View source for Hearst Transcontinental Prize

The '''Hearst prize''' was a $50,000 (approximately ${{formatnum:{{Inflation|US|50000|1911|r=-3}}}} today) [[aviation]] [[Prize money|prize]] offered by publisher [[William Randolph Hearst]] in October 1910 to the first aviator to fly coast to coast across the [[United States]], in either direction, in fewer than 30 days from start to finish. The prize expired in November 1911 without a winner.<ref name=nasa/>

==Attempts==
*[[James J. Ward]] left [[Governors Island]] in [[Manhattan, New York City]] but crashed on September 22, 1911 in [[Addison, New York]] on his way to [[San Francisco, California]].<ref name="New York Times">{{cite news |title=Flier, Seeking to Reach San Francisco, Lands at Calicoon Late in the Afternoon |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1911/09/15/archives/ward-138-miles-nearer-pacific-flier-seeking-to-reach-san-francisco.html |quote=James J. Ward, who left New York for San Francisco Wednesday, flying for the W.R. Hearst $50,000 prize for a transcontinental flight, reached Callicoon, N.Y., a few miles from here, at 4:35 o'clock this afternoon. He covered 59 1-10 miles in 57 minutes, having left Middletown, N.Y., at 3:38 o'clock. |work=[[New York Times]] |date= September 15, 1911|access-date=2010-11-25 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Ward Quits Coast Flight. Comes to Grief at Addison  |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1911/09/23/archives/ward-quits-coast-flight-comes-to-grief-at-addison-rodgers-at-elmira.html |work=[[New York Times]] |date=September 23, 1911 |access-date=2010-11-26 }}</ref>  
*[[Calbraith Perry Rodgers]] tried to win it, having started too late, but did complete the flight in 49 days, including several crash landings and maintenance delays.<ref name=nasa>{{cite web
|url=http://centennialchallenges.nasa.gov/documents/cc_ilc_paper_2005-09-08.pdf
|title=Prize Competitions and NASA's Centennial Challenges Program
|year=2005
|publisher=[[NASA]]
|access-date=2007-09-23 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070703112137/http://centennialchallenges.nasa.gov/documents/cc_ilc_paper_2005-09-08.pdf <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 2007-07-03}}</ref>
*[[Robert G. Fowler]] left [[San Francisco, California]] on September 11, 1911 and arrived in [[Jacksonville, Florida]] on February 8, 1912, after the prize deadline expired.<ref>{{cite news |title=Robert G. Fowler, Aviator, 81, Dead; Pilot Flew Biplane From West to East Coast in 1911  |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1966/06/16/archives/robert-g-fowler-aviator-81-dead-pilot-flew-biplane-from-west-to.html?sq=Robert%2520Fowler%2520pilot&scp=1&st=cse|agency=[[Associated Press]] |work= [[New York Times]] |date=June 16, 1966 |access-date=2007-06-21 }}</ref>

==See also==

* [[List of aviation awards]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:1910 in aviation]]
[[Category:1911 in aviation]]
[[Category:Aviation awards]]
[[Category:History of aviation]]
[[Category:William Randolph Hearst]]
[[Category:Challenge awards]]