There was no gold medal, no podium ceremony, and definitely no tears from the losers on 30 July, but there was a new national champion. On that date, NOAA proclaimed that a South Dakota hailstone had surpassed all contenders in both size and weight.

Blossoming interest in geoengineering research over the last few years has ripened into a deeper consideration of the topic by scientists, policymakers, and the public. This interest has been boosted by a relative lack of action on mitigating climate change.