Up to $400,000 in prizes for breakthrough methods to find subsurface cracks in embankment dams before they cause failure
Detecting subsurface cracks is challenging with constraints such as variable soil conditions, access limitations, and utilities and infrastructure.
DENVER — The Bureau of Reclamation launched the "Crack the Case" prize competition. This three-phase competition seeks novel methods for detecting subsurface cracks in embankment dams - hidden flaws that can lead to internal erosion, one of the leading historic causes of dam failure.
Beneath the surface of embankment dams, cracks can form that are invisible to inspectors, difficult to detect through routine monitoring, yet capable of compromising structures that millions of people depend on for water, power, and flood protection. These cracks may be only millimeters wide and buried dozens of feet deep. Current geophysical methods struggle to resolve such narrow features, especially in the clayey and silty soils where cracks most often occur.
"Detecting subsurface cracks before they become pathways for internal erosion is a persistent technical challenge in dam safety," said Bureau of Reclamation's Prize Competition Administrator Christine VanZomeren. "We're looking beyond conventional approaches and inviting fresh perspectives from geophysicists, sensing specialists, and problem-solvers from any field to help us find what current tools cannot."
For over a century, the Bureau of Reclamation has played a foundational role in developing and managing water and power systems throughout the American West. Reclamation also leads a robust Dam Safety program for the 491 dams it manages. It operates more than 330 reservoirs storing more than 140 million acre-feet of water, supporting agriculture, energy production, ecosystems, and communities across 17 states. Many of these reservoirs are impounded by embankment dams - massive earthen structures where undetected cracks pose serious long-term risks.
The Challenge: Crack the Case invites participants to develop methods capable of detecting and locating subsurface cracks within embankment dams, including cracks with no surface expression. Solutions must work in clayey or silty embankments and account for real-world constraints such as variable soil conditions, access limitations, and interference from buried utilities and infrastructure.
The Prize: Up to $400,000 in total prizes will be awarded across three phases. In Phase 1, up to seven teams will each receive $30,000 for top concept papers. Selected teams will advance to Phase 2 for prototype development and validation, with up to five teams receiving $20,000 each. Phase 3 will award $60,000 and $30,000 for first and second place in a demonstration under conditions reflecting real embankment environments.
Eligibility to Compete and Win Prize(s): The prize is open to anyone aged 18 or older participating as an individual or as a team. Individual competitors and teams may originate from any country, as long as United States federal sanctions do not prohibit participation (some restrictions apply).
Reclamation has contracted with HeroX and the NASA Tournament Lab to run this competition.
Ready to find what others can't see? Learn more and register here.
