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The Boring Co. is having a competition to see who can tunnel faster than what?

Answer: A snail.

The competition was, surprisingly, revealed through an official announcement by the company, rather than a tweet from its founder Elon Musk.

The company is currently trying to build underground tunnels in major urban areas for transporting private vehicles in order to reduce traffic congestion. But right now it’s still a slow process — about a snail’s pace, to be exact — and they’re looking for a faster and cheaper way to do it. That’s where the competition comes in.

Participants will be asked to dig a tunnel at a speed faster than a snail’s pace (literally, that’s the benchmark). The tunnel will be small, 30 meters with a 0.5-meter diameter, since the goal here is speed and not size. There will be three winning categories: fastest to complete the tunnel, fastest to complete the tunnel and a driving surface, and most accurate guidance system. 

The Boring Co. did not reveal whether or not there will be any prizes for the winners. Applications for interested parties are open now, and the competition is currently set for spring 2021.