The U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) has announced the winners of Phase 2 of the Rust Busters Prize Competition.

The USBR hopes to use the competition to discover solutions on how to prolong the useful life of steel structures that are used in water by decreasing rust and corrosion, according to a news release.

According to Water Power Magazine, High Barrier Controlled Release Rust Buster Coating won $65,000 and Coal Tar Enamel Spray won $35,000 as the top two leaders of the competition. USBR is conducting the competition in alliance with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and the NASA Tournament Labs, along with HeroX, which is overseeing the competition. 

"Finding solutions to science and technology challenges Reclamation and its partners are experiencing is one goal of prize competitions," Senior Advisor for Research and Development Levi Brekke said. "The results of this prize competition will inform water managers about new options under development to protect their steel structures from rust and corrosion."

The Rust Busters competition began in August 2019, with the prizes expected to be given on March 3, according to the bureau.

“This Rust Busters Challenge offers the opportunity for the most compelling corrosion control approaches to be evaluated and field-tested by the challenge sponsors,” the bureau said in a release. In Phase I, participants were to "submit a paper containing the proposed approach to corrosion control, its scientific rationale, and any supporting data.”

The USBR states that up to five participants moved forward to Phase II, each winning $50,000 for displaying “their technologies using test coupons supplied by Reclamation.”

The Bureau evaluated the prototypes with the final winners sharing $100,000.

“It offers a rare opportunity for Phase 2 participants to receive lab-and field-test data for their technologies and additional possibilities to continue working with Reclamation to further develop their technologies,” the USBR said.