Resurrect an ancient library from the ashes of a volcano.Win Prizes. Make History.
The Vesuvius Challenge is a machine learning and computer vision competition that in 2023 cracked the riddle of the Herculanum Papyri & awarded over $1,000,000 in prizes.
2024's challenge is to go from reading a few passages to entire scrolls.
79 AD
Mount Vesuvius erupts.
1750 AD
A farmer discovers the buried villa.
2015 AD
Dr. Brent Seales pioneers virtual unwrapping.
2023
A remarkable breakthrough.
The Vesuvius Challenge
2023 was a milestone year that gave us unprecedented access to scrolls that have not been read in two millennia. Incredible teams of engineers helped us unlock these secrets. Learn more about their accomplishments.
2024
The Challenge Continues
Due to the overwhelming success from the past year, the Vesuvius Challenge moves onto its next stage of reading 90% of all four scrolls. Read more about the prizes below, and on how they contribute towards the The Master Plan.
2024 Grand Prize
$100,000
Read 90% of each of Scrolls 1-4
First Automated Segmentation Prize
$50,000
Reproduce the 2023 Grand Prize result but faster
2024 First Letters Prizes
3 x $30,000
Find the first letters in Scrolls 2, 3, and 4
Monthly Progress Prizes
$350,000
Open ended prizes from $1,000-20,000