GENEVA, SWITZERLAND — The Office of Justin Sun announced the inaugural recipients of the Justin Sun Prize, marking a significant milestone at the intersection of classical mathematics, formal verification software, and artificial intelligence. The inaugural awards recognize independent researcher Wouter van Doorn, University of Science and Technology of China Ph.D. student Quanyu Tang, and Nanjing Southeast University mathematics researcher Yanyang Li.
The laureates were honored for solving and formally verifying solutions to six complex mathematical challenges from the celebrated Erdős problem collection. The awards represent the first confirmed distributions under the Justin Sun Prize initiative, a philanthropic program designed to reward rigorous breakthroughs and promote machine-checkable mathematical proofs. In keeping with the digital-native ethos of the sponsor, prize disbursements will be fulfilled in stablecoins—specifically USDT on the TRON network (TRC-20) or USDC on Ethereum (ERC-20)—at the recipients’ discretion.
Main Facts: Unlocking Decades-Old Mathematical Conundrums
The newly announced prizes celebrate monumental advances across six distinct problems originating from the extensive catalog compiled by mathematician Thomas Bloom of the University of Manchester. The catalog catalogs over 1,200 open questions posed or popularized by the legendary Hungarian mathematician Paul Erdős. Known for being notoriously simple to state yet devilishly difficult to resolve, Erdős problems have historically driven decades of theoretical advancement in number theory and combinatorics.
The award-winning research team successfully cracked several high-profile challenges through a novel fusion of human mathematical intuition, Large Language Models (LLMs), and automated theorem provers:
- Erdős Problem #650: Solved collaboratively by Wouter van Doorn, Quanyu Tang, and Yanyang Li. The researchers determined the exact boundary of how many integers can always be matched to distinct multiples within a specific interval.
- Erdős Problem #369, #457, and #469: Tackled by Wouter van Doorn, who successfully produced computer-checkable proofs using Lean, an interactive theorem prover software. These problems dealt with consecutive integers with restricted prime factors, the distribution of primes in short consecutive runs, and the finite totals of reciprocals of numbers expressible as sums of their divisors, respectively.
- Erdős Problem #1044: Independently resolved by Quanyu Tang, who established a sharp lower limit for the boundary lengths of geometric regions defined by polynomials.
- Erdős Problem #1196: Addressed by Quanyu Tang alongside Yanyang Li and a wider research collective, establishing bounds for weighted sums over integer sets where no member divides another.
What sets this cohort apart is not merely their success in solving decades-old theoretical questions, but their pioneering methodology. By leveraging tools like ChatGPT to conceptualize proof strategies and specialized AI frameworks like Aristotle to bridge logical gaps during Lean formalization, the team demonstrated a scalable blueprint for the future of mathematical research.
Chronology of the Discoveries and the Rise of AI-Assisted Mathematics
To understand the weight of these achievements, one must look at both the centuries-old lineage of number theory and the modern timeline of AI-augmented reasoning.
From Undergraduate Curiosity to Formal Verification
Wouter van Doorn’s journey into number theory began as an undergraduate in 2010. Although he stepped away from traditional academic corridors after earning his master’s degree, he maintained an active profile as an independent researcher, continually collaborating and publishing within the global mathematical community. His persistence paid off when he embraced Lean—a formal proof assistant developed by Microsoft Research—to translate abstract human reasoning into unassailable machine-verified code.
Concurrently, Quanyu Tang advanced his doctoral studies at the University of Science and Technology of China, focusing on the convergence of traditional number theory, combinatorics, and AI-assisted discovery. Working across geographic and institutional boundaries, Tang, van Doorn, and Yanyang Li of Southeast University forged an informal yet highly productive digital collaboration.
The Problem-Solving Timeline
- Conception and Strategy: Facing the formidable complexities of Erdős Problem #650, the researchers utilized ChatGPT to brainstorm high-level proof strategies, helping to streamline an otherwise labyrinthine combinatorial puzzle.
