When Clay and Marie Wilkes donated $20 million to found the Wilkes Center for Climate Science & Policy at the University of Utah in 2022, they envisioned a venture to support cutting-edge science, education, public policy and entrepreneurial solutions that urgently address the threats of climate change.
The next year, the center debuted the historic $1.5 million Wilkes Climate Prize, now known as the Climate Launch Prize. The annual award targets credible, ambitious and audacious ideas deemed too risky for traditional funding sources. One of the largest university-affiliated prizes in the world, its goal is to push through potential breakthroughs with a one-time, unrestricted cash offer.
Lumen Bioscience and Applied Carbon, the respective 2023 and 2024 prize winners, shared how they’ve leveraged the momentous awards at the 2025 Wilkes Climate Summit on May 15 at the U campus. Learn more about the seven finalists vying for the 2025 prize here.
