10 winning ideas would be selected in the first phase of the challenge, with each person receiving $10,000 each.

The last day of submission would be on April 21. and it will require the entries to have a cover page, proposed design, and schematic. The documents to be sent to BARDA Mask Innovation Challenge shall not exceed seven pages.

The masks will be judged according to fit, comfort, filtration, and how easily the design can be manufactured on large scale. The panel of judges will be composed of experts from the federal government, industry, academia, and other sectors that will be deemed relevant.

The Biden administration's face mask contest is not the first to award money for designing answers to face mask complaints. Last year, the Xprize foundation poured $1 million into a contest to "crowdsource" a face mask design that would achieve filtration and breathability for daily use and during exercise.

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