An award of $50,000 is being offered for the best original proposal pertaining to the study of the origin of life on Earth. Multiple awards may be made. "Life" is defined as a self-sustained chemical system capable of undergoing Darwinian evolution. The proposal should take into account the conditions, materials, and energy sources believed to have existed on the prebiotic Earth. Submissions should provide a cogent hypothesis for how life first arose, including its plausible chemistry, and for how primitive life could have evolved to modern biological cells, including the present genetic material and metabolism. Submitters are encouraged to offer unconventional hypotheses that nonetheless can be subject to experimental validation. Submissions will be accepted through December 31, 2011.

For further information and instructions on how to submit a proposal see http://www.originlife.org/ .