News update, October 2017: A video message by HSH Prince Albert II of Monaco highlights the relevance of innovative, coordinated observations in the Polar regions and includes a section on the WCRP/FPA2 Polar Challenge. This video had opened, as remote contribution, the WMO-organized plenary session at the 2017 Arctic Circle Assembly held in Reykjavik, Iceland.

Prince Albert


News update, May 2017: Polar Challenge Rules have been relaxed to allow for a broader set of missions and technologies, and partial prize awards in recognition of any major achievements. See the Guidelines page for full details.


Be the first to complete a 2000km continuous mission with an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle under the sea ice

The World Climate Research Program (WCRP) and the Prince Albert II of Monaco Foundation (FPA2) are jointly promoting a Polar Challenge, which will reward the first team to complete a 2000km continuous mission with an Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) under the sea ice in the Arctic or Antarctic. Bonuses can be gained with optional demonstrations. The WCRP-FPA2 Polar Challenge, with prize money totalling 500,000 CHF, is a global competition challenging teams to push the boundaries of polar ocean monitoring capabilities.

This video has been initially produced and kindly released by the Science and Technology Organization-Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (STO-CMRE), hereby deeply acknowledged.
This video is for illustration purpose only. Please kindly check the rules and procedures of the competition.