Google has agreed to sponsor a $30 million competition for an unmanned mission to the moon.
The competition is open to private industry and non government organizations.
First prize is $20 million, but to claim it you'll have to hurry. Your lunar rover will have to perform a succesful lunar landing and take a 500 meter drive around the landing site, all this by December 31, 2012.
One year later the prize drops to $15 million. The runner up will recieve $5 million, and there are $5 million bonuses for finding Apollo relics on the moon.
A similar concept worked a few years ago, when the Ansari X prize was offered to any successful non government manned space project. The $10 million prize was scooped four years ago by the legendary aircraft designer Burt Rutan and Paul Allen, with their Space Ship One flights.
More here.