Orteig Prize

The Orteig Prize was a reward of $25,000 offered in 1919 by New York City hotel owner Raymond Orteig to the first Allied aviator, or aviators, to fly non-stop from New York City to Paris or vice versa. Several famous aviators made unsuccessful attempts at the New York–Paris flight before a relatively unknown American, Charles Lindbergh, won the prize in 1927 with his aircraft the Spirit of St. Louis.

A number of people died while competing to win the prize. Six people perished in three separate crashes, and another three were injured in a fourth crash. The Orteig Prize spurred considerable investment in aviation—sometimes far exceeding the value of the prize itself—and also advanced public interest in, and the development of, aviation technology.