33 U.S.C. § 1972 — Genius Prize for Save Our Seas Innovations

(a)(1) No later than one year after December 18, 2020, the Secretary^* must establish under section 3719 of title 15 a prize competition^*: (A) to encourage technology that could reduce plastic waste and related or potential pollution and thereby prevent marine debris^*; and (B) to award one or more prizes every two years for projects improving understanding and innovation in removing and preventing plastic waste in a listed category. (2) Categories are: (A) packaging and other materials that fully degrade in coastal or ocean environments without harming the environment, wildlife, or human health; (B) production and packaging designs that reduce raw materials, increase recycled content, encourage reuse and recycling, and promote a circular economy^*; (C) better marine-debris detection, monitoring, and cleanup technology and processes; (D) better methods for collecting, processing, sorting, recycling, or reusing solid waste; and (E) designs or methods that reduce packaging needs and promote reuse.
(b) The competition is named the “Genius Prize for Save Our Seas Innovations.”
(c) When choosing awards, priority goes to projects that: (1) include with the application or proposal a plan to bring the supported technology, process, design, material, or product to market-scale use; (2) support a circular economy; and (3) promote materials that (A) can fully degrade in the ocean without harming the environment, wildlife, or human health and (B) will be used in fishing gear or other maritime products especially likely to enter coastal or ocean environments as accidental waste.