TRON founder Justin Sun announced the Justin Sun Prize, a mathematics award that will reward authors of proofs and specialists who prepare them for machine verification. The initiative is designed to make verification and payouts public and automated, with funds remaining locked until a proof has been fully formalized.

How the prize will work

Sun said the prize will differ from traditional mathematics awards because it will have no age limits, categories or annual ceremonies.

Each problem can have two recipients: a “prover” who authors the mathematical proof and a “formalizer” who converts it into a machine-verifiable format. One person may perform both roles, or separate participants may complete them.

Sun said it would not matter whether a result was produced by a human, artificial intelligence or a combination of both. A reward will be paid only after a machine verifies the proof line by line, from start to finish, without errors.

If the mathematical community has accepted a proof but it has not been formalized, the entry will be designated “proven, pending formalization.” The corresponding funds will remain locked until formalization is complete.

The prize later announced its first 66 problems in classical mathematics under the slogan “66 Problems. One Frontier.”

Public registry and funding

Sun said his authority will be limited to compiling the list of problems and setting rewards. Once a problem enters the registry, it cannot be removed, and the deposited funds cannot be withdrawn.

“I am not a mathematician. I am merely an observer and a benefactor. The rest is left to the proofs,” Sun said.

According to Sun, the initial prize pool has already been moved on-chain. He said its address is public and the balance can be independently verified.

X user Chau Le described the initiative as an intersection of mathematics, blockchain, AI and formal verification. Le said its mechanism reflected the blockchain principle of independently verifying results rather than trusting an intermediary.

Another X user, Kaisen, said the prize separately rewards producing a proof and converting it into a machine-verifiable format, rather than rewarding reputation or status. Kaisen also said a public registry of problems, proofs and on-chain payments could provide a long-term record of mathematical results.

Sun said he created the prize because much of his wealth stems from the mathematical principles underpinning cryptography and blockchain. He also said advances in AI were beginning a new era for mathematics by accelerating the discovery and formalization of proofs.

Sun’s other activities

Sun previously became prime minister of the self-proclaimed Liberland, which claims to support blockchain technologies. In 2025, he participated in Blue Origin’s NS-34 space mission after paying $28 million for the flight.

Source: Incrypted