Justin Sun just announced a new math prize with a brutally pragmatic verification system: proofs only count when they're formally verified by machine.
Core mechanics:
- Two-column attribution: one for the prover, one for whoever formalizes it into machine-checkable code
- Payment triggers ONLY after automated verification passes every line
- Problems already solved before listing? Original prover gets credit, money goes to whoever ports it to formal proof
- Prize list is append-only: problems can be added, bounties can increase, but nothing gets removed or modified
Why this matters technically:
- Creates a public bounty board for formalization work that currently exists in scattered fragments
- Shifts incentive structure: formal verification becomes a paid job, not just academic goodwill
- Timing advantage: annual prizes like Fields (every 4 years, under 40) can't keep pace with AI-accelerated math where conjectures might get solved in days
The controversial part: Sun openly admits his wealth comes from crypto (built on elliptic curve cryptography, hash functions, discrete log problems) and he's routing it back into pure math. First prize pool is already on-chain, address public, balance visible.
His pitch references Erdős's problem bounties (checks people framed instead of cashing) but modernized: blockchain-based, machine-verified, no human committees. Proof assistants like Lean are already being used to formalize major theorems (Fermat's Last Theorem formalization is in progress, Scholze put his condensed mathematics up for verification).
Separation of concerns is clean: math community judges if the formalized problem matches the original statement, machine handles verification, blockchain handles payment. Sun only controls problem selection and bounty amounts.
Official links:
- X: x.com/JustinSunPrize
- Site: hejustinsun.com/prize
- GitHub: github.com/TheJustinSunPrize
This could actually accelerate formal verification adoption in pure math, which has been slow despite tools improving. Money talks.
Core mechanics:
- Two-column attribution: one for the prover, one for whoever formalizes it into machine-checkable code
- Payment triggers ONLY after automated verification passes every line
- Problems already solved before listing? Original prover gets credit, money goes to whoever ports it to formal proof
- Prize list is append-only: problems can be added, bounties can increase, but nothing gets removed or modified
Why this matters technically:
- Creates a public bounty board for formalization work that currently exists in scattered fragments
- Shifts incentive structure: formal verification becomes a paid job, not just academic goodwill
- Timing advantage: annual prizes like Fields (every 4 years, under 40) can't keep pace with AI-accelerated math where conjectures might get solved in days
The controversial part: Sun openly admits his wealth comes from crypto (built on elliptic curve cryptography, hash functions, discrete log problems) and he's routing it back into pure math. First prize pool is already on-chain, address public, balance visible.
His pitch references Erdős's problem bounties (checks people framed instead of cashing) but modernized: blockchain-based, machine-verified, no human committees. Proof assistants like Lean are already being used to formalize major theorems (Fermat's Last Theorem formalization is in progress, Scholze put his condensed mathematics up for verification).
Separation of concerns is clean: math community judges if the formalized problem matches the original statement, machine handles verification, blockchain handles payment. Sun only controls problem selection and bounty amounts.
Official links:
- X: x.com/JustinSunPrize
- Site: hejustinsun.com/prize
- GitHub: github.com/TheJustinSunPrize
This could actually accelerate formal verification adoption in pure math, which has been slow despite tools improving. Money talks.