- Execution and Machine Verification: While translating the arguments into Lean for absolute logical certainty, the team encountered subtle logical gaps. They deployed Aristotle, a specialized AI system engineered for mathematical reasoning, to automatically detect and repair these flaws.
- Refinement and Final Publication: After the machine verified the structural integrity of the proofs, the researchers manually simplified the exposition, finalizing clean, rigorous papers published openly via the program’s public GitHub repository (
TheJustinSunPrize/awards).
Supporting Data: The Scale and Structure of the Justin Sun Prize
The Justin Sun Prize was established as a long-term academic initiative aimed at funneling capital generated within the technology and blockchain sectors directly back into fundamental science.
Key Metrics and Frameworks
- Number of Problems Addressed: 6 distinct Erdős problems.
- Total Catalog Size: More than 1,200 open problems maintained by Thomas Bloom (Royal Society University Research Fellow at the University of Manchester).
- Verification Standard: Proofs must be independently checkable using modern proof assistants (such as Lean), eliminating reliance on human authority or academic prestige.
- Payout Infrastructure: Distributed via TRON (USDT TRC-20) or Ethereum (USDC ERC-20), highlighting the borderless utility of blockchain rails in global scientific funding.
The prize’s decentralized operational philosophy ensures that submissions are judged strictly on the mathematical strength, rigor, and verifiability of the proof itself, removing institutional bias from the evaluation process.
Official Responses and Perspectives
The announcement drew commentary from both the laureate team and the philanthropic office behind the award, emphasizing the shifting paradigm of academic collaboration.
Reflecting on the collaborative process, Quanyu Tang shared his insights on human-machine synergy:
"This experience taught me how public feedback can sharpen a research question, and how AI-assisted discovery can combine mathematical judgment, collaboration and rigorous verification."
From the perspective of the sponsor, the initiative represents a fulfillment of a broader mission to bridge cutting-edge technology with foundational science. The Office of Justin Sun oversees a diverse portfolio spanning blockchain infrastructure, artificial intelligence, investment, and space exploration. Justin Sun, founder of TRON and former Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Grenada to the World Trade Organization, framed the prize as an investment in enduring human knowledge:
"The Justin Sun Prize is built around the principle that mathematical work should be judged by the strength, rigor, and verifiability of the proof itself, not the prestige or reputation of those submitting it."
Implications: The Future of Mathematics in the Age of Artificial Intelligence
The successful resolution and formal verification of these six Erdős problems carry profound implications for the global scientific community. For decades, the peer-review process in advanced mathematics has struggled with a severe verification bottleneck. Complex proofs—such as Andrew Wiles’ proof of Fermat’s Last Theorem or classification theorems for finite simple groups—can take years for human experts to vet, and errors occasionally slip through.
By establishing a direct pipeline between AI-assisted discovery, human intuition, and machine-verified formal proofs (via Lean), the Justin Sun Prize showcases a viable methodology to overcome this bottleneck. When an AI system like Aristotle can pinpoint and repair logical inconsistencies during formalization, and when independent researchers scattered across the globe can seamlessly collaborate via open-source repositories, the speed of scientific progress accelerates exponentially.
Furthermore, the utilization of blockchain rails for prize distribution underscores the practical utility of stablecoins in international academic philanthropy. Traditional cross-border academic grants often face bureaucratic delays, high conversion fees, and banking restrictions. By leveraging high-throughput, low-cost networks like TRON and Ethereum, the Justin Sun Prize delivers funds instantly and transparently to researchers regardless of their geographic location or institutional affiliation.
As the Justin Sun Prize continues to catalogue future breakthroughs through its open repository, it establishes a new benchmark for how private capital can empower decentralized scientific inquiry. By marrying the timeless rigor of Paul Erdős’ mathematical challenges with the unstoppable momentum of artificial intelligence and blockchain settlement, these inaugural awards may well be remembered as a turning point in how humanity solves its most difficult intellectual puzzles.
