
The Netflix Prize (to go along with the Spock Challenge) - mattculbreth
http://www.netflixprize.com/
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gyro_robo
Read the rules for both... For Netflix, it's a million bucks, and you grant
them a non-exclusive license (meaning you let them do whatever they want with
it, but you can, too).

For Spock, it's $50k and you give them all the rights, solely and exclusively
(meaning you can't use your own work anymore), PLUS permission to "use the
winner's name, photograph, voice, biographical information, and likeness for
promotional purposes in television, radio, Internet, and print advertising
without further compensation or notice, except where prohibited by law."

This is so open-ended, they could conceivably sell your likeness to Valtrex
for billboards.

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rms
For any companies with a specific, difficult technical CS challenge to be
solved, sponsoring a contest seems to be a really cheap way to get great
results.

