The idea is to spur developments that would lead to a so-called hydrogen economy.

In Inglis' eyes, a "grand prize" would be $100 million. Such incentives would reflect "the transformational value of changing our energy dependence and the political world balance by providing a clean, abundant source of energy," the congressman said in a statement.

"We've got a long way to go, in terms of ending this addiction to oil," Inglis said earlier this month, following a meeting with President Bush on energy security.

"There are a lot of things to be overcome. We need some technological breakthroughs with hydrogen. We need some political breakthroughs with some pretty powerful interests."

The H-Prize competition is like a science fair for the industry. In theory, it would address the first half of Inglis' energy equation.

Shell Hydrogen President Phillip Baxter said the H-Prize is "the manifestation of the importance of government, especially at the federal level, in providing leadership, providing inspiration, and providing focus, to engage the entire country -- all businesses, academia, even folks in their garages -- to move forward and focus on how we get to a hydrogen economy.

"How do we solve our energy dependency, our energy security needs? It's also about the thing this country has done so well in the past: creating whole new industries," Baxley said from Houston. "We think that the idea of a Hydrogen Prize is an excellent additional incentive. It adds a dimension that is really needed."

And the winner is…

The H-Prize would be awarded in three categories:

-Technological advancements in hydrogen production, storage, distribution and use. Four prizes would be awarded here.

-The best working prototype using hydrogen technology.

-And, a grand prize for developments that meet or exceed objectives in hydrogen production and distribution.

In December, a powerful contingent from the automotive, energy and political worlds convened in Inglis' Washington office to brainstorm what an H-Prize would look like.

That group -- which included representatives from Shell Hydrogen, GE Energy, BMW, Ford Motor Co., ExxonMobil, the University of South Carolina, DaimlerChrysler, the U.S. Department of Energy, Clemson University and startup companies like Silicon Valley-based Ion America -- came up with ideas besides federal cash incentives.

Among them: guaranteed purchase orders for a certain number of products, and a commitment to supply support like convenient hydrogen refueling stations.

The H-Prize is inspired by similar past competitive research and development events in entrepreneurial space flight and robotics. The Defense Advanced Research Project Agency, an arm of the U.S. Defense Department, once offered a cash prize to universities and corporations that created the best autonomous ground vehicles that could save lives on a battlefield, for instance.

Meanwhile, on Capital Hill…

Some federal dollars from Bush's $1.2 billion Hydrogen Fuel Initiative already have worked their way into South Carolina -- to Clemson and the Savannah River National Lab in Aiken, for instance.

An H-Prize would work in conjunction with that pot of money, which is administered by the Energy Department.

Inglis was among 20 congressmen and women to meet with Bush and Vice President Cheney this month to discuss the future of energy, including hydrogen power, better batteries and solar cells.

Inglis called that meeting "a very strategic attempt to move some key decision makers. That would not include me. There were those of us there who have already showed our support.

"I hope there was a warming trend," Inglis said.

"It doesn't hurt to have the president of the United States asking for help, and saying, 'We really need to do this.' And, he's a Texan. He was in the oil and gas business. And he's got a lot of friends still in the oil and gas business. So, for him to talk about alternative energy shows that it must be about national security."