This post announces the top three winners from a 600+ submission essay contest on major AI challenges. Jassi Pannu outlines a state-scale plan to end airborne pathogens, Ege Erdil advises growth-focused policies for countries outside the AI supply chain, and Michael Li compares AI labs’ economics to Hong Kong’s MTR model. Each full essay follows the brief winner descriptions.

• Far-UVC lighting infrastructure could cut seasonal flu mortality 60% and add $1T+ to global GDP for a $40-60B/10-year investment, while also blunting engineered pandemic risk.
• Erdil argues countries outside the AI supply chain should pursue standard growth policies (property rights, low capital taxes, light regulation) rather than geopolitical maneuvering to stay economically relevant.
• Li compares AI labs to Hong Kong's MTR, suggesting labs could offset massive compute costs by owning complementary "adjacent" assets rather than relying solely on core product revenue.