Shell has reported it is participating as a sponsor and a judge in the Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X CHALLENGE, a US $1.4 million competition designed to inspire a new generation of innovative solutions for oil spill cleanup technology, according to a press release. Wendy Schmidt, wife of Eric Schmidt, executive chairman of Google, is president of The Schmidt Family Foundation, which strives to advance the development of clean energy and support the better and more efficient use of natural resources. Shell’s decided to participate in the event last year after the Deepwater Horizon tragedy. Their participation includes: • Peter Velez, global emergency response manager at Shell International Exploration and Production, is the industry judge on the panel, which comprises officials from the USCG, MSRC, BOEMRE, among others. • Shell is paying for the technological components of the competition. • Shell will also help bring the winning technologies to market with other industry leaders. The competition was created by the X Prize Foundation, a non-profit organization that was founded in 1995 with the goal of encouraging investment in research and development by creating large-scale, high-profile competitions. According to the press release, 10 finalist teams from around the world have been chosen to test their equipment at the National Oil Spill Response Research & Renewable Energy Test Facility (OHMSETT) this summer in New Jersey, the largest outdoor saltwater wave/tow tank facility in North America.