Elon Musk, by some estimates the world’s richest man, has tweeted that he is “donating $100M [€83 million] towards a prize for best carbon capture technology”, with more details to come in the coming days. Of interest will be if the technology should be applicable to industrial plants or if it should be direct air capture of CO₂ from the atmosphere, how the technology should be demonstrated, and by when. Technologists will also be curious if existing solutions will be accepted as candidates, and if there are any strings attached to the use of the prize. An intriguing aspect of the announcement and the forthcoming competition will be if it helps to change the image of carbon capture technology from one that is a mix of contentiousness (supported by what is probably a majority of engineers and scientists, but criticised by others, as well as many environmentalists) and a lack of awareness, to it being more widely known and supported.