How is the #JustinSunPrize awarded? 1. A difficult problem doesn’t automatically earn a large prize just because it keeps many people up at night. According to official information, the JustinSunPrize has five award tiers. For each Pinnacle-level problem, the prize fund is $1 million. Other prize amounts will be announced separately for each competition—so don’t rush to grab your calculator and divide the money yet! 2. The first factor is how long the problem has existed. The longer an open problem remains unsolved, the more it indicates that the research community has yet to find a satisfactory solution. Playfully speaking, this is like a “riddle as stubborn as a leech”—but time is only one part of the evaluation; simply waiting longer doesn’t automatically qualify you for a prize. 3. Next is where the work was published and the level of academic recognition it received. These two factors help determine whether the work was properly presented and evaluated within an appropriate research environment. In other words: posting a solution online and declaring “done!” is probably not enough to convince the review panel. 4. Finally, the prize amount is adjusted based on the completeness of the solution. The more comprehensive, clear, and fully resolved the solution, the stronger its case for a commensurate reward. Therefore, it’s not enough to just find the answer—the quality of the proof and its completeness are equally critical. In summary, award decisions consider the problem’s duration, the credibility of the publication venue, academic recognition, and the completeness of the solution. This is a multidimensional evaluation—not just a gut feeling that “this problem looks hard.” Follow @justinsuntron and @JustinSunPrize for updates on each award!