Aquamarine Power chief executive, Martin McAdam, said the prize would act as a "global catalyst... bringing together the best brains and financial muscle to crack one of the great challenges of our age".

BBC: Renewables firms to compete for ?10m Saltire Prize

By global standards, the glittering prize of practising law in New York is fairly accessible to anybody with the brains (and a green card).

ECONOMIST: Law and globalisation

Forward-thinking employers, take note: In a global economy where competition lurks at every door and information technology can quickly demolish traditional hierarchies, the best brains are at a premium.

FORBES: Everyday revolutionaries